South Dundas Novice B Lions win on late goal

The generosity of members of the Cedar Glen Golf Course has made a big difference to three young players from the club. Kurtis Barkley. Brandon Cousineau and Jessica Whitteker each received a $500 cheque at a special presentation at the club on Monday, August 20.

“Our September 10, 2011, Members for Members tournament was meant originally to raise funds to defray Kurtis Barkley’s C.P.G.A. entry costs,” said Barry Casselman, a member of the Cedar Glen executive. “But as those costs didn’t materialize, we decided to redirect the funds to three deserving members of the Club. Kurtis, Brandon and Jessica all came up through our Junior Program here at Cedar Glen.” 

Each of the three young recipients is deeply committed to sports.

Kurtis Barkley is using the $500 for “entry fees for the Chase the Dream qualifier. The Canadian Tour event is scheduled for Smuggler’s Glen, and the $500 will pay for my entry fees, my driving fees and my practice rounds. The news of the cheque was really great, and I am very grateful to the members of this club.”

Should Barkley qualify at Smuggler’s Glen, he will move  on to the Canadian tour. “My chances are good, I hope,” Kurtis laughed. “I have to be one of the top three competitors out of a field of 28. And there are lots of pros in the event.”

For Brandon Cousineau, the Cedar Glen cheque will help off set the expenses he incurred when he played for Team Canada in the  2012 Amputee Hockey Games, held this year in Finland. 

“And we came home with the gold medal,” Cousineau said.

Cousineau made it through two major try outs before he was finally selected for the men’s team in the Games. Although normally a forward,  during the tournament he played defence. “I was definitely the ‘young guy’ on the squad,” he said.

Brandon said that receiving the cheque from his home golf club took him by surprise. “But I am very glad, very grateful,” he added. He has played golf for years, but “I think I am probably better at hockey,” he smiled.

The third cheque recipient, Jessica Whitteker, was represented by her father, Bruce, at the presentation. The young golfer has already reported to Coastal College of Georgia where she has been awarded a partial golf scholarship. 

While she left golf for a short time a few years ago, her father said that “in the last three years, she has been a determined keen golfer.  She’s a ‘decent’ golfer,” he said, smiling, “with a five or six handicap. Of course, she hasn’t beaten the old man yet.”

When she was in Florida in early March, a Georgia coach saw Jessica golf and invited her to come to Coastal College for discussions. When the school offered her a two-thirds scholarship, she accepted.

Her father said that Jessica was very happy and very surprised to be honoured with a cheque from her home club.  She appreciates the generosity of the Cedar Glen membership. The $500 will go to her educational expenses. 

[…]

 

The South Dundas “We Can Contracting” Novice B Lions were in Finch on Saturday, for the NGS Novice B Tournament where they made it to the “A” Final only to lose in overtime to the Kemptville Panthers.

In the tournament’s final game, the Panthers held a 3-1 lead in the third period when Ben Lapier stole the puck at his blue line and went the distance, out skating the defensemen and back checking forwards, to score a five-hole goal on Panther net minder Cole Watt.

Now, with the score 3-2 and time ticking away, the Lions pulled goaltender Brendan Shaver for the extra attacker. 

The puck came back to the Lions blue line where Nolan Henry picked it up and skated down the right wing before passing to centre iceman Ben Lapier who broke into the zone and scored on a wrist shot. The goal sent the Lions and their fans into a frenzy with 25 seconds left in the third and the game tied 3-3 to force overtime.

The emotional high of tying the game, however, didn’t carry over into overtime as Panther forward Evan Davidson was able to pick up a loose puck in front the Lion’s cage and bury a shot into the open net. 

Lion’s goalie Brendan Shaver who was outstanding in the game (and tournament) picked up the Lions player of the game award.

Joshua Broad scored in the first period of the final game, when he banged home a loose puck off the left post. Emytt Fetterly and Cassidy Bilmer kept the puck alive twice at the Panther’s blue line enabling the Lions the scoring chance. The Lions and Panthers exchanged first period goals before the Panthers built up their two goal lead.

Earlier games in the tournament for the Lion’s were a 2-1 loss at the hand of the NGS Braves with the lone goal going to Owen Fetterly and assists to Ben Lapier and Joshua Broad. 

It was a well played defensive battle with Trent Rae and Spencer Barclay keeping the front of the Lion net clear of Braves attackers. On one Braves breakout Barclay caught the attacker from behind, drove, and knocked the puck off his stick taking away the scoring chance.

In their other game the Lions defeated the Clarence Creek Castors 6-2 propelling them into the “A” final with a better goals for and against record then the South Stormont Selects. 

Ben Lapier opened the scoring on some offensive pressure by his line mates Joshua Broad and Owen Fetterly. Lapier scored again in the second period when his centering pass to Broad was shot into the net by a Castor defenseman. 

Later on the two connected when Lapier’s centering pass was right on Broad’s stick in the slot.

The Lions put the game away when Trent Rae and Nolan Henry teamed up to set up Kayne McCadden in the slot.

A few minutes later Kolby Latulippe tipped in a McCadden shot giving the Lion’s a 5-2 lead. 

Lapier finished it off to complete a three-goal performance.

In league play over the last week, the Lion’s dropped two games at the hands of the Brockville Braves losing 5-2 in both games. Offensively the Lions couldn’t match the output of Braves forward Rhys Gibbons as he netted five goals in the two games. Lion’s goal scorers were Joshua Broad, Kayne McCadden, Ben Lapier and Kolby Latulippe. Owen Fetterly picked up a couple of assists and other helpers went to Nolan Henry, Broad, Lapier, Latulippe and McCadden.

Local hockey fans are invited to come out and cheer on the “We Can Contracting” Novice B Lions on Sunday, November 6, at 1 p.m.

[…]

 

There were nearly 50,000 participants in the 2014 New York City Marathon, November 2, but only one of them was from South Dundas, Ontario. Seaway District High School principal, Don Lewis, finished the gruelling race, which takes in five boroughs of the Big Apple, in a time of 3:36.09. 

From start to finish, Lewis found the marathon challenging and exhilarating: he has nothing but praise for the race organizers, the police who lined the route and for the ordinary people of New York City who turned out in their thousands to support the international runners, many of whom had travelled thousands of miles to take part. 

“The crowds were huge; at places like 1st Avenue, five or six people deep,” Lewis said. “I was wearing a red shirt with Canada written across it, and I could often hear people shouting “Go Canada!” when I ran by. It meant a lot.” 

Lewis dedicated his run to raising awareness about PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) which has affected a member of his family.

Lewis has taken part in six previous marathons, including the run in Ottawa (now a gold standard meet) four times. He has been training six days a week since June to prepare for the world class NYC event. 

On Sunday, November 2, all the runners were bussed to the start point of the race, on Staten Island, around 6 a.m., although the event did not begin until after 9 a.m. 

“It was a little chilly waiting,” Lewis said, “although later in the day it was ideal running weather (except for the wind which got gusty at times), around 8-9 degrees Celsius. The organizers are really efficient. There are four different start times, and within each of the start times there are six different corrals.”

“Wheelchair athletes start first, then the elite women, then the elite men. The elite runners are all in serious contention so they can’t get caught up with the masses. Everyone runs at his own pace. I noticed,” he laughed, “that the guy running next to me was actually in his bare feet.”

Lewis said that he felt really good for the first 30 kilometres. “Then, around the Queensboro Bridge, I thought oh boy, my quads are shot. Gusts of 60 kph wind in some places really slowed the race, and cross breezes on the bridges made it tough. My hat blew off. Everyone’s racing bibs were flapping up and down like sails: you can’t lose your bib, so you end up holding on to it as you run. There are also slight upgrades on 5th Avenue, and I remember thinking are these hills ever going to be done?” 

Then he saw the 800 metre sign in Central Park, “and I got that adrenalin rush. I’m going to finish this race.”

Lewis crossed the finish line a little over three and a half hours after he started. There are medical tents at the end of the race because some runners experience cramping and some distress, but Lewis said that he was all right. He was given a poncho to wear until he could back to where he had left his outer clothes at the start of the race. He was also given his precious medal of participation, which he was able to get engraved the next day. 

Principal Lewis is very encouraging to Seaway students who want to get involved in running. 

“I try to suggest that kids try a 2, 5, 10 or half marathon, or a full marathon in Ottawa. We have a lot of kids in our local schools who have been attempting the Kids Marathon, a local event, and there is technology for young runners to track their progress. We’ve got some students now who are seriously working on distance running.”

There was a time when the four minute mile was “the Holy Grail of running. But now it’s the two hour marathon.” There was only seven seconds between the first and second place women marathoners, three seconds between the men. A two hour marathon may one day be reality. 

Would he compete in the New York City Marathon again?

Don Lewis says a resounding yes. “It was my toughest marathon so far. And next time I’ll factor in the hills and wind, and adjust my pace a little slower at the beginning, but yes, I want to go again. This was my fastest marathon since I took up running again last spring.”

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