Jr. B Lions, same place, new night, new time

The South Dundas Peewee B House Lions came up with a big 6-3 victory on home ice last Thursday, March 26 to stay alive in their five point UCMHL Championship series against the Brockville Braves and force a fifth game.

Monday night, the fifth game was played in Brockville, and the Lions completed a wildly exciting series and season with a 3-1 win to claim the UCMHL playoff championship.

“We just kept moving our feet,” said coach Jason Broad following Monday night’s championship win. “We won the battles and forced the issue and the net. It was a team effort for sure. Our defence played well, and our goalies even better.”

“We did run into trouble with too many penalties, but Brendan Shaver who started in net played great and made many tough saves. Then Michaela [Mustard] came in and faced a lot of shots as well. It was the best game Brockville played in the series.”

The five-point championship series opened on Thursday, March 12, in Morrisburg, with a 1-0 Braves win.

It resumed in Brockville following March Break, with a 4-1 Lions win on Monday, March 23, and a 3-2 Brockville win on Tuesday, March 24.

That put the Lions in the situation that they had to win the Thursday, March 26 game on home ice to stay alive and force the fifth game.

They played tough in Morrisburg. They went up 2-0 in the first period before the Braves got one back with 22 seconds left in the first period.

Just over three minutes into the second, the Lions stretched it to 3-1, but less than one minute later the Braves countered to keep it closes at 3-2.

It was in the final five minutes of the second period that the Lions were able to take charge of the game with three unanswered goals to move ahead 6-2.

The Braves got one back midway into the third period, but the Lions held on for the 6-3 win, and one more road trip to Brockville.

Monday night in Brockville, the Lions went up 2-0 in the first period.

Keiren Geurkink kicked it off with a short-handed goal when Brody Fairbairn iced it and he beat the Brockville defence to the puck.

The went up 2-0, still in the first period, when Jaeden Phifer-Shaver buried the puck off a Ben Lapier pass.

The Lions goal number three was scored in the second period during a scramble in front of the Brockville net. Jack Connors and Jaeden Phifer-Shaver took their turns jamming at the puck which came loose to Ben Lapier who put it home for the 3-0 lead.

The Braves got their lone goal on their power play early in the third period when a point shot was deflected past Mustard and that is the way it stayed.

The Lions hung on to come from behind a four point to two deficit with consecutive wins to claim the series and championship series, six points to four.

[…]

Kingston Frontenacs winger Marc Beckstead and the Canadian Tire Store in Morrisburg were the hosts for the day, Saturday, as area youngsters were provided the opportunity to meet Beckstead and three of his Fronts teammates and have a little fun with the Tribeck Inflatables.

Beckstead, 18 of Morrisburg was joined by defenceman Mikko Vainonen, 19, of Finland and centreman Darcy Greenaway, 20, of Wilton, Ontario. The three, who will report to the Fronts training camp at the end of this month, had a great time Saturday, at CT in Morrisburg, visiting with the local youngsters and signing ball caps and posters.

The attendance of the  Ontario Hockey League’s Frontenacs players at the Canadian Tire’s Back to Hockey Event was organized by Marc’s uncle Trevor, owner of Tribeck Inflatables.

“We do a lot of different events in Kingston and the area,” said Greenaway, who is heading into his third season with the Frontenacs. Greenaway says he has spent much of his summer and most weekends doing this type of promotion for the Frontenacs. “It’s fun to talk to people and give away free stuff, and it’s good to come out and do it with the guys.”

Greenaway is five foot, eight inches. He weighs 186 pounds and wears the Frontenacs #22 sweater. He had a 44 point season last year with 24 goals and 20 assists.

 Also on hand was defenceman Mikko Vainonen who has returned to Canada having spent much of his summer back home in Helsinki, Finland. The Finnish defenceman, who will play out his second season with the Frontenacs, recently signed a three year entry level contract with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. He is six foot two inches and weighs 205 pounds.

Locally, the Frontenacs were represented by Marc Beckstead, son of Ernie and Leisa Beckstead of Morrisburg. Beckstead, is looking forward to shedding his rookie status as he heads into his second season with the Frontenacs. Last year, he played in 53 games and posted six goals and eight assists.

He says he has had a great summer and worked hard with his training. “I have been training with Ian Perry, five days per week all summer. I am feeling really good, and I’m excited for camp, really excited. They (the Frontenacs) told me to put on some muscle over the summer, so that is what I have been working to do.”

Beckstead attended his first camp last year with a weight of 173 pounds. He finished the season at 180 pounds, and will be heading to camp at the end of August with a weight of 190 pounds.

In addition to his weight training, Marc has been skating four times per week.

Trevor Beckstead, of Beckstead Inflatables says he was excited to spearhead the Frontenac/Canadian Tire promotion.

 In a recent local event, he noticed a number of kids wearing Fronts caps. “I told them (the Frontenacs) they’d be surprised at the number of Fronts fans in this area. When they said they would bring the truck and the wheel and prizes for the kids, I thought that was awesome. They have never been past Gananoque, so this is great.”

[…]

Organizers are busy preparing for the 10th annual Casey at Bat Memorial Fastball tournament coming up in Williamsburg, May 24-26, and for the 10th annual they have lined up a ‘special’ opening ceremony.

In the 10 years that the Schell family has been hosting Casey at Bat, the popular tournament has raised over $10,000 for a number of local charities including high school bursaries, the Canadian Cancer Society and local hospice care.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary, Lyle Schell and his team have arranged an opening ceremony for Friday night, May 24 at 6 p.m. A highlight of the ceremony will be the first pitch of the tournament thrown out by local, former fastball player, Bert “Knappy” McIntosh.

The tournament, which is the lone yearly venue for longtime fastball fans in this area, is played in memory of Casey Schell, a player and advocate of the sport in this area.

“Bert, who will be throwing out this year’s first pitch, played ball with Grandpa Casey in the 30’s and 40’s,” says Lyle Schell, who in addition to being a tournament organizer, rounds up the players for the local Cigars team, which for the last two years has gone to the championship final, but lost.

This year’s Cigars team will include the Smith brothers, Jamie and Jason, Derek Whitteker, Kevin Williams and Lyle himself. They will be joined by the Alkerton brothers from Spencerville, Dan Loney from Cornwall and two players from Kingston.

In addition to “Knappy’s” first pitch, the Schell family, on behalf of everyone who made the 2012 tournament a huge success, will present a $1,200 cheque to Dundas County Hospice in memory of Lyle’s mother Joan Schell who passed away in 2010. 

Following the opening ceremony, the Cigars will play in the first game of the tournament beginning at 6:30 p.m. A total of three games will be played Friday night, with 12 scheduled for Saturday and eight on Sunday.

The semi-final will be played Sunday at 3 p.m. with the final set for 5:30 p.m.

Longtime area fastball fans are invited out to the tournament to see some great action with some impressive teams coming from throughout the area.

The tournament also provides a great opportunity for anyone not familiar with fastball, and in particular local youth, to get a glimpse of this great sport that, with the exception of this tournament, has been missing locally for many years.

[…]