Honeybaked ’98s cap perfect playoff run with 6-2 win

By Stefan Kubus –

Nick Pastujov ended his Bantam Minor season with a bang on the biggest possible stage – the state championship game.

The Honeybaked captain scored a hat trick en route to an MVP award and a 6-2 victory over Little Caesars, earning a state championship for his ’98 Honeybaked squad. The team went undefeated in round robin play, as well, before capping things off in the finals.

“Obviously, it wasn’t a 6-2 game,” said coach and former NHL player Kevin Hatcher. “We played a very good team with Little Caesars. We’ve had a battle with them all season, playing them seven or eight times and they’ve all been one-goal games.”

Honeybaked made it clear from the get-go that they were ready to take over the game early. Pastujov recorded his first of three goals just 55 seconds into the game.

Little Caesars had a power play with 9:30 to go in the first period. Being outshot 5-1, it was a huge opportunity to respond, but goaltender Dylan St. Cyr and crew fended it off.

The tables turned from there, as Honeybaked it its own chance on the power play – a 5-on-3 for 1:30 with 4:45 left that they converted on.

Or so everyone thought.

Igor Larionov, son of the NHL Hall-of-Famer, made a beautiful pass from the goal line across to the defenseman coming in from the point, who ripped a shot past Little Caesars goalie Michael Latorella. But the goal was disallowed by the officials because a Honeybaked player was simultaneously in the crease.

The first period ended with Little Caesars on top in shots, 9-8, but Honeybaked up 1-0 on the scoreboard.

Little Caesars would respond early in the second period. P.J. Rapin came down and took a shot on a 2-on-1 with teammate Paul Washe. The initial shot was stopped by St. Cyr, but Washe buried the rebound to tie things up at one aside.

With 8:22 to go, Jack Kopacka put his Honeybaked squad back on top again with assists going to Nick Pastujov and Nick’s brother, Michael.

A 40-second 5-on-3 power play for Honeybaked with 11:11 left in the game set up a great chance for Honeybaked to put the pedal to the floor. But Latorella and Little Caesars stood tall against the heat brought on by the opposing power play.

Although they couldn’t convert on the 5-on-3, defenseman Ben Gleason added that much-desired insurance goal on the power play with a blast from the point, six minutes into the third.

Merely two minutes later, Collin Adams responded for Little Caesars, centering a puck from the left side of the net that bounced off a Honeybaked defender in the air, and found its way past St. Cyr to make it a one-goal game again.

They nearly had the chance to tie things up shortly after, too, as Mitch Lewandowski broke in alone on a breakaway during the penalty kill. St. Cyr stretched across the net to deny Lewandowski and his club of the equalizing goal.

Another power play opportunity for Honeybaked would not be wasted this time. Nick Pastujov tallied his second goal of the evening with a shot from the point that just trickled past Latorella. The assist went to defenseman Sean Day.

That goal would prove to be the backbreaker for Little Caesars, as Pastujov went on to register his third, hat-trick goal on another power play. Assisted by his brother Michael and Larionov, Nick Pastujov walked in from the point, right down the middle, and wired a low shot to give Honeybaked the 5-2 lead on the team’s 42nd shot of the night.

Noah LaLonde added an empty-net goal Honeybaked’s sixth and final tally.

“We knew it was a battle all the way in, and I didn’t want to give them any hope,” said coach Pat Peake, a former NHL player. “That team doesn’t go away. That team is well taught, and they play hard.”