SACKVILLE, N.B. — Titans' coach Ernie Austin and his staff continue to successfully rebuild the high school hockey program each season and this one is no exception as they remain as one of the top teams in the province in the AA division.
As of the Christmas break, the team had won five of seven league games and held a 9-5-1 overall record with several defeats coming at the hands of AAA teams.
The Titans earned the provincial crown in 2018 when they came out strong to earn the title at the civic centre. Last season they bought home a bronze medal after falling to champion Woodstock High.
Over the next few weeks, they will be involved in a heavy schedule with many of their home games scheduled for weekends – dates will be posted on the bulletin board at the civic centre entrance.
In the meantime, they will continue to play in their league, which consists of teams from Woodstock, Nackawic, Grand Falls, Florenceville, Perth-Andover, Ecole Ste. Anne and St. Stephen.
In their final match leading up to 2020, the Titans belted St. Stephen 13-1 at home but Austin was generous in pointing out that the St. Stephen goalie was injured and could not play.
Four of the eight league teams will qualify for the regional playoffs to be held at the home of the pennant winner with the top two advancing to the provincials.
Austin says Woodstock is the team to beat: they have toppled the Titans for their two league defeats and will be favoured to repeat as champions.
Meanwhile, the “new look” Titans have been led in the scoring department by Riley Estabrooks, while the defense has been borne by the duo of Jory Parsons and Jesse Estabrooks, while Noah Boyd has stepped up to hold the fort in goal.
But the coach says he expects a boost when Conrad Allen rejoins the club shortly following missing several games due to injury.
There is a certain feeling among the athletes that Titan Pride plays a huge role in the many Tantramar team successes. And when you closely examine the lineups, it will be discovered many of the boys (and girls) play on more than one team.
Since football carries at least 40 young men, it is natural they show up in hockey and basketball and the strength of the hockey Titans seems to be those who have come over from football. But with such a low enrolment at the school, it requires cross-overs as there can be only a certain percentage of students with varsity athletic ability.
So while Austin has been forced to patch together a rebuilt team, he realizes he has some of the top athletes from the region fighting for the same goal – Titan Pride.
With this spirit, the Titans should go far in their quest for another championship.
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