A wild comeback in the second period boosted the Humber Hawks men’s hockey team to victory over the Fanshawe Falcons in a home tournament last Friday, Nov. 17, at the Westwood Arena.
The Hawks’ first game of the tournament was against a tough opponent, the UTM Eagles. Humber and University of Toronto Mississauga fans in the crowd were tense as the score read 2-2 in a contested clash in the second period.
As the clock neared zero, the Hawks still had enough gas in the tank to make a late push. Humber scored twice to take a commanding lead before the buzzer sounded. In the third, the Eagles trimmed the lead down to one, but Humber would score again to capture the team’s first win in a hectic 5-3 game.
Looking to keep their momentum, the Hawks dominated the second game against the Laurier Brantford Golden Hawks, notching a commanding 5-2 win. Humber would later clutch its third-consecutive victory, rolling over the La Cité Coyotes 3-0 in a wild match.
The Hawks would soar into the final with the round-robin wins.
“Starting with a win is huge, I think that just builds confidence going into the next game. We came off a win last tournament, which was really nice, gave us confidence coming in here,” Humber Hawks left wing Evan Spencer said.
Humber Hawks men's extramural hockey team poses for the champion's picture in the tournament hosted by Humber College. Photo credit: Kyle Gilmor / Humber Hawks
The game between the Hawks and the Fanshawe Falcons, set to battle for the top stop on the podium after winning in all their preliminary games, had an intense start with fast-paced offensive attacks and locked-in defences from both sides until the Falcons scored in the waning minutes of the first.
Humber men’s hockey returns on Jan. 25 for the winter semester tournament hosted at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.
“We are just going to keep practicing hard,” Eccleston said. “Usually, in January, we have an outdoor practice, so if any of the students want, it’s a great opportunity, it’s close to the college. They can swing by and actually see us practice outdoors, and the guys really love that.”
Hawks coach Dave Eccleston said his approach after the first period was to make the players believe in themselves.
“We talked at the intermission and I made them realize that we’re a good team,” he said. “I think a lot of the game is mental, you bring the guys in and make them realize we are okay.”
The Hawks returned to the second period hot and pushing hard on offence, but the Falcons seemed to be able to cool off whatever heat Humber gave.
Fanshawe led for most of the period, but the Hawks found their game in the last minute. Defenceman Derek Moorhouse commanded the ice with an impressive individual play and scored for Humber. Michael McCullough, who plays centre, would score the goal that would give the Hawks a slim 2-1 lead.
The Falcons fought hard until the end, but the Hawks controlled the match and took gold with the win.
“I think the biggest thing for us is just staying tight the entire game. We fell asleep for about two minutes and that’s what kind of did us at the end,” Fanshawe Falcons captain Ronan McQueenie said.
The Hawks captured back-to-back wins in tournaments hosted in the fall semester and remain undefeated this season.
Eccleston said his coaching culture is about managing his players by emphasizing they are on the same level, they work together and, when there are mistakes, rely on discussion and correction rather than annihilating the players.
“I think that’s the key to teaching anything. If your coach believes in you, then you start to believe it. That’s been my success,” Eccleston said.