Mitch Casey remembers sitting in the Allman Arena’s wooden benches with his parents and aunt and uncle, watching his cousin Kyle help the Stratford Cullitons defeat Thorold to capture a second straight Sutherland Cup in 2004.

Casey was five years old at the time, and he joined his family on the ice to celebrate what would be the organization’s seventh — and last — provincial title.

It set in motion a dream to follow in his cousin’s footsteps and play for his hometown junior B team, which Casey fulfilled in 2016 when he was called up for two games.

The 21-year-old defenceman spent 161 regular season and playoff games with the Warriors. His career was supposed to end in tears, either following a Sutherland Cup championship or a bitter playoff loss.

Instead, like 79 other 1999-born players in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, it ended with a social media post from Hockey Canada, which iced the remainder of the 2019-20 season March 13 as a COVID-19 precaution.

Fellow Warriors Alex Grant, Jacob Uridil and Clayton Lewis were among that group.

“It was a confusing time because we didn’t really get that closure you get at the end of the season, winning or losing, and it’s the last time that group is going to be together,” Casey said. “We knew it was cancelled, but we still thought it was up in the air for a bit.”

Stratford ended the season having won 17 of 19 games, including a five-game series victory over Listowel in the Midwestern Conference quarter-final.

The Warriors then upset first-place Elmira on the road in Game 1 of the second round. It happened the same night the NBA announced it was suspending its season due to coronavirus fears. The NHL followed suit the next day.

At the time, social gatherings of up to 1,000 were still considered safe, and physical distancing didn’t include keeping a hockey net width away from most of the population.

“We figured maybe the OHL would be cancelled because of how many fans they get,” Casey said. “We thought we were safe because there weren’t as many people in the arena.”

Casey’s journey to junior hockey wasn’t without bumps. Tavistock cut him in his second year of midget, but he took advantage of extra ice time and responsibility in his final season of minor hockey.

“That helped me get noticed.”

Casey progressed in each season with Stratford, evolving from a 12-point player as a rookie to an offensive force who scored 11 goals and 32 points in 45 games in 2019-20.

“My mindset was a little bit more offensive than the first two years,” he said, “but when you’re a third-year player in the league you get a lot better and things come a little easier and the game slows down a bit.”

Some of Casey’s favourite memories involve hard-fought playoff battles, like facing Elmira as a rookie, Waterloo last season, and Listowel five weeks ago, which now feels like five months ago.

The Laurier mathematics major isn’t sure where his hockey career is headed, but time has already helped heal any bitter feelings about how his dream ended.

“Tons of teams feel that way, and it’s something you can’t take too personally,” he said. “We knew how important it was to stay healthy, and hockey doesn’t matter too much compared to the whole world.”

*****

The last shot Tavistock Braves’ goalie Jensen van Boekel faced in his junior hockey career came just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.

It was a power-play tally in double overtime off the stick of Wellesley’s James Ranson. The Applejacks’ 52nd shot of the night evened the best-of-seven Provincial Junior Hockey League Doherty Division final at a game apiece.

Less than 48 hours later, van Boekel was on the phone with Dan Kalbfleisch, and the Braves’ head coach informed his veteran netminder that the season was over.

“At that time, I was disappointed and angry because at least if you’re in Game 7 you know it will be your last game,” van Boekel said. “We played Wednesday night and we had no idea that would be it.

“Looking back at it now it makes sense.”

Overage Tavistock teammates Thomas Haffner, Zac Berg and Brock Phillips also had their junior careers cut short because of a global pandemic.

“A lot of emotions,” van Boekel said. “After four years, and then I (affiliated) for a year, to just come down in one day unexpectedly…”

The 21 year old trailed off.

He earned several monthly and annual accolades over four seasons, during which time he played in 132 regular season and playoff games, but none were more memorable than in 2018 when he backstopped the Braves to a division title.

After letting a 3-1 series lead against Ayr slip away, Tavistock bounced back from a two-goal road deficit in Game 7 to beat the reigning two-time Schmalz Cup champs.

“We just put our head down and worked hard regardless of the score,” van Boekel said. “We didn’t complain. We just worked our asses off.”

Like Casey, van Boekel wanted to play for the junior hockey team he grew up watching. Many of van Boekel’s teammates were also longtime friends.

“It was a dream for sure being able to play for the Braves and a lot of my buddies,” he said. “Every year we’re on the same team, and it’s great to play with local guys. To be able to win a championship was amazing, and the first one (as a junior C team) as well.”

The Braves were three wins from another Doherty title after a second straight first-place finish. Van Boekel adjusted to sharing the crease with upstart rookie Carter Roth, and the pair pushed each other to a combined .929 save percentage. In the playoffs, van Boekel posted a 1.36 goals-against average and .946 save percentage with three shutouts in six starts.

“The group of guys and feel in the room was completely different,” he said. “The boys had a feeling it was our year.”

Van Boekel could stay home this fall and play senior hockey for the Royals. Emotionally, he’s not ready to let go of what might have been.

“We wanted more than just the Doherty,” he said. “We wanted to keep going.”

*****

The St. Marys Lincolns’ players were walking from their dressing room to the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex ice in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal when they heard the news.

One of the referees let them know Hockey Canada had just cancelled the season, and this would be the final night of junior hockey in 2019-20.

“We knew it was going to be our last period,” Lincolns forward Cayse Ton said. “I was just kind of taken aback. It was a very unfortunate way to end it, but (you) try to enjoy every shift I guess.”

St. Marys was trailing 3-1 at the time, and the Flyers added an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left to cap a meaningless victory in a surreal situation.

“It’s in the back of your mind the whole time, and you’re going through the (motions),” Ton said. “Your focus wasn’t as much on winning the game anymore.”

Ton, along with teammates Thomas McLatchie, Brock Trichilo, Riley Coome, Jake Robinson and Ryan Brown, watched the seconds tick down on their junior careers. Though he had a feeling the GOJHL would eventually suffer the same fate as other sports leagues around the world, Ton didn’t think it would be announced during a game.

“It would be almost better if you got eliminated in the first round because at least you ended,” he said.

The 20 year old from New Liskeard didn’t have plans to play hockey in 2018 while attending Western University, but a phone call from someone with the Lincolns gave him an opportunity to skate with the squad.

Ton had 28 goals and 54 points in 68 regular season and playoff games with St. Marys, and Friday night home games at the Pyramid Recreation Centre — which included post-game meals served by billet families — reminded him of midget hockey back home.

“The small town coming out to support the team was good,” he said. “You see when you’re winning how much the community is behind you and how involved they are, and you see the great people and sponsors who are about the team and players.”

Ton stuck with St. Marys after a season in which the team won 11 games and finished last. He was named an alternate captain in 2019-20 and took a leadership role on an improving squad that won 30 games and finished third in the conference before advancing to the second round of playoffs for the first time since 2012.

“That’s what makes it even worse, because the team we had we felt we were built for playoffs,” Ton said. “We were a more complete team. Up and down the lineup we were very deep.”

The civil engineering major will play recreational hockey in the fall. He expects to have mixed emotions when junior hockey returns.

“It will be bittersweet either way … but I think it will get better over time,” he said. “It does feel good to look back on it and say we brought winning hockey back to St. Marys.”

cosmith@postmedia.com