Kenora Miner and News - July 19/04 Spitfire win Kenora Tournament

Kenora teams strike out in final matches
By Peter James

Heading into the the finals of the Kenora Men's Invitational tournament Sunday it looked as though local teams were poised to sweep the championships. It didn't turn out that way.
Local teams advanced to the finals in all three events, but each squad failed to win their final match, sending all three championships to Manitoba.
The Plaza Fury, Solid Construction Stingers and the Wiley Point Royals were the three teams to advance to the final day, only to see their dreams dashed Sunday afternoon.
The Royals had a shot at the biggest pay day, as they played in the A-side final against the powerful Spitfire Football Club from Winnipeg.
"It's bittersweet," said Royals player Linden Penner after the 3-0 loss in the final game.
The Royals were the only team in the tournament to win their first four matches, but they may have simply run out of gas in the final.
Jeff Richards set the tone early for Kenora, laying a hockey style check on a Spitfire player in the first minute and earning a yellow card.
The call didn't slow the Lakehead hockey player down as he made a few strong rushes to generate the best scoring chances for the Royals in the first half.
However it was the Spitfires who struck first. Joel Alicio blasted a shot from the top of the penalty area past Royals goaltender Jeff Goodman.
"The first goal was very important to us," Spitfire captain Ozzy Garrett said.
The Spitfires, who feature a small but skilled group of strikers kept up their attack in the second half, but weren't able to beat Goodman early on.
The tide began to change when Goodman was sent off after a verbal exchange with the linesman. Judd Robertson performed well in relief, but being down one man hurt the Royals attack. Richards aggressive play early on came back to haunt him later in the half when he was sent off after receiving his second caution.
The Spitfires were able to take advantage of the depleted Royals, scoring twice in the second half including a second goal by Alicio.
Penner said the remaining players had to run even harder to compensate for the loss of the two starters. They were able to generate a few chances in the final minutes, but were unable to put the ball in the net.
"It's always a different game when you capitalize on your scoring chances," Penner said.
"It gives you a chance to win."
For their win the Spitfire collect $1,300. The Royals got a cheque for $900.
Garrett said this is the first major tournament for his team, who play in third division in Winnipeg but are almost certain to be promoted this year. He said the team enjoyed the tournament and would like to try to defend their title next summer.
"Next year definitely," he said. "We had a great time."
The defending champion Solid Construction Stingers advanced to the B-side final, but were upended by Minnedosa, 3-2 in extra time.
Mike Hall had both of the Stingers goals, but they were unable to hold onto leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
Captain Dave Hewitt said he was proud of his team, despite the loss in the final game.
"We're happy where we ended up," he said adding the team has been struggling this year after losing a few key players in the off season.
In the C-side final, the Plaza Fury were unable to find the back of the net, losing 1-0 to Remington's Hotspur from Brandon in extra time.
The Fury had a number of chances to score late in the second half, but seemed to be just off the mark when they were around Hotspur's net.
"We turned it up," Fury player Peter Manicone said of his team's late surge. "We forced them to work."
However it was Brandon's Darren Gerdis who broke free in overtime to score the golden goal winner.
Pre-tournament favourites like the Casey's Spurs and the Sure Thing Centuries both failed to make it to Sunday, each finishing with a 1-2 record in the round-robin. They were both stuck in a tough group with the Spitfires and a strong Dryden team.
The newest team in the Men's league, the Rite-Way Playaz, almost made their first breakthrough. They finished in a three-way tie at 1-2 in Group 2, but lost out on a Sunday bid on goals for and against to the Lions team from Winnipeg.
The Lake of the Woods Dynamo finished the weekend at 0-2-1. The Korona Football Club lost their first two games, the score from their final match wasn't available
Manicone, who also organized the tournament, reported everything went smoothly.
Soccer fans don't have to wait long to get their next dose of action. The Casey's Women's League will host its tournament beginning Friday.