Skaters bring a bit of country to the arena

The season for the Morrisburg Curling Club is underway again, with several new curlers out. Normally we have a swing and sweep to start the season, nine holes of golf and six ends of curling. This year, with the uncertain weather and other factors, the numbers registering were down, and the executive had to cancel the event. Hopefully, we can get one in next fall.

There’s still room for additional curlers in most leagues. Just check with the coordinators. Several leagues have two draws, including Friday night, with 10 teams. Our Thursday morning mixed group has nine teams now, so a change may have to be made in their future, since there’s only room for six teams on the ice for each draw.

We welcome a number of new folks this year, and while some of our members have had health problems over the summer, most are back for another season.

Thanks to a huge number of volunteers in the executive and the Club’s general population over the summer, the clubhouse has been cleaned, painted, and refurbished, and new lights, using only one third of the electricity of the old ones are in place over the ice. Some of the work done is more subtle: dishes, etc., in the kitchen have been washed, glasses and other items in the bar have been readied, and we have some new carpeting at the entry. 

Also, schedules and bonspiel information are now downstairs, and the decorating committee has additional plans: something attractive for the walls, and perhaps some new carpet for the floors. Can’t wait to see what they’ve come up with!

Some of our curlers have been out to bonspiels already. 

The ladies were in Ottawa at the R.A. Centre last week. Alice Thompson, Betty Locke, Cheryl Thompson and Sharon Van Allen defeated a team from City View in their first match, but dropped a squeaker in their second to another City View team. Their total on the day, though, was good enough to get them to the prize table. On Friday they were off again, this time to Kemptville. The ladies played just one game, there, defeating an all-star team made up of curlers from Carleton Heights and Carleton Place. Congratulations to Alice Thompson, Susan McIntosh, Cheryl Thompson and Betty Locke.

On Sunday, Susan McIntosh held the season’s first of her popular two-person bonspiels. She had a full slate of 24 teams, and thanks toes to all who helped organize the day and look after the details, such as ice maintenance and serving lunch. Special thanks, as usual, to Dave McIntosh, who cooked up his famous chili for lunch all who helped and brought in food items and Donna McGillvary, who added her chili to the menu. 

As usual, the profits after prizes were awarded are returned to the club. Susan and her committee plan a bonspiel at the club every month, so watch the bulletin board in the lounge for information.

For those interested in results of the competition, here we are: in the ‘A’ final, Mahlon and Sam Locke defeated Ted Herriman and Gerry Thompson; in the ‘B’ final, Wally and Joanne Baker won out over Keith Robinson and Fred (Boomer) Langlotz; and in the ‘C’ final, Bill and Sonja Laurin triumphed over Gretta McGann and Sue McIntosh. The day featured good competition and fellowship. –A fine start to the competitive season.

That’s it for now. 

Good curling to all!

[…]

The South Dundas “Howitzer” Novice B Lions defeated the Kemptville #2 Panthers in two straight games to advance to the East Division finals against the Brockville #2 Braves. 

Heading into the series, it was expected to be a close one. In previous matches, the Lions held the season series advantage over the Kemptville team 2-1-1. In October, they lost to the Panthers in an exciting overtime game in the “A” final of the NGS tournament.

The opening game pitted the number two rank Panthers against the third ranked Lions who had just come of a two game sweep of the North Dundas Demons. 

The Panthers came out strong in the opening minutes while the Lions were adjusting to their speed. That result in a Panther goal just 1:40 in from Noah Penney.

The Lions bounced back quickly on the power play when Kolby Latulippe scored from the slot, assisted by Ben Lapier and Nolan Henry. 

The Panthers added one more before the period ended for a 2-1 advantage heading into the second period..

Goals were traded in the second by Lion Nolan Henry and by Panther Matt Murphy, before the Lions exploded for three goals in three minutes.

Lapier kicked it off when he scored on a breakaway pass from Emytt Fetterly, then Kayne McCadden connected on a nice three way passing play by Owen Fetterly and Joshua Broad.

Henry picked up his second goal by making a couple of moves at the Panthers blue line before breaking into their zone and scoring. The assist went to Cassidy Bilmer who had moved the puck up the right wing boards. 

Penney responded for the Panthers to close the gap to 5-4 in the Lions favour as they headed into the third period.

Lion’s goalie Brendan Shaver was sharp in the third period keeping the Panthers off the score board with the help of defense partners Spencer Barclay and Trent Rae. 

The Lions extended their lead to three, with goals from McCadden and Henry. 

Henry’s was his third goal of the game giving him his second hat trick in a week.

Emytt Fetterly picked up the assist with line-mate Owen Fetterly and Joshua Broad assisted on McCadden’s goal.

The Lions grabbed a late power play marker when Latulippe netted his second of the game with 22 seconds left with assists to Owen Fetterly and Henry. 

With the game one, 8-4, the Lions grabbed home ice advantage in the series.

Back home on Morrisburg ice, last Wednesday, the Panthers were looking to even the four-point series. 

Panther Noah Penney once again opened the scoring on a breakaway two minutes into the first period and the 1-0 lead held into the second period.

 In the second, the Lions got on the scoreboard while on the power player when Kayne McCadden took a pass from Nolan Henry in the slot and scored with a low shot to the corner of the net. 

Ben Lapier picked up the secondary assist as he kept the puck alive along the boards and made a short pass to Henry. The Panthers battled back to take a 2-1 lead, but before the second period ended the Lions scored another two from Ben Lapier  and Kayne McCadden as he and his line mates Owen Fetterly and Joshua Broad would team up on a passing play.

With the Lion’s up 3-2 to start the third, the Panthers pressed but Lions goaltender Brendan Shaver stood tall. 

As time ticked by McCadden scored his third of the game, a hat trick, with the Fetterly boys’ picking up assists, Owen and Emytt. 

When the third period expired, and the Lions had their fourth consecutive playoff win and second series sweep.

The South Dundas “Howitzer” Novice B Lions were in playoff action on Sunday afternoon in Brockville for Game #1 of the East Division Final and won 5-3, Game #2 was played last night, Tuesday, March 6th in Morrisburg.

Details of the championship series will be in next week’s issue of The Leader.

[…]

It’s those well-known words, “Let’s Play Ball” that Austin Marcellus hopes he will hear this fall to herald in one more season of U.S. University NCAA level 2 baseball.

The Pigeon Island Road, 22 year old has been south of the border for the last four years, attending school on partial baseball scholarships. 

He first completed the two year college program at Lochawanna Collge and one year of ball (he was injured the first year),  at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then transferred to Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina. He graduated from Limestone this spring and completed his second year of college ball for the Saints.

Austin, who was team captain at both schools, is back home for the summer but is hoping to return to Limestone for one more season.

“I was injured in my freshman year at Lochawanna, which means I have another year eligibility to play ball.”

Having graduated from Lochawanna this spring with “my Bachelor degree in Sports and my Bachelor degree in Business, if I go back this year, I would get my Bachelor degree in Marketing and a Coaching Minor.” 

Austin began playing ball when he was six or seven years old. “I didn’t play when I was really young, and when I did start it was because my mom forced me.” He is the son of Bert and Sandi Marcellus.

“I started playing here (Morrisburg) and played on some Upper Canada All Star teams. I played with the Bunnies (Brockville) for about five years.”

It wasn’t until he was a young teenager that Austin, who plays the infield moving around between second, third and shortstop, began to lean heavily towards baseball. 

“I was always excited about playing hockey when I was growing up. I actually thought I was better at hockey. Guess I just wanted to be different,” he says of his success on the ball diamond.

It was while he is was in grade 12 at Seaway District High School, that Austin began looking around for a U.S. baseball scholarship. He went to work sending a number of applications out and the result was the partial scholarship at Lochawanna.

“At Lochawanna, we won our conference both years, and we won the North East Region both years.” That put the team in the Jucco Division 2 World Series, both years in Enid Oklahoma.

Although Austin was injured his first year out, he recalls his first experience at intense training. “My  junior college, the only way to describe it is if you’ve ever seen military training, that is what it was like. They are there to win, and you are there to play baseball. At the Junior College level there are no rules, so we would practise 10 hours a day around our studies.  We would start at 6 a.m., go to class until noon and then practice until 8 at night.” The college baseball season runs from early February to the end of May.

In contrast, once he transferred to Limestone, there were some time guidelines that restricted practise to five to six hours per day.

This spring, Marcellus had a solid season with the Saints who play in the 12-school Carolinas Conference. At five foot 10 and 175 pounds, he had a .331 batting average and was named the Limestone College Saints, Best Offensive Player. He also led the team in stolen bases and was second in RBIs. As a team, “we didn’t do that good.”

Marcellus would like nothing more than to return to Limestone for one more year. Down the road he says he would like to be coaching at the college level, but right now, he just wants to play ball.

 “I am kind of hoping baseball takes me somewhere. I am too old to get drafted, but I’d like to play some independent ball, or I might try to go to Australia. There’s lots of ball to play, now it’s finding a spot.”

Marcellus does have a spot with the Saints again this year, but again on a partial scholarship. So it is the remaining tuition money that is his consideration.

He is working the summer in interlocking landscaping, which helps to keep him in shape and is playing ball with the Capital City Reds in Ottawa which offers ball to college eligible “amateur” players. The Reds have games against teams in the Elite U-18 Summer Baseball program, college summer teams and with semi-pro and professional level teams.

Coming off a good college season with the Saints and playing well with the Reds, Marcellus is hoping he has himself positioned for the opportunity to play ball next season.

[…]