TORONTO - The Irvine-based AKS Swarm youth roller hockey club team
won its third consecutive North American Roller Hockey championships at
the Bramton Arena in Toronto with six quality wins.
AKS Swarm competes in the 8-and-under age group and features two local
players, Costa Mesa's Brett Ollinger and Newport Beach's Evan McNerney.
AKS Swarm defeated a longtime rival from Orange County, the Anaheim
Bulldogs, 2-1, in Thursday's championship game. All the goals came in the
first period. The Bulldogs struck first, but Ollinger got a goal off an
assist by McNerney halfway through the first period to tie the game.
The Swarm got another goal late in the period to take the lead. It
then had to hold on through two nerve-wracking periods before it could
collect its third NARch trophy.
AKS Swarm went through six games undefeated. It beat host Mission
Toronto on Monday, 5-2, the Florida Rampage, 9-1, and the Sacramento
Dragons, 5-4, to blast through preliminary play.
In the quarterfinals, AKS Swarm beat Mission Toronto again, 4-1. It
then had to come back from a 3-0 deficit to get past California Blades,
5-4, and earn a trip to the finals, where another close game awaited.
