TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gaither/Sickles Win State Hockey Title

ADVERTISEMENT

By NICHOLAS MURRAY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 24, 2009

ELLENTON - Gaither/Sickles won its third state hockey title in four seasons with a 4-1 win against Manatee in the final of the Florida State Combined Division Championship on Sunday afternoon.

Gaither/Sickles victory was keyed by an outstanding defensive performance that stifled the Mustangs potent attack, as Axel Andrup made 22 saves. Gaither/Sickles had accomplished a similar feat in a 2-1 semifinal win against River Ridge earlier in the day, Andrup making 14 saves in that contest. However, senior defenseman Evan Spriggs said the teams' forwards also deserved a lot of the credit.

"Defense is a huge part of how we play and our strategy," Spriggs said, "but you can't just compliment the defense. The offense was amazing at what they did. We had to play our game, and we had the will to win."

Nick Howell gave Gaither/Sickles the lead with 2:05 to play in the first period, breaking in on the right before wristing a shot into the top right corner.

Gaither/Sickles doubled its lead with a power play goal midway through the second period. After winning an offensive zone draw, Spriggs sent the puck across to Daniel Fritz, whose shot was saved, only for Preston Guillot to bang home the rebound.

Stephen Demarco then gave Gaither/Sickles a three-goal cushion on a great solo effort. Demarco broke past two defenders at the top of the left circle, and had his first shot saved, but regained the puck and came round the back to tuck the puck inside the right post.

"Stephen Demarco is a helluva player," Gaither/Sickles coach Dan Bubley said. "There's a kid who doesn't have the body size, but he plays with a great heart and great head and great wheels. The kid is a fun player to watch."

Manatee came out with greater purpose to start the third period, led by Chase Anderson and Jordan Grimsley. The Mustangs had defeated the Tigers 9-5 in the semifinals, but were never able to get on track until the final stanza, when they recorded more shots than the first two periods combined.

Despite that, Gaither/Sickles took a 4-0 lead with 9:16 to play as Logan Garst stole the puck in the offensive zone and snuck as shot past into the left corner. Mike Hirshamer scored a consolation goal to break the shutout with 1:25 to play, but the Mustangs never truly threatened.

"This feels amazing," Spriggs said. "It's an honor to be on a winning team, especially for three years."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT