The Toronto Golden Jets senior men’s Gold team played its best game of the weekend to capture the first NCL league weekend tournament Sunday at Scarborough’s Pan Am pool.
The first place game was a rematch of the final game on Saturday that saw the reigning national champion Montreal CAMO defeat the Jets 13-11.
When CAMO jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, it looked like things might repeat from the previous night when the visitors powered out to an early 4-1 advantage. However, the Jets power play which was anemic in the loss, found its legs allowing the home side to put a run of four goals on the board to take a 4-2 lead. CAMO was not about to break and fought back with two of its own to send the game into the second quarter all knotted up at four.
CAMO then produced its own run of four goals by scoring the first two goals of the second quarter. The Jets then rebounded with a run of three unanswered goals, including Adam Mekni’s snipe with three seconds remaining, to take a 7-6 half time lead.
After Filip Resanovic won the swim off to begin the third period, the Jets scored to grab a two goal edge. It was the only Jets swim off win in eight attempts over the two games against CAMO. The upset swim off win and quick goal appeared to energize the Jets who proceeded to run up an astonishing 8-1 quarter win that left Toronto comfortably ahead 15-7 heading into the final quarter.
The teams traded goals to open the fourth with CAMO striking first followed 11 seconds later by the Jets. After head coach George Gross, Jr. called time out with four and half minutes to go, the Jets used the rest to tack on two more markers to go up by 10 before CAMO added a couple leading to the 20-12 Jets victory.
Mekni and Resanovic paced the Jets attack with four goals each. Cam Hexter and Alex Leblanc both notched hat tricks. Teen center forward Ivan Khramtsov popped in a pair while Diego Gonzalez, Sam Madadian, Sukhmun Hare and Euan Scofield added singles.
Starter Andrei Velasevic was strong in goal over three quarters for the Jets registering a dozen saves.
The Jets Gold team finished with four wins and a loss.
The next NCL weekend tournament will take place at Markham’s Pan Am pool on the weekend of February 6-8.