Callum McAuley leaps against the glass in celebration after scoring a heroic, game-tying goal in Game 5 of the Sutherland Cup Final May 2 against the Cambridge Redhawks with 18.3 seconds left in the third period. Photo by McGinny Photography
By Spencer Seymour
Feelings can be messy, especially when they are so diametrically opposite and are being felt all at the same time.
How could the St. Marys Lincolns and their fans not feel such bitter disappointment when Kyler Morgan deflected the puck into the net seven minutes and 19 seconds into overtime of Game 5 to give the Cambridge Redhawks their first-ever Sutherland Cup?
Yet, at the very same moment, how could the St. Marys Lincolns and their fans not feel such immense pride in the run they went on, proving themselves as arguably the premier organization and the most resilient team in the entire Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL)?
It’s certainly not easy to succinctly summarize how the Lincolns and their fans feel right now, however, one thing is for certain; the Lincolns have nothing to be ashamed of.
Remember, losing doesn’t always make a loser. In a series as close as this Sutherland Cup Final was, and as strong as both teams played, no matter who emerged victorious, both proved they were made of the rare stuff that champions are made of.
To prove that, just look at Game 3.
The Lincolns found themselves in a 2-0 series hole against a team that only lost five games all season, that hadn’t lost since Jan. 24, that had won 24 straight games, including each of their first 14 playoff games, and that hadn’t lost on home ice since Jan. 10.
Any other team might have folded in those circumstances.
But not these Lincolns. These Lincolns just didn’t know how to quit.
And because of that, they did what no visiting team had done since Jan. 10; win at the Galt Arena Gardens. They did what no team had done these playoffs; push a series against the regular-season champions beyond four games. They did what no team had done since Jan. 24; defeat the Redhawks.
Jack Clarke ended a 14-game goal drought, jamming home the first goal of the game just 16 seconds in. Head coach Jeff Bradley noted the importance of scoring first, as the team that scored first in every game of the Sutherland Cup Final emerged victorious.
“It was huge getting the first goal,” Bradley told the Independent. “You saw how important it was throughout the whole series. Whether we kept that lead or not, knowing that we could push them back on their heels was really important for us.”
Tyler Graham tied the game less than three minutes later, but before the first period was done, Ethan Weir scored the first and only powerplay goal of the series to put St. Marys ahead 2-1.
A goal just 93 seconds into the second by Sam Savery, followed by Graham’s second of the night, put Cambridge ahead 3-2. However, Owen Voortman ended a three-game goal drought to tie the game at three apiece midway through the second.
While the Lincolns continue to play well, it started to feel like the Redhawks were slowly building momentum in the third. Shift by shift, they found more offensive opportunities. So, when they got a powerplay with more than half of the third already done, it felt like Cambridge might be just moments away from finding a goal that would secure them a 3-0 series stranglehold.
Two perfect defensive stick plays by Devun Colebrook later, and the feisty first-year forward was away on a shorthanded breakaway, deking out the eventual playoff MVP, Aidan Hill, to pot what went on to be the winning goal of Game 3.
Just two minutes and two seconds later, fresh out of the penalty box, Lincoln Moore finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from Voortman and Oliver Lacko to give the Lincolns the 5-3 win.
From scoring the first goal to scoring on the powerplay to several players snapping goal droughts, Bradley said it felt like the Lincolns were turning the momentum in the series in their favour.
“I just thought that there were all these things happening, these signs happening, and I just felt that this was going to be ours,” Bradley said. “I felt like we’d been getting closer in Game 2, and in Game 3, we won, so it just felt like the tide was changing a little bit.”
Bradley added the win revitalized the team’s belief in their ability to fight back in the series.
“Throughout the series, the games have been so tight,” said Bradley. “They could have gone either way. For us to finally get one to go our way, it was nice, obviously, and it just gave us more hope that maybe we had figured these guys out. That maybe we were going to replicate what we did in the Stratford series.”
The series remained incredibly tight in Game 4 with the Lincolns and Redhawks in a stalemate on May 1. A point shot by Nathan Gaitens was tipped by Callan Newton for the only goal of the game, with Hill backstopping the Redhawks to a 1-0 win and a 3-1 series lead.
Just 24 hours later, the Lincolns were back in Cambridge with their season on the line in Game 5, and despite a strong start to the game by St. Marys, the ever-opportunistic Redhawks continued to capitalize on their chances when they got them, getting goals from Graham and Alexander Forrest to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
When asked about his feelings after the opening 20 minutes, Bradley admitted to feeling nervous about his team’s chances, given the fact they had only scored three goals or more in one game of the Sutherland Cup Final prior to Game 5.
“They ended up putting the puck in the back of our net twice, and with the amount of goal scoring we had put up this series, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. But as the game went on, it was a quick reminder of what this group was about. And then being able to tie it up twice, especially in dramatic fashion in the third, it just made me believe again. It was incredibly impressive.”
And this is where the borderline-freaky parallels to two years ago began.
In the 2024 Sutherland Cup Final, against a powerhouse regular-season champion, the Listowel Cyclones went up 2-0 in the first period. However, in the second period, the Lincolns clawed back and tied the game at two apiece.
Flash forward to the second period in Cambridge, and history continued to repeat itself.
First, it was Blake Elzinga, firing home his first goal of the series to cut the Redhawks’ lead to one three minutes and 18 seconds into the second stanza. Then, exactly six minutes later, Oliver Lacko ripped a shot past Aidan Hill for a shorthanded tally to tie the game at two apiece.
Oliver Lacko fires a shorthanded goal past goaltender Aidan Hill during Game 5 of the Sutherland Cup Final. Photo by TR Sports Photography
“We’ve got to keep pushing,” Bradley said, describing the feeling on the bench once it was tied 2-2. “We’ve got to keep pushing and doing what got us here, and that was the thing we had talked about, even going into overtime. We talked about pulling the defencemen back and going into contain mode, and I said, ‘No, we got back into this because we’ve been going forward; let’s play our game and see what happens.’ I don’t think it cost us, but I didn’t think sitting back was a good idea.”
Much like two years ago, the game was tied at two apiece heading into the third, and the two sides trading goals in quick succession resulted in the game heading into overtime tied at three apiece. However, this year, it was far more dramatic.
The back-and-forth third period was scoreless until, with just one minute and 15 seconds left, Cameron Fries buried a go-ahead goal that was seemingly poised to turn him into a Cambridge hero.
The Lincolns were on the precipice of the end. Just 75 seconds separated the Lincolns from elimination.
But if you’ve followed these Lincolns, you know one thing – if there is time left, no matter how little, they have a chance.
A frenetic closing sequence of the third commenced, and a successful clear out of their zone appeared to all but seal it for Cambridge. They were going to win 3-2. They were going to win in regulation. They were going to be champions.
That was, until, with 18.3 left on the clock, Callum McAuley scored his first goal of the finals, tying the game at 3-3 and ultimately sending the game into overtime.
“It’s funny because we were in their end, and then when it finally got cleared out, I thought it was over,” Bradley said. “And then when we got back in the zone, I saw (Callum) McAuley creeping around the net, and then (Devun) Colebrook kicked it over there again. You’re trying to never be surprised by this group, but they did it again. They just did it again.”
Unfortunately for the Lincolns, they ran out of miracles in the extra frame, with Kyler Morgan batting a bouncing puck past Colby Booth-Housego, who was spectacular in the Lincolns’ net since returning to the crease midway through the Western Conference Final, to give Cambridge the 4-3 win and the Sutherland Cup.
Bradley encapsulated the mixed feelings many Lincolns’ fans felt in the aftermath of such an incredible season and playoff run ending in such a bitter-tasting defeat.
“Honestly, it was a great run. I think winning the conference the way we won the conference this year, and how difficult the conference was, it somewhat feels like we’ve accomplished something, and I’ve accomplished something I’ve never accomplished before. But realistic, Jeff tells me it’s just a conference championship, and it’s not the Sutherland Cup. We don’t get a ring for it.
“It was special for sure,” Bradley continued. “We made some amazing memories and had some amazing experiences that I’ve never experienced before. I’m getting choked up thinking about it, to be honest with you. It felt like it was more special than the rest, but we didn’t achieve our main goal, unfortunately. Winning against Stratford was probably the highest high I’ve felt, and losing in Game 5 was probably the lowest low I’ve felt.”
But why was this such a bitter pill for Lincolns’ fans to swallow? Remember, it’s not like the Lincolns made it this far and then flamed out in catastrophic fashion. Every game was tight. Every game could have gone either way with one or two bounces. Every game was played on a razor’s edge. The Lincolns themselves played some incredible hockey.
No, it wasn’t as heartbreaking as it was because they let us down. Strangely, it was as heartbreaking as it was because they did just the opposite. They did everything they possibly could, played as gutsy a series as they could muster and showed more resilience than any team could ever dream of.
They made an entire town believe. They proved they were worth believing in. They were the team worth playing in the town worth living in.
Plain and simply, these Lincolns just didn’t know how to quit. They couldn’t help but make St. Marys proud of their never-say-die resilience. Giving up wasn’t in their DNA. They did not go quietly into that good night.
The St. Marys Lincolns watch heartbroken as the Cambridge Redhawks celebrate their 4-3 overtime win May 2 in Game 5 to win the Sutherland Cup. It was the second Sutherland Cup Finals appearance in three years for the Lincolns. Photo by TR Sports Photography
