Royals crowned regional champs

Four out of five is pretty good, right? After dealing with the disappointment of being eliminated early in last year’s playoffs, the Junior AA West Island Royals got back on the winning track this season, taking home the Lac St. Louis regional title with a pair of wins last Wednesday and Thursday against the Suroit Express.

The Royals came out like gangbusters in game 1, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and chasing the Express’ starting goalie in the process. However, after uncharacteristically surrendering four consecutive goals, the Royals would be down one heading into the third.

Enter Nick Krasowski, who picked up a loose puck near the offensive blue line midway through the period and proceeded to deke through the Express players before finishing with a slick feint that prompted the goaltender to dive right while Krasowski went left. That one sent the game to overtime, where Laurence Mauricio scored to give the Royals a 5-4 win and the upper hand heading into game 2.

“That goal was huge for us,” veteran Jeremy Belliveau later said of the Krasowski marker. “We had been pressuring them all period and we were waiting for it to come. I think it set the tone for the rest of the series.”

In fact, the Royals wouldn’t trail again, jumping out to a 2-0 lead the next night on their way to securing the championship with an 8-4 win.

Coach John Benedetti, who has been at the helm of the West Island Junior AA program for the past six years, said it came down to team chemistry and hard work.

“We have a very talented team but more importantly there are a lot of character guys in the room,” he analyzed. “They work hard and they haven’t let success go to their heads. We could easily have lost the Dollard series after falling apart in the first game, but the players had a 15-minute meeting afterwards, re-focused and played much better the rest of the way.”

That first round series represented the turning point for the Royals, who were on the brink of elimination after losing the opening game 6-3. After the heated closed-door players meeting, they wouldn’t lose again, firing off six straight wins.

The team was granted a few days off to enjoy their victory, but it was back to business as of last Sunday. They will practice every day or two to stay sharp and hope to make a big splash at next week’s Dodge Cup provincials hosted by Beauharnois.

“If we play the way we played in the final we’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” predicted Benedetti. “The players know what they have to do to be successful.”