The Lorette/Île-des-Chênes Comets won the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League championship on March 22 in Oakbank, winning the series 4–2 against the Springfield Xtreme.
The Comets entered the championship series by winning game seven of the nail-biting semifinals against the Red River Mudbugs. Less than a week later, the Comets and Xtremes were fighting to win the championship.
The Xtremes swept the first game 4–1. The Comets, determined to win their next two home games, did just that with single-point leads.
Game four was held in Oakbank on March 18—a wild game. Afterward, spectators were heard to say that the series was more entertaining and nail-biting than anything the Jets were putting on the ice. The Comets came out on top with a final score of 4–2.
With the Comets leading the series three games to one, game five could have ended it. On March 19, the Lorette arena was packed, the parking fuller than ever. The game turned into an intense glass-shaking, fan-screaming affair. Both teams kept it close throughout, ending regulation in a 5–5 tie. The Xtreme scored halfway through overtime to stay in the series.
The Comets came together and fought hard in game six. Maintaining a 1–0 lead into the third period, the Xtreme tied it up within seconds. But with ten minutes left in the third, the Comets scored again. For the rest of the game, they played defensively.
As the seconds counted down, Comets fans went wild. The team poured over the bench onto the ice, gloves and helmets flying as they scrambled to reach goalie Travis Bonnefoy.
It was a well-fought series, very entertaining and intense.
This is the first championship won by the Comets since 2010. Congratulations to the team for a great season.
