A night that everyone will remember is how the general manager of a local hockey team is describing their big victory.
Mark Seguin is reacting as the Schmalz Cup returns to Lakeshore.
The Lakeshore Canadiens defeated the Clarington Eagles 5-4 on Friday night to take home the trophy in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
The Canadiens were trailing 2-0 heading into the second period, but took back control of the game for the win.
The team had a rocky start to the season after their forward, 20-year-old Sylvain Lessard, had passed away following a crash between an SUV and a tractor trailer on County Road 42 west of Patillo Road in late October 2023.
Speaking on AM800's Live and Local, Seguin says they got home at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning after travelling back from Bowmanville and instantly went on their home ice.
"The guys went out there in their street clothes and the fan bus was right behind us, and jumped on the ice at the Atlas Tube Centre and it was a night that everybody will remember."
He says many fans travelled to cheer on the Canadiens.
"It really helped us get going, we had a little bit of a slow start but we come out in the second period, and we really put the pedal to the metal and took control of the game."
Seguin says Sylvain was with the players in their hearts the whole way.
"His mom and dad stayed with us the whole way, all of our games, they travelled on the road with us and especially in the playoffs they travelled with us. After every game the guys would salute them in the crowd, and we were fortunate enough to win our division and win the championship and they were on the ice with the trophy. It was something that we played for all year."
The Canadiens only lost the first game of the series, before claiming victory of four straight games in the finals.
This is the second time in three years the team has won after winning in 2022.
Celebrations are expected to continue over the next couple of days, and a banquet will be taking place at a later date.
-with files from AM800's Kyle Horner