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The Huron
April 12, 2006 Page 17
Atom Girls win bronze at provincials over the weekend
Jeff Heuchert
The Seaforth Atom girls' hockey
team returned home Sunday after-
noon from the provincial playoffs
with bronze medals in hand.
The girls defeated Ilderton 2-0 to
capture the third place finish in a
division that showcased the top 12.
Atom girls' teams in Ontario.
The girls entered the year end
tournament undefeated, in season
and tournament play.
Coach Kevin Melady says the girls
worked extremely hard all year long
to achieve that accomplishment.
"They were a focused group of
girls that took pride in doing their
best each game."
The girls first loss of the season
came in their semi-finals matchup
• against Scarborough 2-1.
"It was back and forth all the way
through," says Melady.
"We fought hard. The girls gave it
their best efforts."
And, in a testament to their
efforts and resilience, after suffering
their first loss, when they could
have easily let it destroy their confi-
dence, the girls rebounded with a
strong performance to .win the
bronze medals. •
"Every challenge that was in front
of the girls they took and they rose
above it," says Melady.
Juvenile Broomballers
capture bronze at
Canadian Championships
Jeff Heuchert
ammin
It was a rewarding finish to what
coach Rob Hunking calls an "up and
down season," as the Central West
Hitmen captured bronze at the
Canadian Juvenile Broomball
Championship over the weekend in
Ottawa.
The Hitmen are made up of play-
ers, aged 16-19, from the Blyth,
.Londesboro, Clinton, Seaforth,
Mitchell, Staffa and
Mildmay areas.
The juvenile broom-
ballers defeated the
Saskatchewan Odessa
Bandits 1-0 to capture
third place in the
national tournament.
The winning goal
against Saskatchewan
came with only 45 sec-
onds remaining in reg-
ulation, from Adam
McClure.
Goalie Steve
McNichol recorded the
shutout.
Hunking says it
semi-finals game against the num-
ber one seed from the other pool -
defending national champions, the
Quebec College L'Assumption.
A tough 2-0 loss to Quebec set the
Hitmen up for a rematch with the
Saskatchewan Odessa Bandits for.
the bronze medal.
Hunking says if the Hitmen had
gone 5-0 in pool play they would
have faced off against the number
two seed from the other pool, not
Quebec, which he is con-
es
throughout the
tournament we
had lapses on
defence and
our goaltend-
ing kept us in
the game'--
Hitmen's coach Rob
Hunking
wasn't the first time in the tourna-
ment great goaltending prevailed
for the Hitmen.
"At times throughout the tourna-
ment we had lapses on defence and
our goaltending kept us in the
games," he says.
In the Hitmens' seven games,
opposing teams only scored a com-
bined five goals.
The Hitmen finished pool play
with a 4-1 record, after wins
against the Windsor Riot, Quebec
Stanislas, Manitoba All -Stars and
Bishop Falls, and a double overtime
loss to Saskatchewan.
Their 4-1 record set them up for a
fident they could have
beaten, and as a result,
played in the finals.
"In this tournament
one or two losses can
really put you in a bad
situation," he says.
The Hitmen qualified
for the nationals back
in November, when
they won the qualify-
ing tournament.
Hunking says at the
time the team's confi-
dence was high, but
J they didn't keep their
stellar play up for long.
In February, the
Hitmen placed fourth in the provin-
cials.
"It was a wake up call that we'd
have to get our acts together," he
says.
Hunking adds that the Hitmen
have come a long way since they fin-
ished sixth last year at the nation-
als, and that while the bronze isn't
what they players were shooting for,
they, along with himself, are
extremely happy with the results.
"They would have been much more
disappointed if they had come home
with nothing at all. We're just very
happy," he says.
Jeff Heuchert photo
Zach Bakker, from Seaforth Public School, works on his leg kicks during a
recent trip to the Vanastra Recreation Centre pool along with other Grade 4
students.
Peewees leave provincials empty
handed, but not disappointed
Jeff Heuchert
They may not have come away
from the provincial playoffs with the
results they wanted, but the
Seaforth girls' Peewee hockey team
still had a very successful season.
The girls lost in the quarter -finals
of the tournament against Lucan 2-
0 in a close game. '
"That makes us top eight in
Ontario. So we're proud of that,"
says coach Don Heard.
He adds that it could have easily
been a different outcome.
"They (Lucan) got two quick goals
in the third. A few bounces another
way and it could have been differ-
ent," he says.
Aside from the provincials, the
Peewee girls played exceptionally,
winning tournaments in Mount
Forest and Goderich throughout the
season.
In round robin play to qualify for
the provincials, the girls went 9-1.
"We're not at all ashamed of how
we finished," says Heard.
"They can hold their heads high."
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