Owen Belisle scores for '01 Finlandia Sunday
In 2001 AAA action, Owen Belisle led the Finlandia Hockey Club (Thunder Bay, Ontario) with two goals in its 6-2 thumping of Team XPro on Sunday afternoon to win the 2001 Boys Invite Division of the Independent Classic. Finlandia made it to the title game by defeating the Ice Edge Black Bears, Machine Black, the Minnesota Flames, and CCM Elite by a combined 25-5 score.
Finlandia took a 4-0 lead before surrendering back-to-back goals to XPro in the third period before tacking on two more scores for the 6-2 cushion, and suffocating XPro with defensive pressure.
Keighton Gerrie, Christian Veruzzo, Cody Hurd, and John Kilby also scored for Finlandia, and Hurd was named the Most Valuable Player of the Game after registering his goal and assist and impressing the crowd with his exceptional two-way play.
Paul Schwartz and Caden Triggs scored for Team XPro, who entered the game with a 4-0 record after wins over Velocity Black, Northern Wisconsin Blizzards, Bauer Supreme and Tommy Chicago.
Elk River's Connor Kurth scores for Miracle Gold on classmate Anton Castro Sunday in a Shootout, Castro got the last laugh stopping 3 of 4 Miracle Gold shooters helping the Blades to Championship Win
The Minnesota Blades and Miracle Gold put on a show in the 2003 Boys Invite Finals of the Independent Classic in front of the sizable crowd Sunday afternoon, battling to a tie after regulation and an overtime period before Blades took the game 4-3 after a shootout.
The Blades entered the game having outscored opponents by an average of eight goals in four games. The Blades won all four games, defeating Tommy Chicago, the Junior Moose, and the Ice Clams in pool play before downing Velocity Black 7-0 in the semifinals.
Jack Harvey scored twice for the Blades in regulation, Jackson Blake scored once, and Leo Gruba tallied two assists for the Blades. Carter Batchelder scored the final goal in the shootout to secure the game for the Blades, beating Miracle Gold netminder Quinton Sigurdson on a beautiful five-hole shot. Miracle Gold got goals from Garrett Schifsky, Joe Greniuk, and Connor Kurth.
Game MVP honors went to Blades’ goaltender Anton Castro, who stopped three of four shots in the shootout after standing on his head throughout regulation and overtime.
Carter Batchelder scores to clinch the win for the Blades
'07 Tommy Chicago's wins Independent Sunday
07: Tommy Chicago's > Machine Black (8-4)
06: Machine Black > Tommy Chicago (8-0)
05: Euro Red > Machine Black (4-0)
04: Precision Hockey > Thunder (4-3)
03: MN Blades > Miracle Gold (4-3, OT/SO)
02: Machine Black > Lake Superior Stars
01: Finlandia Hockey Club > XPro (6-2)
99: MAP South > Pugi (3-2)
*Tony Scott Contributed to this article
'05 Euro Red took home the hardware Sunday