INNISFIL — Stick a fork in the next opponent of the Nantyr Shores Tritons. They might be done.
The Alcona secondary school’s boys varsity hockey team is heading to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Boys’ AAA tournament in Windsor this week, after defeating Barrie’s St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School, 6-2, in the Georgian Bay Secondary School Association (GBSSA) championship earlier this month.
This is the first trip to OFSAA in the program’s history. But it has been a quick climb to success for the squad since being shut down for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the team reassembled for the 2022-23 campaign, the coaching staff brought in several young players, with the goal of helping them grow into a cohesive unit.
They went to the semifinals of the Simcoe County Athletic Association that year, and followed the performance with a trip to the GBSSA final in 2023-24, losing 5-4 — last year’s captain narrowly missed scoring a goal with a few seconds left on the clock, hitting the butt end of the opposing goaltender’s stick with a slap shot from the point.
“Everybody in the rink thought that was going in,” said Jeff Moulton, who coaches the Tritons alongside Quinn Hampson and Joe Novakovich. “It was such a disappointment. It kind of left a bitter taste in our mouth.”
So, this season, only OFSAA would do.
The boys dominated with a 15-1-1 record — the only loss of the year coming in an exhibition tournament — and a roughly plus-40 goal differential.
“We all ego-checked, put that to the side, and that made us quite successful,” said Grade 11 student Brody Tulk, who co-captains the team with grade-mate Logan Jackson. “Time to go for best team in the province. Can’t stop the train on the tracks.”
Jackson, who has been drafted by the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, says the Tritons have forged a tight bond “on and off the ice.”
“We really try to maintain a good, positive environment,” he said. “We’re just trying to get everyone interacting with each other. We want them to be comfortable as soon as they walk into the dressing room and not being quiet or shy. We have fun, but we’re playing to win.”
Part of that comes from the fact almost everyone on the team has played for Innisfil Minor Hockey at some point.
“Having those roots is big, knowing where we all came from,” Jackson said.
Moulton says the team also plays with a strong structure in place.
“These guys were probably pretty mad at me for the first part of the season because we wanted to play a certain way; super-skilled players want to do their own thing,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve had a team where I don’t worry about putting a line out. We’re so much deeper than the other teams.”
Hampson agrees, calling the Tritons the “best team this region is ever going to send” to OFSAA.
“We have a highly skilled team and that carried us for a bit,” he said. “But as the season has gone on, the systems we’ve been able to put together, it’s night and day. Everyone’s on the same page. They’re a close group. This school has never done this before. We’re making history. We’re in history right now. We’ve never won a GB championship. We’ve never been to OFSAA. (It’s the) only (hockey) team in school history that can say that.”
What do the players expect from themselves at the Ontario championships?
“We’re there to win,” said Jackson, smiling. “We’re going to win.”
Follow the team through its Instagram account, @nantyrvarsityhockey. For more information on the tournament, go to ofsaa.on.ca.