O’BRIEN SAVES BEST FOR LAST

LÉVIS, QUE. – It’s not how many you score but when you score them. Just ask Liam O’Brien.

The Halifax native went goalless throughout the week at the 2010 TELUS Cup. That is, until, the 7:56 mark of the third period of the gold medal game when O’Brien scored the go-ahead goal to give the Notre Dame Hounds a 3-2 victory over the Mississauga Reps.

It is Notre Dame’s second-straight TELUS Cup title and fourth National Midget Championship of all-time. That ties the Regina Pat Canadiens for most titles all-time.

O’Brien’s goal sent another pro-Notre Dame crowd into a collective roar. The goal came just under three minutes after Erick Locke (Toronto, Ont.) scored his second goal of the game for Mississauga to tie the game at 2-2.

Marcus Messier (Canmore, Alta.) gave the Hounds a one-goal lead earlier in the third period, when his power play marker made it 2-1. The teams exchanged goals in the first period, with Locke opening the scoring and tournament MVP Slater Koekkoek (Mountain, Ont.) tying things up later in the frame.

Malcom Subban was the story of this final, despite being the losing goaltender. Subban made 55 saves in the Mississauga net to keep his team in the game.

This was Mississauga’s first trip to the National Midget Championship.