The red-hot Flames went undefeated in the Muskoka Parry Sound (MPS) playoffs by playing with a lot of heart and determination.

Everyone knew this would be a close match as Huntsville needed the win to prolong the season while Gravenhurst was eager to end it.

The two teams came out flying in the first period but the rivals could not open the scoring, despite numerous opportunities at both ends of the rink.

The hometown Otters received a tripping penalty midway through the opening frame and gave the Flames their first power play of the match. The home team showed a lot of great defensive work and patience to stop their opponents’ power-play chances.

After killing the penalty, the Otters pressed on but Flames puck stopper Lucas Lahay was determined not to be scored on as he made some remarkable saves to keep the game scoreless after the first.

The second period was just as exciting for fans as both teams showed a lot of skill offensively and defensively.

The visiting Flames got into penalty trouble early on, giving the Otters a glorious opportunity to notch one. It seemed like whoever was going to score first would eventually be the winner in this close contest.

The home team put the pressure on with the power play but the Flames showed a lot of gritty defensive work as they cleared the puck. Lahay was unstoppable.

Not long after the Flames killed their penalty, the Otters were handed a tripping penalty of their own. At 6:19 of the second, Gravenhurst forward Owen Morris dug the puck out of the corner, passed it to line mate Chris Brown who went to the net, During a mad scramble he made a great shot through the Huntsville goaltender to earn a power-play goal.

The final frame started with a quick pace as both benches knew this could be the last period of the season. The Otters caught the Flames off guard at times during the third, but Lahay had something to say about that. He played his best game of the year.

The Flames forwards certainly helped out as well by backchecking and forcing the play in the neutral zone.

Desperate to tie it up, Huntsville pulled their goalie with only a minute left in the game. The Flames knew what they had to do and cleared the puck out of their zone. The visiting team counted down the seconds and the bench cleared. The gloves were flying as the celebration was on. The Gravenhurst kids knew they had accomplished what they set out to do.

Lahay earned his eighth shutout of the year and played incredible between the pipes. Muskoka-Parry Sound champions include Lucas Lahay, Kody White, Alex Bouthillier, Bryce Ratcliff, Chris Brown, Brayden Jackson, Colten MacDonald, Owen Morris, Tyler Readman, Oliver Tasnadi, Dash Thompson, Graeme Vandermolen, Harry Walker, Derik Hamilton and Josh Sethi.

Other season highlights for the Flames include defending the Fenelon Falls tournament title, placing third in the recent Niagara Falls tournament and finishing as semifinalists in the OMHA playdowns, losing only to Honeywood in a tight series.

The biggest success for the entire season was the fun they had and the improvements they made. It was a pleasure to be a part of the bench staff with head coach Robb White, assistant coach Ian MacDonald, manager Shane Ratcliff and myself, trainer Dan Bouthillier. Special big thanks go to team mom Lori Morris for her hard work. I wish everyone the best in hockey years to come.

Coach White would like to thank sponsor Terry Candow for his tremendous support throughout the season, and for coming out to the championship game.