fter three hard fought victories, the Ottawa Centre Ice Hunters are the 2003 Initiation B side winners of the City of Ottawa tournament. Led by strong goaltending and tremendous team play, the Ice Hunters won their final game 5 - 2 over the West End White Lightening to claim the championship.
The tournament started off with a bit of a shock, with an early morning loss to the Canterbury Sharks on Saturday. The Sharks obviously can play and skated to a convincing 10 - 3 win. Willem Grant and Sean Daniel Neve braved the nets for the Ice Hunters, with Antonio D'Orazio scoring twice and Jacob Williamson notching a single goal.
So with their backs to the wall, the Ice Hunters moved to St. Laurent Arena for a second game. This time facing the West End Black Hawks, the Ice Hunters fared much better. With strong goaltending from William Alton-Shantz and three hat tricks from Ryan Kuffner, the Ottawa Centre squad posted a 10-3 victory with Jack Harris scoring an additional goal. Strong defence from Havard Taylor and Colin Foley sealed the victory.
In the third game against the West End Golden Dragons, the Ice Hunters again prevailed, this time anchored by the outstanding goaltending of Brett Webster. With strong defensive performances from Jacob Williamson and Henri Bourque, two goals from William Alton-Shantz and a hat trick from Ryan Kuffner, the Ice Hunters won by a convincing tally of 5-0. Using the lighter blue pucks for the first time, the players said, "Cool, I can raise it" and went on to their next match.
In the fourth and final game, the Ice Hunters were out to win gold, and despite considerable confusion caused by switching ends, they once again used those magic blue pucks to their advantage.
By now the Ice Hunters were a defensive dynamo, with Havard Taylor, Sean Daniel Neve and Colin Foley ensuring that the other team had few chances to score. Led for the second straight game by the stellar goaltending of Webster, the boys responded, and despite an early goal by White Lightning, led 2-1 after one period.
However early in the second, the West End team tied the score up at two. With the pressure on, the Ice Hunters responded, with Willem Grant scoring to put them up 3-2 and D'Orazio adding an insurance marker before the period was over.
Then late in the third period, Ryan Kuffner scored his third goal of the game, for his fifth hat trick of the tourney, to give the team a 5-2 lead. Continued strong defensive play by Harris and Bourque sealed the game, and the Ice Hunters can now add another medal to their collection.
The Ice Hunters are based at Brewer Arena.