73’s raise Stobbs Division Title, shift focus to Flyers

by Garrett Fodor

The Essex 73’s has dethroned the reigning Schmalz Cup Champions and is now setting its sights beyond the Stobbs Division, starting with the Yeck Division.

Entering last week, it was decision week for the Stobbs Division Finals between the Lakeshore Canadiens and the Essex 73’s. The teams were set to face off for Game 6 on Tuesday, with the 73’s holding a 3-2 lead heading to Lakeshore. And if needed, the series was to shift to Essex Thursday for a deciding Game 7.

The Atlas Tube Centre was filled to the brim, with fans arriving early to secure their spot. Once the puck was dropped, the atmosphere was tense as both teams looked to grab the early momentum.

It was the 73’s who jumped at the chance. Their effective shutdown line went to work early with Marcus Levesque, Karson Beuglet, and Patrick McManus becoming a handful for Lakeshore’s top line and their defense.

Five-minutes into the action, Levesque entered the zone and threw a low shot through Boe Piroski’s pads with it sneaking in. A jolt and loud cheer came from the 73’s fans in attendance. Just over five-minutes later, Levesque would get rewarded again, finishing off a loose puck in front of Piroski’s crease, doubling their lead. Closing out the frame, Beuglet extended the lead to 3-0, while stunning and silencing the Lakeshore fans.

The teams exchanged goals in the second period, while the 73’s held a 4-1 lead on the scoreboard and a 23-17 lead in the shots. However, starting the period, the 73’s found themselves in tight, with a long five-on-three. It didn’t take long for the Canadiens to go to work on the ensuing power-plays.

Nicolas Rosati opened the scoring 33-seconds in and just under a minute later, Marco Sladjoe scored as the second penalty was expiring to make it 4-3, bringing the Canadiens fans to life for the first time since the start of the game. With just a goal separating them, the 73’s would continue to look at closing any space for the Canadiens to enter cleanly or towards the crease.

They’d get rewarded with a power-play late in the period, with Patrick McManus sealing a 5-3 win, giving the 73’s their first Stobbs Championship since 2017 and 22nd Divisional Championship.

While Brogan Colqhuoun made 23 saves in net for the 73’s, offensively McManus, Levesque, and Beuglet combined for 11 points and all five goals.

“I was proud of how our team came out on Tuesday,” 73’s Head Coach Tony Piroski said. “A lot of times, especially a younger, junior-age guys, it's easy to look past game six on the road when you have game seven at home. But coming into the game, these guys wanted to win; they came on hard and built a lead. Now we squandered it with penalties, but because of that lead, we were able to get a goal late and come up with a win.”

With their Game 6 win, the 73’s advanced to face the Petrolia Flyers, who won the Yeck Division. Despite the division change, the 73’s are familiar with the Flyers and the Greenwood Recreation Centre where they play.

The 73’s previously played the Flyers from 2016 until the 2022-23 season, when the team moved to the Yeck Division. This season marks the most successful season for the Flyers, winning its first championship in team history and making its deepest run in the Schmalz Cup Playoffs, previously never having qualified for it.

It was a quick turnaround for both teams, with the teams hoisting the trophies respectively on Tuesday night with a schedule being ironed out and starting a few nights later on Friday, with Essex having the home ice advantage in the series.

The 73’s would be relying on some of their depth, with Luke Sherk picking up a suspension in Game 6, while Luka Milosevic, Cael McCabe, and Kale Couvillon were all sidelined with injuries.

“I think our depth has been the difference throughout the whole season,” Piroski said, on his roster construction. “I think our depth is probably – I'm not saying we have the best players in the league because Lakeshore has a lot of real good players – but our depth is pretty good, and we've rolled four lines all year.

“I thought my Assistant Coaches Jamie (McDermott) and Chaddy (Wolters) did a good job mixing and matching at different times, they're there to be commended for that.”

Beginning Friday, there was a feeling-out process for the teams early, with the lines rotating through and both teams looking to break through. The 73’s were quick to snap the puck around, but through 20-minutes, they’d remained tied and looking for the game’s first goal. But both Elijah Grant and Brogan Colquhoun stood tall early.

Austin Guevremont broke the deadlock three-minutes into the second period for the first of two goals for the 73’s in the period. The Flyers got one goal back late, cutting the lead in half. In the third period, the 73’s continued to lock down the Flyers’ skaters, while adding a pair of goals in the third period, sealing a 4-1 victory in Game 1.

Closing out the week, the teams met again, this time in Petrolia on Sunday night for Game 2. While the 73’s rolled out Colquhoun, the Flyers flipped to Ethan Everaert. Unlike the opening game, the 73’s were quick to arrive and open the scoring, bookending the opening frame with a goal in the first two-minutes from Beuglet and the last minute from Gabe Piccolo to make it 2-0 heading into the intermission.

Everaert’s night would not get any better with the 73’s shooters continuing to pepper him with shots and cycle the puck around the offensive zone. Beuglet would pot another goal in the opening minute of the second period, while Austin Guevremont and Matthew Crawford would add a goal each just seven-minutes later, ending his night in favor of Grant. He would escape the period unscathed, while the 73’s held a 5-0 lead, while outshooting the Flyers 26-22.

In the third period, the offense once again eventually broke the walls of Grant, finding the net behind him twice in the period. The Flyers got a goal late, but the 73’s would hold on to prevail 7-1.

The series shifts back to Essex for Game 3 on April 8, before Game 4 on April 10 at 7:30pm. If needed, Game 5 is in Essex April 13, with the puck drop set for 2pm. Game 6 would be April 15 in Petrolia while Game 7, if needed, would be April 17.