The Times Advocate, 2008-01-02, Page 15Wednesday, January 2, 2008 15
SPORTS
Times -Advocate
Huron-PerthAAA Lakers bring excellence on ice
Age level: Major Atom
Coach: Jack Chaffe
Last season's record
and playoff result (if
any): 31 - 21 - 7
Current record: 20-10-
3 as of Dec. 2
What are your team's
strengths?
Skating, team play.
What are your team's
weaknesses?
Physical toughness.
What did you learn
from the inaugural
year?
We need to develop
team play to be success-
ful in play-offs.
Any changes this
year? What are they?
Last year we went with
four defencemen and
nine forwards. This year
we went with five
defencemen and nine
forwards.
Thee players
didn't return from
last year and we
added four new
players (one out of
zone).
One player quit
Oct. 1, who was
replaced with
another out of
zone player.
Any special
challenges your
players have to
overcome?
Road games
with travel time
of more than one
hour but that has
improved from
last year.
Tell me briefly
about the play-
ers from the T -A
readership area
(Exeter, Lucan,
Zurich, Stephen
Twp., Grand
Dashwood, Hensall,
Centralia, Huron Park,
Crediton, Varna,
Brucefield.)
Cullen Mercer is our
team captain. He plays
centre and is a great
two-way player (one of
the best in the league).
He has a great attitude,
is the leading scorer on
the team and has really
improved his skating in
the last two years.
Brandan Willis is a left
winger who loves to go to
the net for rebound
goals.
He has already doubled
his goals scored from last
year and has a great atti-
tude willing to learn.
What are the team's
goals this season?
To develop team play
for future years. Our ulti-
mate goal would be to
win a champi-
onship, league
or tournament.
What has
been the high-
light of the
season so far?
Our bus trip
to Buffalo N.Y.
to play three
exhibition
games. A close
second would
be defeating top
place Cambridge
5-3.
What is the
difference
between playing
rep hockey and
AAA?
The commit-
ment from the
players and par-
ents, it builds
very good char-
acter.
the amount of
Cullen Mercer
Brandon
Willis
Bend, Also,
practice ice time to
develop skills and the
quality of the practices
Additional comments
This team is very fast
on their skates and are
becoming very good
passers, which makes for
some very exciting
hockey to watch.
Age level: Minor
Peewee's 1996
Coach: Todd
Goetz, assistants
Rob Boyse and
Gerard Ryan,
trainer Nathan
Templeman, man-
ager Laurie James
Last season's
record and play-
off result: Regular
season 14-13-3,
playoffs 4-3-2
Current record:
12-2-3
What are your
team's strengths?
The major
strength of our
team is our work
ethic.
We work
tremendously
hard in practice
and it transpires
into our game.
We utilize a very
aggressive
forecheck style
that is successful
for our make-up.
We also have a
very strong sense
of team, there is a
great sense of team with-
in the group.
What are your team's
weaknesses?
Due to an injury we are
short a defenseman and
were one short at the
time of signing.
It is hard at every level
to find good defensemen
and we will be in better
shape when we get back
to our original strength.
What did you learn
from the inaugural
year?
We are in our third
year of AAA
and are having
a tremendous
season.
Any changes
this year?
What are
they?
I designed my
tryout drills to
identify ath-
letes that bat-
tled hard, were
fearless and
refused to give
up. That is the
way we play
and it is a very
successful style
for us.
Any special
challenges
your players
have to over-
come?
Taking the
direction coach-
es give you is
always a strug-
gle for young
athletes, we
have pretty
good buy in but
there is always
room for
improvement.
Tell me
briefly about
the players from the T-
A readership area?
We are fortunate to
have three players from
your readership area.
Nathan Templeman
and Derrick Elliott are
returning players from
Staffa.
Derrick Elliott
Taylor Moir
Natha
Tempt
n
eman
Templeman is a high
skilled, high speed for-
ward that accelerates
past players with ease
with a rifle of a shot.
Elliott is another high
skilled athlete that is
feisty as all get out.
He battles hard in the
tough areas of the ice
and dangles at will.
Taylor Moir joined the
squad this year.
Moir lives in Hensall
and has been a tremen-
dous addition to the
team. Moir is a high
skilled, fearless player
with a great attitude that
has fit in very well with
the team this year.
What are the team's
goals this season?
Our primary goal is to
develop our athletes in a
positive, challenging
environment winning has
been a by product.
We have a great deal of
fun while working our
butts off. We have had a
very winning season cur-
rently leading the
Eastern Division of the
Alliance with only two
losses in our first 17 sea-
son games.
What has been the
highlight of the season
so far?
We had a team camp in
August at the YMCA in
Goderich.
We had 20 hours of ice
with two two-hour prac-
tices per day with dry -
land training, basketball,
soccer and swimming
each day for five days.
We have a very positive
atmosphere and a very
skilled close knit group
which I attribute to that
experience.
As coaches we have
thanked our athletes
many times for their
work ethic and attitudes,
their contributions have
made this a very enjoy-
able season to date.
Winning the Alliance
will be the highlight that
is yet to come.
What is the difference
between playing rep
hockey and AAA?
We are very apprecia-
tive of the great job the
local center's have done
with development of the
athletes we have.
I am a strong advocate
for kids playing at their
ability level and many of
these kids were 50-100
goal scorers in their
hometowns.
They are now in an
environment that pro-
motes a team game and I
am sure many kids have
stepped up to fill the void
in the centers they have
left.
AAA hockey is a
tremendous commitment
that is geared to the elite
athlete that is willing to
focus on school and their
sport.
It is a great experience,
but only for the extreme
achievers that have a lot
of parental support.
We will play 60 games
this season, have 70 hour
and a half practices, off
ice training, mental
strength training, goal
setting and nutrition
counseling.
Our programs eclipse
many local centers in
terms of ice time by the
end of October.
Bowling scores in Lucan Pool league scores
Dec. 19 & 20
SENIOR
CITIZENS:
Al Robicheau 256 686,
Hubert Kennes 234 553,
Jack Vangaal 212 551,
Hugo Vandaele 201
534, Bill Butler 183
497, Elmer Mosurinjohn
179 496, Evelyn Smith
193 491, Helen Kennes
188 485, Ross McEwen
169 468, Cora
Vanmassenhoven
182 459, Gus
Vanmassenhoven 189
458, Winnie
Robicheau 178 457,
Marg Elson 169
457.
Y.B.C.: Christian
Cornelis 189 112,
Luke McKay 165 134,
Darcy Jones 161 110,
Craig Mutter 156 152,
Owen Sloetjes 131 113,
Justin Hutchings 127
121, Owen Hutchings
117, Kevin McLean 113,
Leah Cornelis 108, Ben
Sockett 106.
WEDNESDAY MIXED:
Jim Dixon 271 746,
Julie Bieber 309 720,
Kevin Rollings 272 604,
Hi Thompson 215 580,
Debbie Thompson 224
561, Annie
Vanhooydonk 188 554,
Doug Beaudoin 190
546, Casey
Vanhooydonk 225 519,
Pat MacDonald 236
512, Clarence Carter
204 512, Harvey
Rollings 190 512, Larry
Bice 236 511, Kevin
Lundy 212 510, Kim
Bice 206 500.
THURSDAY
MEN:
Mark MacLean 308
806, Scott Smith 293
785, Gord Brewer
284 741, Mike
Ankers 265 721, Jim
Dixon 276 710, Chris
Smith 304 703, Brian
Sanders 318 694,
Doug Beaudoin 289
692, Bob Smith 248
690, Rod Willert 255
680, Dave Johnston 287
675, Paul Smith 240
670, Doug Lee 324 669,
Pete Smith 243 664,
Brian Ankers 248 652,
Mike Apps 239 645,
Dan Rogers 238 634,
Roger Bennewies 258
623, Paul Smith Jr. 269
621, Warren Kellestine
209 614.
Mens league
John Hayter 1038,
Terry Haugh 869, Chris
MacDonald 866, John
Burdon 819, Bob Jones
739, Ken Kadey 693,
Stephan McGee 681, Bill
Crump 672, Ben
Hoogenboom 652, Tyler
Scott 648, Jim Hayter
622, Gary Dietrich 613
Derek Tiller 568, Tom
Triebner 537, Lee
Seymour 369, Jamie
Baker 315, Phil Turner
263, Jim Scott 256, Jason
Tower 254, Shaun
Dawe169, Mark Hunt
166, Don Overholt 34
Ladies League
Vicki Myatte 497,
Melanie MacDonald 483,
Kathy Wark 465,
Shannon Green 346, Kim
Southcott 295, Audrey
Haugh 290, Shelley
Brown 241, Karen
Vincent 216, Sharon
Cavanagh 204, Kourtney
MacDonald -Webster 196,
Tammy Patterson 138,
Karen Foran 128, Vicki
Dawe 69, Joanne Cooper
64, Annette Rzan 46,
Youth League
Zach Kadey 537, Ashley
Williton 461, Wayne
Drake 447, Jeff McNutt
343, Adam Forn-Costain
183, Jess Foran -Costain
123, Kayla Pfaff 120,
Kayla Foran -Costain 117
Hockey league scores
Novice Boys Rep
Dec. 22 @ Exeter
South Huron 2 versus
Dorchester 2
Goals: Drew Horner (2)
Assists: Jarrett Baker
Atom Girls house
league
Dec 29th.
St Marys 1 versus
South Huron 0
Our girls were amazing
on Saturday obviously
powered by lots of turkey
and stuffing They were
just over two minutes
away from what would
have been a well deserved
tie .
These girls have come a
long way in a short period
of time.
Player of the game -
Samantha Andrews.
Ringette league scores
Exeter Avalanche
Tween A
Exeter 9 versus St.
Thomas 2
With their new "slim-
ming" uniforms, the
Avalanche returned to
the win column with a
well-earned win in St.
Thomas on Sunday
evening. Sydney
Kinsman lead the goal
parade with four and
added two assists.
Jenna Regier added two
goals and Rachel Peet
had a goal and two
assists. Sara McEwan
and Josie Kinsman
rounded out the scoring
with one goal and one
assist each. Morgan
Allen was spectacular in
goal, turning away 23
shots to help keep St.
Thomas at bay. The
team practices
Thursday in Hensall at
6:30 p.m. in preparation
for the Cambridge tour-
nament on Jan. 4-6.
Exeter Junior B
Dec. 21
Exeter 6 versus
London 4
Exeter Goals: Kristina
Troyer (3), Brooke
Gielen (2), Abbey
Brintnell
Exeter Assists: Abbey
Brintnell, Morgan Powe,
Morgan Cooper
The girls never gave
up and made a great
comeback. Brittany
Parker made some great
saves to keep us in the
game.
Belle A
Dec. 22
Exeter 4 versus
London 3
Goals: Megan Pavkeje,
Carrie Powe, Nicole
Insley
Assists: Caelynn
DeWeerd, Insley, Emily
Govers, Miranda
Mattucci
Dec. 23
Exeter 3 versus
London 5
Goals: Pavkeje, Kristen
Ferguson
Assists: Powe, Katelyn
Wilson, Evelyn Johns