Entering the game, there was little doubt the championship match featured the two best teams the Squirt Division had to offer. The second ranked Hawks had just one loss all year, handed to them by the top ranked Coyotes, whose only loss came in a shootout late in the season. The two also asserted themselves nicely in the semifinals, as well, the Coyotes coasting past the Boston Brahmas 10-3 and the Hawks posting a dramatic, 7-5, come-from-behind victory against the Marlboro Thunder. Both were worthy of taking the title.

As they were prone to do throughout the season, the Coyotes jumped out to an early lead, Ryan McGuiness putting them up 1-0 at 2:05 of the first period. From that point on, however, much of the remaining 12:55 of the opening period belong to the Hawks, who had the better game on both ends of the ice. They were never able to break through, though, and the game went to the first break with McGuiness’ goal remaining the only one on the board.

The Hawks persistence paid off early in the second period, Dillon Benoit getting a tip on a Noah O’Neil shot from the point to tie it up just 1:05 in. They almost grabbed the lead less than a minute later on a shorthanded breakaway, but the Coyotes regained their one-goal advantage with a breakaway of their own at 3:19, the goal scored by Mike Lynch.

Despite the goals early in the frame, much of the action in the second came late when the two sides combined for three goals in the final 1:40 of the period. The Coyotes nabbed two to go up 4-1 before Christian Shabbick made it 4-2 at 14:20.

When Lucas Magliozzi scored his second of the contest 1:27 into the third period, the Coyotes were seemingly back in full control of the game, but there was yet another flurry of goals late in the period. This time around, however, they all belonged to Hawks forward Pari Lykourinos, who cut the Norfolk deficit to one with a pair of strikes at 12:41 and 13:49. What seemed as though it was going to be a sure win for the Coyotes with three minutes to play was going to come down to the wire, the division’s top seed needing to hold on a few more moments.

“We have a huge bench. Everyone on the team can skate. We have four solid lines, six solid defensemen. The kids just work hard and get it done. They don’t panic,” Parece said.

The Coyotes could not find the empty net to seal the win, even as the Hawks left the goaltender pulled during a defensive zone face-off. The Hawks also had a number of chances late, looking to overcome their second three-goal deficit of the playoffs, but the South Middlesex defense and goaltender Jake Berglund – who Parece accounts as one of the biggest factors in the win – shut them down and preserved the one-goal margin. The 5-4 lead stood and when the horn sounded, the Coyotes were crowned Squirt Gold Cup Champions for the first time in league history.

“We slipped a few past [their goalie] and our goalie stood up when he had to,” Parece said. “It was an even game, two very good teams… They both played well, but we snuck a few in.”