It’s a thirst that has taken years for the Essex 73’s to quench.

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LAKESHORE – It’s a thirst that has taken years for the Essex 73’s to quench.

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The 73’s ended the five-year dynasty of the Lakeshore Canadiens on Tuesday with a 5-3 win before a packed crowd of 1,020 at the Atlas Tube Centre.

With it, Essex claimed its first Bill Stobbs Division title in the Provincial Junior Hockey League since 2017 by taking the best-of-seven series 4-2.

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“This is the first championship I’ve ever won,” said 73’s forward Patrick McManus, who joined Essex after three seasons of junior B with the LaSalle Vipers. “They built a team that we thought could get it done and we did.

“Before the game, you try to picture you winning and you can’t picture this. This is awesome.”

Lakeshore was seeking its sixth consecutive Bill Stobbs Division title dating back to 2018 and the previous five titles call came at the expense of the 73’s, who lost last year’s final in seven games.

“It’s a surreal moment,” 73’s captain Gabe Piccolo said. “After losing last year and getting it this year, I’m very proud of the boys. We had a sour taste in our mouth from last year and didn’t want to taste it again.”

Since 2005, this title has either gone to the 73’s or the Canadiens with Essex now boasting 12 of those titles over that stretch.

“This is like their Stanley Cup,” 73’s head coach Tony Piroski said. “This is a big in the local hockey community. Some of these guys have lost three or four times to these guys and they didn’t want to lose another.”

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A huge opening period put the 73’s in position for with a 16-5 shot advantage and a 3-0 lead on a pair of goals by Marcus Levesque and another by Karson Beuglet.

“What an unreal period,” Piccolo said. “Going up three goals in an elimination game is huge.”

McManus, who was in on all five Essex goals, made it 4-0 in the second period before Kyle Greene got the Canadiens on the board just 23 seconds later.

Power-play goals by Nicolas Rosati and Marco Sladoje made it a one-goal game just 84 seconds into the third period. Lakeshore had chances to get even, but McManus scored on an Essex power play with just under seven minutes to play to give the 73’s some breathing room.

“This is a great group of guys,” said Lakeshore’s Trevor LaRue, who picked up two assists in his final junior hockey game. “I wouldn’t want to spend this last year of my (junior) career with anyone else.

“I’m just proud that we made it this far. We fought our (butts) off gong down 4-0 and fought back and made it 4-3. Real proud of how we did, not the outcome we wanted, but it’s been a great five years.”

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And while the battles of been fierce on the ice, there’s a great deal of mutual respect by the two organizations.

“(Lakeshore’s) a good group, they work real hard they’ve got good coaching, all four lines want to work every night,” LaRue said. “They outworked us, they played better than us, they deserved it, so I’m happy for them.”

It was an impressive performance by the 73’s, who won all three games of the series played in Lakeshore.

“They were 2-1 (in three games) on us at our home,” Piccolo said. “(The Atlas Tube Centre is) a bigger rink, I think our team’s fast and we fly better in a bigger rink. To come in to another team’s barn and take three is a big thing. I can’t be more proud of these boys.”

Essex will now move into Schmalz Cup provincial championship quarter-final play against the Petrolia Flyers, who won the Yeck Division final in six games against the Exeter Hawks. Dates have not been set for that series.

“For sure enjoy this moment for (Tuesday), but absolutely we’re not done here,” Piccolo said. “We have to go get those rings on our finger and that next trophy.”

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