HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-06-09, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2005. PAGE 9.
Stewart is Ironmen top scorer, regular season and playoffs
By Jim Brown
Citizen staff
Cole Stewart of Blyth was one of
three Wingham Ironmen to receive
two individual awards at the team's
awards dinner held Friday evening at
the Wingham Knights of Columbus
Centre-
Stewart was the team’s top point
getter during the regular season,
finishing the 2004-2005 campaign
with 65 points on 29 goals and 36
assists. He finished three points
behind league point leader, Nick
Locking of the Mount Forest
Patriots.
The second-year player was also
top point getter during the playoffs.
After 17 games, he had four goals
and 17 assists for 21 points.
Ryan Fry and Matt Hill also
received two individual awards.
Fry was the rookie of the year and
the most improved player, while Hill
was the recipient of the Don Higgins
Memorial Award for sportsmanship
and also was the most valuable
player for the playoffs.
MVP for the regular season was
Zack O’Krafka who concluded the
regular season with 59 points on 21
goals and 38 assists.
Defenceman Devin McGuire was
the recipient of the Executive Award
and Matt MacPhee and Hill were the
winners of the Executive Award for
dedication as they were the only two
players to play every game of the 40-
game regular season.
Top defenceman for the year was
Jamie Chester.
Overage players, Jason Blinkhom,
Blyth Pre-Mites
Chester and O’Krafka were
presented their jerseys.
Alumni hats were presented to
MacPhee. Chris Stanley, McGuire,
Shawn Walker. Nick Filsinger.
Travis Fowlie and Ted Leeb. The
coaching staff will have to decide
which three to keep as the over-agers
for the 2005-2006 season.
Retiring manager Steve Coulter of
Brussels was presented with a gift
for his four years of service to the
team. During his four years, the team
won two Western Junior C Hockey
League championships and
advanced past the first round of
OHA Junior C playdowns.
Coach Louie Livingston and
president Bill McGrath both said it
was Coulter’s knowledge of players
and the ability to get them which
made the team as successful as it was
the past two seasons.
They both said Coulter deserved
much of the credit for the team’s
success.
GUEST SPEAKER
NHL referee Kevin Pollock of
Guelph and formerly of Kincardine
was the guest speaker for the
occasion.
He said he played his minor
hockey in Kincardine and played
junior hockey in Port Elgin and and
Hanover although he had a one-
game try-out with the Ironmen.
He decided to go into officiating
and started in the OHA, beginning
with senior hockey teams the
Lakeshore Winterhawks and the
Durham Huskies.
He then started doing OHL games,
but because he wasn’t getting very
many assignments, he took a leave of
absence from his job and went to do
games in the East Coast Hockey
League, “to see how far I could go.”
He indicated he lived in Pensacola.
Fla.
While doing ECHL games, he was
scouted by the NHL and he also did
some International Hockey League
contests.
“1 did the Memorial Cup final the
Top scorer
Cole Stewart of Blyth was the top scorer for the Wingham
Ironmen for both the regular season and the playoffs. He is
shown sitting between his two trophies. (Jim Brown photo)
year it was played in Ottawa,” said
Pollock.
Since 1999, he has been working
in the NHL, with one year spent in
the AHL.
In his first year of refereeing in the
NHL, he reached the Stanley Cup
semi-finals. He is still looking
toward doing a game in the finals.
Pollock highlighted some of the
games he has done, including a game
six between Colorado and Detroit
and a game between Calgary and
Detroit two seasons ago which
demonstrated why Calgary went all
the way to the Stanley Cup final that
season — they were doing a lot of
hitting, while Detroit played as if
they were not supposed to be be hit.
With the influx of European
players into the NHL, Pollock
personally believed that there would
have been a European division in the
league.
But, he noted the arenas are too
small and they would bp unable to
support the salaries the players are
getting.
Another game he refereed was the
Heritage Classic game between
Edmonton and Montreal, played
outside at Commonwealth Stadium.
He did the regular season game, not
the game between the oldtimer
squads.
In regards to whether or not there
will be a league next year, Pollock
said, “I can’t see them not starting
the season on time (in 2005-2006).”
He said if they didn’t the Ironmen
would be selling out games and there
would be nobody to watch the
Toronto Maple Leafs.
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having a great season
The Blyth Pre-Mites are having a great season so far this year.
They played against Stanley on Thursday, June 2 and managed their fourth
victory of the season. A close game ended in the fourth inning with a score
of 16-13.
In the first inning Cory Ducharme started the game with a homerun and
Amy Badley had a double.
Scoring six runs, they held Stanley to zero. In the second inning, Ducharme
got a triple to score Ryan Plunkett, Samantha Kerr and T.J. Pavao. Drew
Bromley hit a double.
Stanley came back with four runs.
In the third inning Stanley held Blyth, then came back with four runs.
In the fourth and final inning Pavao started things with a homerun.
Ducharme got his third homerun of the game.
Stanley was strong in this inning getting five runs but Franklin Marshall
closed the inning with a catch at first beating the runner to the bag.
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WINGHAM • 357-4503
The CIBC donated $500 to Brussels Minor Soccer for the
purchase of jerseys for a team in the U-11 division and a
team in the U-13 division. Back, from left: U-13 coach
Murray Bone, CIBC community service representative
Gayle McArter and U-11 coach Rose Kellington. Front: U-
13 player Matthew Cardiff and U-11 player Tori Kellington.
(Jim Brown photo)