Leamington Flyers win first-ever Sutherland Cup

Connor MacPherson is tired Wednesday following a long night of celebrations.

“We could have slept in,” he said.

But he and his brother Ryan didn’t want to miss biology class at St. Anne high school.

“Gotta get those marks up. School is important to us. We had our fun yesterday but back to business today,” said Connor, whose hat trick helped propel the Leamington Flyers to the franchise’s first ever Sutherland Cup championship.

The MacPhersons accounted for all of the goals as Leamington beat Stratford 4-0 on the road bringing the Sutherland Cup back to Essex County for the first time since LaSalle won it in 2010.

“It still doesn't feel real,” Connor said. “We dropped those last two and they forced a game 7 so just to win it was insane.”

Ryan MacPherson felt the Flyers had a good chance to go deep in the playoffs this spring and seized the opportunity. “

You only have so many chances in your lifetime to win a championship so I think it was just important for us to sacrifice our body, do whatever you can throughout the year and take advantage of every moment you're able to get,” he said.

The brothers know their goals made a difference on the scoreboard but emphasize it’s the effort of their teammates that made all the difference on the ice in the final game of the season.

Some in the organization say the performance of the MacPhersons helped boost their stock for this June's NHL Draft.

Scouts saw their ability to play under the pressure throughout the playoffs. In five series-clinching games this spring, Connor had 11 goals and six assists while Ryan had three goals and nine assists.

“I have to think that's something these scouts and gm's and whoever makes those decisions on draft day have to take into consideration,” said head coach Dale Mitchell who is looking forward to reconnect with the fans at an appreciation event being planned.

He won two Memorial Cups as a player with the Windsor Spitfires and knows what awaits his team.

“I'm excited for the players,” Mitchell said. “I'm excited for the community to finally blend into one, especially with all of the times that we've had throughout the last three years.”