By Jim Stewart Of the Caledon Citizen (get your copy of this newspaper!)
Caledon Hawks’ Head Coach Pat Pisanti and his U18 hockey players have had a spectacular season and it culminated on Thursday with a much-coveted York-Simcoe regional championship.
Prior to their perfect 7-0 playoff run, the Hawks’ regular season record in their 13-team league was an impressive 18-3-3. They narrowly missed finishing first by one point.
Caledon also had a stellar tournament record. They played in four tournaments, winning two, losing in the finals in the third, and losing in the semi-finals in the fourth. But the Hawks saved their best hockey for the Y-S playoffs and that was evident as they ran the table with seven consecutive victories.
To capture the York-Simcoe title, the Hawks defeated Halton Hills Red 5-2 in front of a capacity crowd at the Caledon East Arena. Coach Pisanti described the victory in the final as a “great team effort” and attributed part of the team’s success to the pro-Hawks crowd which “was loud and supportive.”
The Hawks’ 6-game pathway to the championship final was very linear and the young U18 squad caught fire at the right time of the season. Coach Pisanti’s team glided through the preliminary playoff round with round-robin wins over Markham Waxers Team Three 5-3, Newmarket Renegades 3-2, Halton Hills White 6-5, and Brampton 45’s 6-3.
In a “fast-paced” quarter-final, the Hawks beat Markham Waxers Team One 4-3. Caledon Captain Lucas DaSilva scored a hat trick versus Markham and Andrew Motomura scored the game-winning goal with 34 seconds left in the third period. After ending Markham’s season, the Hawks set their sights on the Barrie Colts. Coach Pisanti described the 4-3 semifinal win over the Colts as “an absolute war in Barrie, and we got key goals from Kyle Mizzen and key saves from David Paulucci.”
Caledon’s Head Coach acknowledged that his “top Playoff Point Leaders were Kyle Mizzen, Lucas Da Silva and Gabriel Morano, but, more importantly, it was a total team effort to get the job done.”
When asked about his team’s best characteristics that made them champions, Pisanti focused initially on three specific traits.
“Determination, discipline, and having the heart of a lion.”
He also noted that his team was comprised of “2006-born players who competed against many teams with all 2005-born players so we were a year younger.”
In addition to the first three traits, Coach Pisanti also singled out “team effort, support of each other, trusting in our game plan, each other, and structure” as keys to their successful season.
In a season filled with memorable moments and big wins, it was difficult for Coach Pisanti to select one to discuss.
“There were so many moments, obviously winning the League Finals, but also beating the Barrie Colts which tried everything to get us off our game in their barn. Also, beating Oakridge Aeros in a Semi-Final battle in a London Tournament in December. This was when the team started to believe in each other, believed in our structure, and saw what they could be capable of.”
When asked to identify the most satisfying things about coaching teenaged hockey players, Coach Pisanti’s enthusiasm for being behind the bench was evident in his multi-faceted response.
“Being able to interact with them more as adults, but keep the child coming out in them; having them realize how good they can be, how important team play is, and how each player has a role. How they rise to the challenge when it is presented. I love how hard they work, their one-liners, the conversations we have together, and bringing out their passion for hockey. Most importantly, keeping them doing something they love doing and helping the community. I just love coaching guys that really want to be there!”
It’s pretty evident that the Caledon Hawks “really wanted to be there” this year as a team and for their coach.
Congratulations to Head Coach Pat Pisanti and his Caledon Hawks on winning the York-Simcoe U18 Hockey championship and for completing a magical season from start to finish.