Like any
season in sport the 2015-2016 season for the KKP Minor Midgets was full of
challenges. Not shy to the challenge the Minor Midget team not only faced these
challenges head-on but were successful at becoming a better team with a deeper
understanding of sport and themselves.At the end of the regular season the team had a record of 19-11-6 this was enough for the team to find themselves in third place a mere 4 points behind the reigning OMHA Champions the Clarington Toros. Heading into the playoffs the Red Devils would have to face the same Toros in the first round of the OMHA Playoffs. This series would be decided by the first team to reach 6 points.
The KKP Minor Midgets had played the Toros 4 times in regular season play ending with 2 ties and 2 losses. Although they kept pace with Clarington it was a tall order for the KKP Minor Midgets dethroning the Toros in the first round. The first game was hard fought in enemy territory and the Devils came up short losing 5-2. Not losing sight of the goal the Devils returned home won a nail-biter 1-0. This was their first of the season against the Toros and would be the game to propel them forward in the series. With a hard fought third game they pulled out another win this time 4-0 giving the Devils a 4-2 points lead in the series. The fourth game was a not a close one as the KKP Devils came up short losing 6-1 at home and that tied up the series. The next game was going to determine the future of this team. The KKP Minor Midgets had a stellar performance and beat the Clarington Toros handily with a score of 5-1 when the buzzer sounded. This game meant that for the first time in the teams history were heading into the second round and could proudly boast that they had eliminated the reigning OMHA Champions from further playoff play.
In the second round the teams from the East ETA cross over and play a team from the West. The team that the Devils would face second round would prove to be the biggest challenge yet. The match up was with the York Simcoe Express – the first place team in the West, the number 1 ranked team in Ontario for most of the season and a team that only lost 4 games all season. The KKP Minor Midgets had faced this team twice in regular season losing both games as well once in tournament play which also left the Devils on the wrong side of the match up. Once again the Devils had to rally while keeping focused on their game plan. The first game was played at home and with that advantage the Devils came out and held nothing back – the game was close throughout and the Devils managed to end the game in a 3-3 tie and their first point in the series. The next game took the Devils to St. Andrews College. The Devils played a tight, well executed game which was rewarded with an impressive 7-3 win and put them up 3 points to 1. This was the last win that the Devils could muster against a talent squad in YSE but it was the next three games that showed the tenacious spirit of the Devils that would offer no quit and force York-Simcoe to play their best to beat them. The last three contests all ended in York-Simcoe victories but each game were blindingly fast back and forth games. The series would end in game five but it was with heads held high that the KKP Minor Midget Devils left the arena in Aurora knowing they had played some of their best hockey to date.
Their efforts did not go unnoticed as recently and with great pride the Devils were invited to the crown in the Minor Midget calendar the OHL Cup! The OHL Cup is the year-end tournament hosted by the GTHL featuring the best 20 teams from Ontario and the United States. There are 15 teams that will attend the Tournament through their playoff success and there are 10 teams which will make up a pool of wild-cards. These wild-card teams play a win-and-you-are-in game against one other wildcard team.
The KKP Minor Midgets were selected as one such team named by a selection committee evaluating their regular-season, post-season and tournament play.
It is a great honour for this Hometown Hockey team to be selected and as they have all season they will continue represent Quinte with pride in their accomplishments.
To follow the rest of the story as it develops check out the team on Twitter @MMidgetDevils or here at quintedevils.com.
Go Devils Go!!!