For the third straight year, Team Forest Hill is the Washburn Cup champion.
Forest Hill downed Team Upper Campus 6-2 Friday night at Lady Beaverbrook Rink in this year’s version of the intense, but friendly, long-running hockey tradition between the upper and lower campus residences.
Forest Hill’s four goals in the second period helped put them over the top in a contest with no shortage of fireworks, especially at the end.
With the help of their linesmen, referees Shayne Delaney and Brandon Carr called a tight game during the first and second periods. But they ended the game midway through the third after several players dropped the gloves and accepted each others’ invitations to fight.
“This is my second year playing for Forest Hill, and it’s all about pride every time,” Forest Hill player Bryden Dunphy said, wiping blood from his face after engaging in one of many late scraps.
“I don’t mind taking a punch in the jaw for that. I picked a fight with a good friend of mine, and we squared up fairly well.”
Before cooler heads got a chance to prevail, the officials signalled for the players to shake hands after a couple goalies danced before an estimated 150 to 200 fans from both sides of the hill.
The score was tied 1-1 after the first 15-minute period, while Forest Hill led 5-2 after 30 minutes. The lower campus squad scored once in the third frame, which was supposed to last 20 minutes.
“The first period was close,” said Dylan Campbell, a first-year STU student who suited up for Forest Hill.
“[Team Upper Campus] had two inexperienced goalies in net for the second and third, and that’s where we came in clutch.”
Forest Hill struck first almost 10 minutes into the opening period, but Upper Campus countered a minute later.
A Forest Hill player poked in a rebound shot four minutes into the second to put the lower campus side up 2-1, but their friendly rivals answered less than two minutes later.
Forest Hill then found the back of the net twice in the next two minutes and didn’t look back.
Less than four minutes into the third, the lower campus team scored to seal their cross-campus rivals’ fate.
“It was a good game,” said Eric Prior, head coach of Team Upper Campus.
“Everyone played hard and had a good time. We’ve got plenty of smiles in my locker room.”
Women’s hoops squad adds another recruit
Another recruit has joined the Tommies women’s basketball team for the 2017-18 season.
Lelia Rashid, a five-foot-seven guard from Eastern Passage, N.S., was announced in a news release from STU Athletics as the latest women’s hoops recruit on March 23.
The Grade 12 student at Cole Harbour District High School led her Cavaliers varsity team to a regional title in 2015-16 before falling short of a provincial championship.
Rashid received an all-star award for her play during that post-season run.
Men’s soccer adds scorer to the fold
After struggling offensively throughout the 2016 season, the Tommies men’s soccer team has recruited a player who may help fix that.
On March 20, David Effiong, a United States citizen living in Oman on the Arab Peninsula, committed to play for STU this fall.
The six-foot-two striker and his high school team placed third in the Asia Inter-School Association tournament. Effiong scored four goals in the bronze medal match.
