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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-02-25, Page 10Belgrave Jrs. wzn 11-0 s No payments until January '99* PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1998. Brussels Juvies win WOAA By Hugh Nichol The Brussels Juveniles have won back-to- back Western Ontario Hockey championships, yet they remain minor hockey's best kept secret. Why is this? Juvenile hockey has a long and distinguished history beginning with the founding of the Ontario Juvenile hockey association in 1935. Five years later the Juveniles amalgamated with the Midget and Bantam associations to form what is now the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA), the "largest minor hockey organization in the world". The original championship trophy awarded in 1935 is today the Juvenile "B" finalist trophy. Walkerton and Goderich are competing in the "B" classification as is Exeter, coached by former Brussels resident Kevin McArter. Juvenile hockey has always been supported by the Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA) and in the last five years local clubs have responded with All-Ontario championships in Mildmay, Listowel, Drayton and Teeswater. So why no respect? The main reason is reputation. With junior hockey readily available in our area many people's opinion of juvenile hockey is that It is a league of leftovers, a place to play for those not talented or committed enough for the rigors of Junior hockey. The truth is these kids have no illusions about their hockey futures. They neither desire, require, or need to be dressed in the store bought look of Junior hockey teams. These kids have returned to the grassroots of hockey; they play to have fun, their style uncomplicated by the business side of hockey. The almighty dollar has no value to these players, they pay to play. Their game is entertaining, exciting and definitely unpredictable, not handicapped by textbook hockey systems taught by Junior hockey coaches, no dumping and chasing, ring around the rosie, keep the puck deep. These players are playing for their hometown which in its own way is their first step in being community minded. They are not hand-delivered to the arena door by their parents but choose to make the ultimate teenage sacrifice and give up Saturday nights to play hockey. These are the kids you watched walking by your front door on their way to school. You survived the two steps of Halloween with them, from treat to trick. You smiled, tentatively the first time they drove by your place in the parents' car, and hid the horror in your face when that same car stopped in your driveway to pick up your daughter. You know their Moms, Dads, brothers and sisters have stories to tell about each of them. Two teams stand between Brussels and the Juvenile "D" bragging right to Ontario. The first in line is Thedford. Show your support for the kids, hockey and your community. Brussels Juveniles travelled to Lions Head on Friday night for game three of this WOAA playoff series leading two games to none. Lions Head opened the scoring with a goal at the 10-minute mark of the first period. Brussels replied with two of their own. Chad Haggitt scored with assists going to Chris Stewart. With two minutes left in the period Brian Marks put Brussels in the lead with Stewart assisting. In the second period Jory Elliott fed Stewart a pass and he stepped in over the blue line and launched a missile that sent Brussels to the dressing room with a 3-1 lead. Dean Walker scored on a pass from Stewart to start the third. Lions Head replied with one to narrow the margin to 4-2. With eight minutes remaining in the game Lions Head was awarded a penalty shot. Elliott came up with a big save to add that extra little spark that the team needed. Brussels stepped up the pace with four goals in less than four minutes. Jason Gemmel! was assisted by Clint Fischer and Jason Kellington. Then Mike Dauphin found the top corner, assisted by Marks and Chad McCallum. , With three minutes remaining McCallum scored from Chad Haggitt. Brussels' last goal was Belgrave Junior Girls blew into Ripley on Feb. 22 and blasted their way to an 11-0 whitewash of their hosts. Coach Steve Cook said his team must have been watching the Olympic women's hockey games and picked up tips and strategy. "Belgrave scored the first shift on the ice and never looked back." Scoring hattricks were Sarah McDonald and Rachel Elliott. scored by Stewart, assisted by Mark Wilson and Jeff Ferguson. The 8-3 victory gave Brussels their second WOAA championship. This series has been a great team effort as the scoring has been shared by 16 players. The coaching staff was proud of the discipline the team showed in this game. The team appreciates the faithful fans who journeyed to Lions Head. Lindsay Hoff and Michelle Cook each notched two, while Kristen Palmer tagged one. Assists went to Palmer, Elliott and Cook. Cook said the 10 girls saw a lot of ice time, but played well and had fun. There was good passing through- out the game though Cook said some much deserved assists were missed by the refs. Candice McLellan added another shutout to her collection. s pots From the sidelines Why so secretive? Ready, aim, fire A Blyth PeeWee lines up his shot as his team played to win this semi-final game against Wallace Twp. in Blyth on Wednesday night. Going into this with a one game lead in a best of five series, the squad defeated Wallace in this one, then took the semi-final round on Saturday. They now prepare for the WOAA finals. 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