The Citizen, 2008-03-20, Page 8SportsPAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2008.
Twelve teams entered the WOAA
Atom girls playoff tournament with
hopes of capturing the championship.
On Sunday, March 16 Blyth was one
of the two teams to vie for the title.
The tournament opened Friday with
a 3-2 win against Howick. After a
slow start Blyth came from behind
scoring the game winner with 48
seconds to go. All three goals were
scored by Ashley Higgins.
The next game was against
Chatsworth on Saturday. The girls
won 7-0. Scoring were Higgins with
another hattrick, Teresa Atkinson
with two, Amy Boyce and Sydney
Michie, with her first of the season.
Assists went to Autumn Wightman,
with two, Shelby Higgins, Brooke
Middegaal and Boyce with two.
The semi-final was against
Tiverton.
Tiverton opened the scoring three
minutes into the game.
Higgins took over late in the first
and scored twice to take the lead.
With 26 seconds left in the period
Tiverton scored to even it.
In the second period Higgins
completed her third hattrick in as
many games. But again, Tiverton
would not quit and grabbed the
equalizing goal a minute later.
The third period was very tense
with several chances by both teams.
At the halfway mark, Higgins struck
again, assisted by Wightman and
Michie.
Lindsay Shiell held strong in goal.
The defense core of Wightman,
Leanne Plunkett and Mackenzie
Nesbitt played a phenomenal game to
hold back the Tiverton attack. .
The final score was 4-3 for Blyth
After three days of games in Ayton,
the 12-team field was reduced to a
final between Blyth and Normanby.
This proved to be a thrilling come-
from-behind, double overtime victory
for Blyth.
Higgins opened the scoring late in
the first.
Normanby tied it up a minute later,
then went ahead with a goal late in the
second. Blyth gave up another goal
with less than a second on the clock in
the second to enter the third period
down by a 3-1. Normanby added
another goal at the 12-minute mark of
the third period to take a commanding
4-1 lead.
Higgins scored with seven minutes
to play. Nesbitt rushed up the ice and
brought the team to within one with
four minutes to play. The team was
fired up at this point and 55 seconds
later Higgins set up Boyce for the
tying goal.
The first overtime period was
played four on four. Blyth was given
a penalty early in the period and
successfully killed that off.
A second overtime was played with
three skaters a side. Both teams
played with one defense playing very
deep, not wanting to surrender the
winning goal. Then late in the period
Higgins broke free, rushed end to end
and fired a powerful shot for the
winner with two minutes to go. The
assist went to goalie Lindsay Shiell
for her first point of the year.
Higgins finished the tournament
with an amazing 13 goals in the four
games - all victories for Blyth,
including three by one-goal margins.
The final game MVP awarded by
the game officials went to Shiell.
The fans and coaching staff were
treated to an amazing performance by
this group of girls that finally beat
Normanby after losing twice to them
in the regular season.
Atom Girls WOAA champs
On Sunday, in the Western
Division of the Lower Lakes Female
Hockey League first round of
playoffs, the Saugeen Maitland
Midget AA Lightning girls great the
Windsor Wildcats blanking them 4-0
on home ice.
Brianne Wheeler, Brussels played
well in net earning another shutout.
Tammy Freiburger, Wingham, led
the scoring with two goals. Lone
goals came from Eastlyn Bellamy
and Kate Wagner, both from Sauble
Beach.
On Saturday, the girls won in
Windsor by a nail-biting score of 4-
3. Dru Austin, Goderich had a pair
of goals, and single tallies came
from Freiburger and Victoria
Bertrand, Port Elgin.
The Lightning will start their
second round of playoffs against St.
Thomas this Easter weekend.
The Brussels Atoms are playing in
the OMHA Atom E finals.
Game one was in Flesherton on
Saturday where Brussels lost 5-2.
Scoring both goals was Lexi Smith,
assisted by Hayden TenPas. Goalie
Matt McNichol made 18 saves.
Sunday saw them play in Brussels.
With lots of fans cheering them on,
it was a closer game but Flesherton
took it 4-3.
First to score was Smith, assisted
by Ben Hruska and TenPas. The
second goal was scored by Mitch
Kellington, assisted by TenPas and
Logan Kellington. The third goal
was scored by Hruska, assisted by
Smith.
Game three is in Flesherton
tonight (Thursday). Game four
will be Saturday at 1 p.m. in
Brussels.
Up against it
The Brussels Bulls Atom Rep squad is truly facing an uphill
battle now after losing 4-3 to Flesherton in the Ontario
Minor Hockey Association E Division finals last Sunday.
The Bulls lost the first game of the best-of-five series on
Saturday in Flesherton only to go down two games to none
on their home ice on Sunday. The two teams will meet for
game three in Flesherton tonight. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Atoms need a win
The Brussels Tykes travelled to
Milverton in recent hockey action.
Brussels goals were scored by
Avery McArter and Cameron
Gibson each with a hattrick and
Noah Terpstra with two.
Assists went to Sarah Strome,
Jasmin Vader, Teddy Jacklin and
Ronan Jarrad.
Goalie Jarron Thompson had a
great game.
Lightning moves on
Seaforth & District
MINOR
HOCKEY
REGISTRATION
Note: This is the Only Registration Day.
Sat., March 22
9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Seaforth & District
Community Centres
* Bring 4 cheques to postdate
* If you have never played on a travel team
please bring proof of age
Perspective Coaches can
pick up their applications
If you cannot attend registration. Call Lisa Campbell
519-527-0521 or Ron Pryce 519-522-0974
B o y s
& G i r l s
Brussels Minor
Baseball and Soccer
2008 REGISTRATION
Tuesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 20
7 to 9 pm
Saturday, March 22
10 am - 12 noon
BMG Arena
Please bring 2 cheques. New registrants are
required to bring a copy of their
birth certificate to be kept on file.
Sign up for all the
summer activities.
MUNICIPALITY OF
CENTRAL HURON
WARD II
Hullett Minor Ball
Registration
Thurs., March 20 ~ 6 to 8
Sat., March 22 ~ 10 to 1
Londesboro Township
Shed
Phone Karen Dolmage
at 519-523-4726 for more
information
Tykes play
in Milverton
A good start
The Brussels Novice Rep team took to the ice last Sunday
in game one of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association
Jacoby Division finals against their opponents from
Shallow Lake. The contest was hard fought and it took
overtime to decide a winner, but when the dust settled, the
home team took the game, 3-2. (Shawn Loughlin photo)