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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-09-15, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016. PAGE 9. Players, coaches impressed by hockey game effort V f if vid, .1 v -- Family Owned Since 7936 "kw12 INE FURNITUREMunicipal] and ,Cen alHu FLOOR COVERINGS S cc fl tS' • Taking the ice Just after the ceremonial puck drop and the national anthems, the Memorial Cup -champion London Knights headed to their bench to get ready for their exhibition game against the Erie Otters at the Central Huron Community Complex. The Knights would go on to lose by a score of 5-2 in front of over 1,400 fans, but the experience was deemed a success by all involved, including Knights players and coaches. (Dennyscottphoto) Continued from page 1 organizations that have a lot of respect for their fans. The effort and enthusiasm in Huron County for the game didn't go unnoticed by the players on the ice or the coaching staff. "It's pretty nice. Obviously Clinton put a lot of effort into this and all the players really appreciate it," said Cliff Pu, who scored 12 goals and 19 assists in the Knights' Memorial Cup season. Pu was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2016 NHL entry draft. The atmosphere in Clinton, said Assistant Coach Dylan Hunter, is one to which plenty of the players and coaches can relate. "It's great. It's grassroots. A lot of the guys on the team come from similar communities and having the chance to play here is good for us and it's good for the fans to get more of an up -close look in their own backyard," Hunter said. Hunter added that the facility was great and that the volunteers had done a fantastic job preparing for the game. The Knights came out swinging in the game, leading 2-1 after goals from Janne Kuokkanen and Kole Sherwood. Both players also notched assists as well. However, the game was tied going into the third period and the Otters pulled away with two more goals, adding an empty -net goal with just seconds left in the game for a final score of 5-2. Ernie Phillips of the Blyth area was on hand for the ceremonial puck drop. Phillips was one of just a handful of people who have hand - engraved the Stanley Cup over the years. Irelyn and Mary Paige St. Onge of Seaforth sang the Canadian and American national anthems. Scrimgeour said everything went well and that he found his job easy with how many hard-working and dedicated volunteers that were on hand, as well as the two organizations that were an absolute joy to work with. The organizations felt the same way about Scrimgeour, said Ashley Bromley of Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey, who thanks Scrimgeour and members of the community for making the organization part of the event. The game meant more to Scrimgeour than just what happened on the ice or the compliments he's receiving from fans. For him, this was a life achievement that he'll always remember. Scrimgeour said that this event was one of his life's goals to bring an OHL game to the community. "I've been telling people that I can stroke it off my bucket list," Scrimgeour said about the event. "It's always been a dream of mine and I got to do it." Local providers remain unsure of SWIFT project At their Sept. 7 meeting, Huron County Councillors found they may have jumped the gun on supporting the South West Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) project and thinking they're on the same page as the county's local internet providers. Angela Lawrence of Hay Communications and Rob Van Aaken of Tuckersmith Communications both spoke to council at the meeting, saying they hadn't prepared a report for council, which had been requested at a recent meeting. Councillors wanted to hear from the independent providers before moving forward as a full-fledged member of SWIFT. Council had been considering aligning itself with SWJFI after a presentation from Councillor Roger Watt, who said Setting the tone Irelyn, left, and Mary Paige St. Onge of Seaforth were chosen to sing the Canadian and American national anthems at the Central Huron Community Complex ahead of last Thursday's exhibition game between the London Knights and the Erie Otters. The pair performed right after Blyth's Ernie Phillips, one of just a few men who have hand - engraved the Stanley Cup, dropped the puck ahead of the game. (Denny Scott photo) that with federal and provincial funding now secured, the county should be involved with the project. Much of the county's involvement and the independent providers' comfort with the project hinged on 22 questions they posed to those behind SWIFT and the answers they received after years of asking. "We would consider the answers we received to date are vague and without very much detail," the pair stated in their statement. "I would not say this is the SWIFT committee's fault. I believe they have shared as much information as they have available to them. At this point we are taking a wait-and-see approach while they work with the provincial and federal government crafting a contribution agreement. Once that is complete, we will all be in a better position to comment on opportunities and impact" Lawrence added that there seemed to be "no clear path" for the project or an answer as to how the committee plans on actually spending the money, including the money the county would contribute if they become officially involved with the project. The pair also continued to criticize the direction of the project, saying that bringing internet to the "last mile" remains on the back burner for SWIFT, whereas it is a priority for Huron County's local providers. Watt agreed that local providers needed to be involved in the process, providing input where it made sense, saying there are "a lot of opportunities to have a say." He also said that the local providers should be involved in the bidding process, but acknowledged that with a project of this size, the local providers may simply not have the capability of some of the bigger companies. Watt said there's "a lot of blood in the water" and that it's going to attract the big fish. Lawrence said, however, that the local providers wanted "some of that blood". Watt said that the county's contribution to the project over the next five years would be over $600,000, and Van Aaken said there would be little benefit to the county for that investment when it came to last mile connectivity. Watt said that some of the funding will have to make its way into a local development fund. Without that fund, he said, the proposal doesn't make much sense. The providers told councillors that the key to success going forward would be retaining control over local investment. The issue will return to the council table at a future meeting. Wash & Fold Services Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 25 2016 IPM CROSS COUNTY CONVOY HARVEST DINNER & VARIETY CONCERT ©npptarios bj cz 100th INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH E RURAL EXPO IPM 2017 Kick -Off Event! Celebrate by participating in a 100 tractor cross county convoy by calling Brad & Trina McBride @ 519 263 3227. Convoy arrival at the Brussels Arena 4PM, Dinner at 5:30PM, Concert 7PM. Tickets: $30 Adults and $15 Kids (6-12) Available from Brussels Ag Society, SEPT 19-23 WALTON, ONTARIO McGavins, Townsend Tire or Sherry @ 519 527 1307.