The Citizen, 2006-02-02, Page 8-rreAron54
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It was a tough contest on Saturday as the Brussels Bantams played host to Paisley. The home
team treated the fans to a victory taking this game 6-4. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Locals off to Little Stanley Cup
Off to Quebec
Blyth hockey players Grant Sparling, left, and Collin
Whitfield, as members of the Huron Perth AAA Lakers are
off to the Quebec PeeWee tournament in Quebec City.
Known to some as the Little Stanley Cup it counts among its
alumni NHL players, including Wayne Gretzky. (Photo submitted)
WANTED
People to HELP with soccer
2006. We NEED a registrar
(who lives in Brussels), and
other positions are vacant.
Last season we had over 200
players, which means there
are parents out there who
could volunteer some time.
WE NEED YOU!!
Please come to a meeting on
Wed., February 15 at 8 pm
at the BMG Arena.
Please consider getting
Involved.
WE NEED YOU!
ATTENTION:
COACHES & PARENTS
This coming
spring,
The Citizen will
once again be asking
for photos of our local
minor hockey and
broomball teams.
Please remember to have a
picture taken, then bring it,
with names, Into either of
our offices, at IA.
any time
during the
season.
The Citizen
523-4792
or 887-9114
PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006.
Sports
Novices down, up
Grant Sparling and Collin
Whitfield of Blyth, and their 15
teammates are off to the legendary
Quebec PeeWee Tournament in
Quebec City.
Spading and Whitfield started
playing hockey for the Blyth
Bulldogs when they were just four
years old. They are now in their third
season in the Huron-Perth AAA
Lakers hockey program - and for the
second consecutive year, their team
won the Eastern Division in the
Alliance AAA Hockey Association.
On the weekend, the team
completed a first-round playoff series
sweep against the Kitchener Junior
Rangers.
This consistent performance is
what has earned the PeeWees an
invitation to the Quebec tournament.
Considered - "the World
Championships" by many and "the
Little Stanley Cup" by others, the
tournament is a big deal.
A total of 56 AAA PeeWee teams
from 16 countries will meet Feb. 9 in
Quebec City for the 10-day
tournament. Games will be broadcast
on TV via the Rogers network and
crowds in the Pepsi Coliseum will
frequently reach 12,000.
The Lakers will play their first
game on Feb. 11 versus the Rive-
Nord Rockets, followed a few days
later by a game against either the
Philadelphia Junior Flyers or the
Colorado Junior Avalanche.
This is the first Lakers team to
participate in the tournament, and
planning and fundraising have been
underway for months. Thanks to the
support of individual player sponsors,
the generosity of service clubs, and a
team corporate sponsor, the Lakers
will be ready.
"The hard work of the boys and the
commitment of their families are
remarkable. The combination has
helped create this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity", says Dave Partridge of
Exeter, the team's head coach.
The team includes 12-year old
players from across Huron and Perth
Counties, and three from Oxford,
with coaching staff from Listowel,
Stratford, Woodstock and Exeter.
The list of Quebec tournament
alumni reads like a "Who's Who" of
the NHL. Over 900 current and
former NHL players competed at the
Quebec tournament, including
Wayne Gretzky. In support of the
stature of the event, Gretzky is quoted
as saying, "Until I won my first
Stanley Cup, the highlight of my
hockey career was the Quebec
tournament."
In recent weeks, the team has
received letters of encouragement
from former NHL players who
Alex Peters scored a hattrick in
what turned out to be a loss for the
Blyth Atoms when they played
Drayton Jan. 23.
Goalie Kennan MacDonald
worked hard to fend off the attack,
but Drayton came out on top of a 5-
3 victory.
Peters scored two in the first
period, with the VanWyk brothers,
Matt and Mike getting the assist on
the first goal.
remind the boys to enjoy the whole
experience - and to appreciate the
privilege and to hang on to the
tournament program: it will include
the names of some future NHL stars.
If you would like more
information, or if you would like to
support the Lakers to Quebec City
organization, contact Laurie
Sparling, team treasurer at 523-9746
or Lisa Whitfield, one of the trip co-
ordinators at 523-4983.
With Drayton only managing one
that period, the Blyth squad took the
lead into the second.
Drayton tied it just minutes in, but
Peters put the team ahead with his
third goal, assisted by Mike
VanWyk.
Drayton, however, put the tie-
breaker in the net 'before the buzzer,
then held the Blyth team down in the
third, while scoring two more to take
the game.
On Jan. 13, Brussels Novices
played at home against Drayton.
Drayton was on fire shutting down
the hosts.
On Jan. 14, the Novices travelled
to Zurich and this time the team was
back on track, winning 8-1. Goals
were scored by Ben Hruska with a
double hattrick, Colton Hastings
and Lexi Smith.
Matt McNichol played like a pro
in net.
Jan. 20 the squad played
Milverton. It was a good game.
Kai Heimstra started with a quick
one with Logan Clark assisting.
Milverton came back and scored
but Brussels didn't waste any time
getting it back. Mitchell Kellington
scored, then Heimstra put in
another, with Reece McArter
assisting.
Milverton snuck one by McNichol
but Brussels wasn't finished yet.
Smith set up Hayden Tenpas to
score. The final score was 5-2.
Friday night the Brussels Novices
played home to Blyth. It was a great
night of hockey.
Brussels started the game with a
goal by Hruska, assisted by
McArter.
Blyth came back when Dustin
Pennington scored twice to bring it
to 2-1.
Brussels' Jason Baxter tied it. Kai
Hiemstra assisted.
Blyth's Mackenzie Nesbitt scored
to take the 3-2 victory.
Matt McNichol played a great
game in the Brussels net.
The Brussels Novices travelled to
Zurich for a total team-effort game
on Saturday afternoon. Both teams
were determined to show who was
boss, but after several great saves by
Matt McNichol and the Zurich
goalie, there was no score by the end
of the first period.
Defence Hastings, Scott
Dolmage, Scott Baan and McArter
deserve recognition for their
teamwork at keeping the puck in the
Zurich end for the Brussels
forwards. This helped Tim
Waechter, who was full of fire, as he
took to the ice against Zurich
scoring two goals within the first
minute of the second, both assisted
by Kellington.
A line change brought out Clarke,
Baxter and Hiemstra, with Wyatt
Ducharme and Hastings on defence.
These five managed to keep the
puck in the Zurich end, with several
shots on net, and Ducharme
Broomball
Atoms down
Mildmay
The Blyth Atom broomball team
played in Mildmay again this
weekend.
Jordan deBoer played net for the
first half. Neil Logtenberg and
Curtis Weber were soM on defence.
Sisters Desiree and Jasmine Mason
paired up for some good passing.
In the second half, Curtis Weber
took to the net. The first goal came
with deBoer and D. Mason assisting
J. Mason who put in the first goal,
then came down on a breakaway and
scored again.
The final goal came with Brennan
Kolkman feeding Zack Berwick
who fired it into the net.
Both goalies put in a good
performance and the Atoms won 3-
0.
managed to sneak one in at the end
of the shift, taking Brussels to a 3-0
lead.
Tenpas was able to take the puck
all the way across the ice, but the
Zurich goalie had seen him coming
and stopped his attempt. Taylor
Higgins and Smith worked together
to try and up the score but the Zurich
goalie was ready for them and
stopped all their shots.
In the middle of the second
period, Ducharme grabbed the puck
from behind the Brussels net,
dodged around several Zurich
players, continued to travel across
the red line, where he was then
joined by wingers Clarke and Baxter
to form a "V", or a "Mighty Duck"
move, to take the puck and shove it
in the Zurich net.
With a strong 3-0 lead, Kellington
scored the fourth goal by flipping
the puck over the goalie's head, with
the assist going to Hruska and
Waechter.
Hiemstra added his name to the
score list, by putting in an
unassisted goal with only 25
seconds left on the clock at the end
of the second period.
In the third period, determined not
to give Brussels a clean sweep,
Zurich netted a lone goal. Zurich
tried nine more times to up the score
in the third, but McNichol saved
them all
Kellington scored his second of
the game, with a nice pass from
Ducharme and Hruska behind the
Zurich net to take a 6-1 victory.
All the Brussels players worked
together to make this win possible.
Play continues this Sunday as they
travel to Harriston.
Peters scores hattrick