With less than a month to go before provincials, the Sudbury Midget Rockhounds are showing signs of progress. Competing at the fourth annual Don Swindells Memorial Rock Classic in West Durham, the locals picked up a pair of impressive wins in round robin play, eventually falling to the host team in a well-matched semifinal.
The Sudbury crew kicked things off with a 13-2 shellacking of the Oshawa Knights as Austin Bouchard racked up four goals, adding a pair of assists in the lopsided encounter. Riley Campbell and Bo Peltier added two goals each with Nick Marion, Mitchell Mousseau, Wesley Blacklock, Kyle Guillot and Duncan Stewart chipping in with solo markers.
The offence remained on high octane for game two as the Rockhounds leveled the Cornwall Celtics 8-3, with Marion recording the hat trick. Sebastien Désormeaux enjoyed a two-goal performance and Blacklock, Bouchard and Campbell tallied once each.
From there, things became increasingly competitive as Sudbury fell 5-3 to the Brampton Excelsiors, with Campbell scoring twice and Blacklock adding one goal in a losing cause. Tied 1-1 after the first, Brampton outscored the Rockhounds 3-2 in the second, adding an insurance marker with just over three minutes to play.
The loss would pit the northern boys against the West Durham Rock in semifinal action, with the teams deadlocked at 2-2 heading to the final period. The Rock took the lead just two minutes in and added a pair of late goals to pull away, eliminating the Sudbury crew.
Bailey Emond and Bouchard found the back of the net for coach Mike Marion while West Durham went on to best Orillia 4-3 in the championship affair. Earlier this summer, Orillia dismantled the Rockhounds 12-3 in tournament play, showing just how far the Sudbury midgets have come to date.
The Midget Rockhounds are among a handful of local teams heading to Ottawa for the 16th Annual Nepean Knights Tournament from July 19 to 22.
Posted by Laurel Myers
