HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-11-03, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016. PAGE 9.
Huron East Centenaires to play game at BMGCC
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The Huron East Centenaires will
be bringing their exciting brand of
Senior 'A' hockey to the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community Centre
(BMGCC) on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The team, which was formed three
years ago when several local
investors moved it from Goderich
to its new home in Seaforth,
will be facing off against
the Lucknow Lancers with warm-
ups starting at 7 p.m.
Executive member and Walton
native Brett Lee explained that
moving the team to Huron East to
primarily play out of the Seaforth
and District Community Centre was
meant to address a lack of
The sting of defeat
The Blyth Brussels Novice Local League Crusaders faced off against the Listowel Cyclones
in Blyth on Sunday. Despite a hard-fought battle, the Crusaders were bested 4-0. (Shawn Loughlin
photo)
opportunities for youth engagement
during the weekend.
"In Goderich, they were struggling
to get anyone behind the team," he
said. "In Seaforth, we didn't have a
team and I and a couple guys were
looking for something to do on a
Saturday night. There isn't really
much to do as far as entertainment
goes, so we decided to try and make
this work."
The team is going into its third full
season and, while Lee admits the
first two seasons weren't great, the
team has improved every year.
"The first season we went 1-24, it
was pretty atrocious," he said. "Last
season, we were doing better. We got
some new players and finished near
.500, but then got put out in the ftrst
round of the playoffs by the
[Clinton] Radars."
This year's team is even better,
Lee said, saying he believes the
Centenaires are going to finish in the
top three.
"It's cool how we've developed
and some of the people we've picked
up," he said.
Locally, Adam and Chris Corbett
of Brussels are on the team along
with Andrew Van Vliet of Walton,
who last year played for the Clinton
Radars. The three are teamed up
with some very talented players,
according to Lee.
"The funny thing about this
league, and the thing that is a real
eye-opener for some people, is that
they think this is just a spill-over
league for the junior leagues," he
said. "But there are some really
talented guys on the team and they
are playing Junior A- and Juniot B -
level hockey."
The Centenaires have some tough
competition in the league, Lee said
pointing to this past weekend's
match against the Saugeen Shores
Winterhawks, who have Theo
Peckham, an Edmonton Oilers
alumnus.
The game is to highlight how
important places like Brussels are to
hockey development, Lee said.
"It feels like Brussels kind of gets
forgotten about for things," he said.
"We have a chance to go over there
and play a game and get the younger
players and maybe even some of the
old Brussels Bulls players out and
show them some pretty good
hockey."
Lee said there might even be some
familiar faces playing for the
Lancers, as they draw players not
just from Lucknow, but several
surrounding communities as well.
"It should be a good local game
featuring two good local teams and
some local players," he said.
Lee said the calibre of play and
players can really blow people away
who aren't used to seeing this level
of hockey.
"Adam, Chris and Andrew are all
really skilled players," he said. We
want everyone to understand just
how good senior hockey is and
encourage people to come back to
Seaforth to catch a home game every
once in awhile."
Lee went on to say that he hopes
the game becomes an annual
tradition and leads to other events.
"We had a really successful
chance for a Centenaire reunion," he
said. "It took us two years to get legs
for it, but it went well."
While the Huron East Centenaires
are a senior hockey team, previously
the moniker was attached to a
Junior -level team, giving a good
pool of players to draw from for
reunion events.
"We're hoping to do something
similar with championship teams
from the area," Lee said.
Aside from the game, a beverage
garden will be hosted at the upstairs
of the BMGCC, giving fans a chance
to wet their whistle while they watch
the game.
For more information and to keep
up-to-date with the Centenaires, visit
them on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/centshockey
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