The U11 Major A Gloucester Rangers are Bell Capital Cup champions after defeating the Greater Bay Lions 8-3 in the AA championship game on Dec. 31.

After exchanging a pair of first period goals with the South China representatives, the Rangers blew the game wide open in the second, outscoring the Lions 5-1 to take a 6-2 lead into the third.

Two more goals in the final stanza against only one goal by the Lions would result in an 8-3 win and a team picture with the Bell Capital Cup.

Scott Nyentap led the way for the Rangers with a hat trick and Luca Pomoransky added a pair of goals and an assist.

The Rangers’ other goals were scored by Nicholas Abou-Nehme, Aiden McMahon, and Kyle Lafeur.

Both of the Lions’ goals were scored by Henry Jung who finished the tournament with 17 to lead the division.

The Rangers opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Sting on Dec. 28. Unfortunately, they didn’t fare so well in their second game, losing 3-1 to the Lions.

After the initial loss, the Rangers bounced back to win both of their games the following day to place second in their group and earn a spot in the semi-finals where they faced the Rideau St. Lawrence Kings.

The Rangers opened the scoring in the first period on a goal by Abou-Nehme.

After Ben Anderson scored for the Kings to tie the game early in the second, Luca Oneid scored a pair of goals less than three minutes apart to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead.

The Kings narrowed the deficit to 3-2 on a power play goal by Griffin Koekkoek at the 2:40 mark of the third, but that would be as close as they would get as the Rangers managed to hold on for the 3-2 win.

The Lions continued their remarkable run by defeating the Adirondack Youth Team 6-3 in the other semi-final to earn a berth in the championship game which the Rangers won in emphatic fashion.

Ten different players scored for the Rangers in six games, led by Nyenkap who ended the tournament with six goals and one assist for seven points.

Pomoransky scored two goals and three assists, and Onied finished with three goals and one assist.

The Rangers’ goaltending duties were shared by Gordon Godfrey-Pearl and Loren Godet who combined for a 2.00 goals against average.

The Rangers entered the Bell Capital Cup tournament with a 10-5-2 record playing in the U11 Major A division in the Hockey Eastern Ontario league.

In their three previous games before the tournament opener the Rangers lost a pair of games to the Ottawa Valley Silver Seven by identical 7-1 scores on Dec. 9 and Dec 21. In between, they managed to tie the St. Lawrence Steel 2-2 on Dec. 15.

The team is hoping to capitalize on their Bell Capital Cup success and right their ship when they continue league play on Jan. 5 against the Ottawa Sting.

Before the holiday break began the Rangers were sitting in second place with a 10-5-2 record and seven games left to play. The Silver Seven were in first place with a 14-1-0 record and nine games left to play, and the Steel were in third place with a 6-6-2 record and 10 games left on their schedule.