Sports

 

The Little Rocks program at the Morrisburg Curling Club officially wrapped up the 2012-13 season Monday, March 18 with few fun ends of curling and a dinner. “This year was awesome with a great bunch of supportive parents and wonderful kids,” said Ian Wilson who co-runs the program with his wife Kathi. “The level of improvement was immense as the kids really enjoyed this sport. A lot of them are planning on coming back next year, and we will see the program develop to where Morrisburg will be a force to be reckoned with in the curling community.” This year’s Little Rocks program provided activity for 17 young curlers, seven of them out for their first season. Of the other 10, one is a fourth year curler, four have been playing for three years and five were curling their second season. Two of the curlers will move up to Bantam curling (13 years) next year. “Our program is growing and will continue to improve immensely as long as the kids stick with it,” said Wilson. Pictured above at their season ending curling party, are Little Rocks curlers, front l-r, Kyra Lewis, Arrieanna Brown, Annaka Gibbons, Markus Szuky, Erin Gibbons, Christian Meuller, James Szuky and Jonathan Charette. In the middle row are Abby Trizisky, Cameron Brown, Tommy Derikz, Hannah Gibbons, and Ewan Wilson. Back, l-r, are Ian Wilson, Mackenzie
Whyte (volunteer helper), Aiden White, Nick Goupil, Kristi Charette, Martina Lewis and Kathi Wilson.

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Three senior men’s teams travelled to Cornwall last Wednesday for their last friendly bonspiel of the season. 

Unfortunately, our Cornwall hosts were not as friendly as they might have been on the ice. Refreshments before the game were great, (love that syrup for the coffee) and the lunch was superb, but our fellows had trouble getting the points they needed during their matches.

For the record, Martin Schneckenburger, Sam Locke, Bud Perry and Larry Ware, Al Harriman, Ron Beaupre, Keith Robinson and Eric Johnson, as well as Wally McDonald, Rick MacKenzie, Fred “Boomer” Langlotz and Earl Jeacle were able to claim free drinks from their opposite numbers in their games. 

It was a very pleasant day, however, ending with heart-felt good wishes, and the usual humorous anecdotes prior to the drive west. We look forward to more of these friendly matches next season.

There were also three senior mixed teams in Kemptville on Friday. This was a 222 bonspiel, with Mahlon Locke, Kathy Norg, and Sam and Claire Locke being our top team. They lost their first match against North Grenville, had a very good lunch, and then went out in the afternoon to triumph over one of the Navan foursomes.

Wally McDonald, Ruth Kelly, “Boomer” Langlotz and Joanne Baker tied their first match against Lynne Stacey’s Navan team but dropped their afternoon game against Richmond. 

The ice was problematic for all, but a couple of the rocks were “cutters” (I’ve been watching curling on television and heard about TSN’s “secret word”) and this threw off our athletes. I’m told that in one game, nobody on either team got a rock over the hog line in an early end. We really love what our ice technician has done for our curling.

Our final team, Keith Robinson, Alice Thompson, Rick MacKenzie and Sandra Beckstead, dropped tight matches to old friends from Manotick, the Froats team, and also lost to Lynne Stacey from Navan. Lynn finished third on the day behind Alexandria. 

All in all, it was a good day for our teams, with sunshine outside, pleasant hospitality inside, and modest prizes for all.

By the way, the final two-person bonspiel last Sunday featured Wally McDonald in the ‘A’ final rather than Wally Baker. Sorry for the error, fellows.

As to our little rockers, they had their windup night last week, and have come a long way this year, finishing in the middle of the pack in their zone playdowns with Ottawa, Cornwall and Perth. They also did extremely well in their first play down experience. Next season they’ll be a year older, and we look forward to great curling for them.

There are still a few openings for the early draw in our closing bonspiel on April 6, and for those not curling but wanting to come for the closing banquet around 6 p.m., don’t forget to sign up on the sheet in the lounge. 

We’ll have a summary of the year’s events, and a final look at what to expect at our club over the summer. The club championship will be competed for after the closing banquet, and we’ll look forward to events in the fall.

Good curling to all!

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As March break comes and goes I’m sure you’ve been dreaming of swimsuits and tropical beaches and really, they’re not so far in the future.  The days may be getting longer and the temperature may be skyrocketing but in the rink winter isn’t over yet.  

With our annual year-end carnival just around the corner MDSC skaters are working as hard as ever to bring you a show you’ll never forget.  With performances from everyone from our little future Olympians to our dedicated star-skaters it’s sure to be a night of enjoyment.  

If interested you can find tickets at the door, Friday March 29, or you can purchase them ahead through any of our skating club members.  The canteen will be open and seating is available in both the heated lobby and stands.

Just because the year is coming to a close doesn’t mean the competitive season is finished.  Competitions include the much anticipated all Ontario championships, which Ali Vanhoof competed in this past weekend of March 24th in Fort Erie. We all had our fingers crossed for great results from Ali. And we’re not finished yet, Morrisburg is proud to say we have many Starskaters travelling to Ottawa for the annual Gloucester Spring Fest.  We wish everybody luck in their events and hope they can end their season with a bang!

 Just as the carnival is a MDSC ritual our annual banquet is a yearly tradition that we aren’t planning to break.  This year the awards ceremony will take place the evening of April 7th at the Morrisburg Legion.  Tickets can be purchased at the skating office and will include a dinner with dessert and an evening of awards and memories.  

A new tradition for our club began last year with the Ice Cream party for our Canskaters. It continued this year at the MacIntosh Inn and was a large success. Each of our skaters was treated to a homemade sundae and a medal of accomplishment.  Way to go Canskaters!  In addition, we would like to remind all of our Canskate parents and skaters that they to can attend the banquet.

Speaking of new traditions, many may remember the Fun Fair from last year.  Families could come and enjoy a day of games, bouncy castles and petting zoos all while supporting our club. It was such a success we are hosting another one this year. Watch for further details this spring.  

As you can see, the skating season may be winding down but this last month will be the busiest of all!  So, remember, skate great, and have fun!

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As the 2012-13 hockey season winds down, the family of the late Ronnie Casselman remembered their father with bursary presentations made to two Morrisburg Junior B Lions and a Ron Casselman Memorial Fund presentation to South Dundas Minor Hockey’s Initiation Program.

On hand at the arena last Thursday to make the presentations were Ron’s children Kim, Kevin and Krista.

First up were the little folks of the South Dundas Minor Hockey Initiation program. On hand to accept the Memorial Fund presentation was Initiation Program convenor Matt McCooeye with coaches Steve Morrow and Bob Fetterly.

They were joined on the ice with this year’s Initiation program players.

“We are proud to make a presentation on behalf of the Ron Casselman Memorial Fund to the Initiation program of the South Dundas Minor Hockey Association in the amount of $500,” said Kevin Casselman in a press release. “Dad’s vision and objectives were very similar to those of the program.”

The Initiation hockey program was developed to make children’s first contact with hockey a safe and positive experience. It enables participants to become contributing members of a team effort, develop self-confidence and experience a sense of personal achievement. These goals are achieved in an atmosphere of fun and fair play.

“Dad believe that learning the basic skills at a young age to be so important, because it allows the children to skate more, make more passes, take more shots on net and have the puck on their stick more than in any game, and while having fun!”

“How a player gets that first taste of hockey is crucial,” said Kevin. “If the beginner has fun, developing the basic skills and building confidence, there is a good chance that the players will go on to enjoy hockey for many years, and one day become a Morrisburg Junior Lions (evenfor a short time) before further advancement.”

Ron Casselman, a lifelong resident of the area, passed away last November 13, 2012. Greatly respected in the local community and the hockey community, he exemplified what small town hockey teams are all about. For many years he coached boys and girls in the minor leagues, and in 1980, he purchased the Morrisburg Junior B Lions. During his 32 years with the club, he earned the respect and friendship of all those he met.

At the time of his death, friends and family made donations to the Ron Casselman Memorial Fund and it is these contributions that provided last week’s donations.

In addition to the presentation to the community’s minor hockey program, the Casselman family awarded a pair of $250 bursaries to Morrisburg Junior B Lions players Ryan Cooper and Sam Hodgson.

Goaltender Ryan Cooper has been with the Lions for a number of years.

“Ryan has always been such a positive kid, and now he has grown into this wonderful young man,” said Kevin. “He has always accepted situations that were out of his control and learned to be patient over the years. When he was told he wouldn’t be playing, that it wasn’t his game to play, he sat on the bench encouraging the guys. He has learned over the years to be tolerant, disciplined and confident and to always be dedicated and to respect others.”

“Hockey has never been just a sport for Ryan,” said Kevin. “It’s his passion every time he hits the ice. It’s helped him grow up with good social skills and taught him to interact with his peers. Ryan is definitely a team player and has always supported his teammates no matter what the situation was. Now it is time for him to move to the next chapter in his life with hopes of working with the police force.”

In making the presentation, the Casselman family also applauded the Lions longtime goalie for his volunteer work. This included working with young goaltenders in Valleyfield, Quebec during the summers of 2009-10.

He has also worked with the elderly at the St. Joseph Continuing Care Centre in Cornwall.Currently in a school placement with the RCMP, Ryan will attend St. Lawrence College in the fall in a Police Foundations course.

Joining Cooper to accept a bursary was Jr. B Lion Sam Hodgson, who says Casselman “plays the game with passion. Sam’s contributions and commitment to the hockey club goes deeper than stats. He understands the meaning of ‘sticking up for your teammates’ as an important part of creating the proper team cohesion while wearing the Lions gold and blue.”

“We had some young players who needed to know that people had their backs,” said Kevin. “In order to create a tight-knot group, they needed to know that guys were there to stick up for each other. Sam stepped up and was that teammate.”

A Morrisburg boy, Hodgson combined his hockey this past year with his schoolwork in the Police Foundations program at St. Lawrence College.

“It is with great pleasure that we make these $250 bursary presentations to Ryan and Sam,” said Kevin.

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The South Dundas Peewee B House #2 Lions squeaked out a very close, come from behind, 2-1 win over South Grenville here Monday night to claimed the UCMHL West Division Championship and earn the right to advance to the league final against the South Dundas House #1 team.

A Jack Coville goal for South Grenville late in the first period did the talking throughout most of the game.

It came to a dramatic conclusion however, in the final minutes of the game when Grant Wells, with help from Dean Lapier and Colin Minish, finally put the Lions on the scoreboard to tie it 1-1.

Then with the seconds ticking away, and just 23 left, it was Adam Lapier, with help from Minish, who put it away for the Lions.

Game one of the four point series was played way back on March 7, in Morrisburg, with the Lions again squeaking out a close 2-1 victory.

Monday night they were first out of the starting block with an unassisted second period goal from Julenea Barnhartd.

Then early in the third period, Dean Lapier converted a Brooke Lapier and Trinity Hanes set up for a 2-0 Lions advantage.

South Grenville got one back from Robert Purcell late in the third to cut the gap to a single goal,  but that was it. 

After an opening playoff round bye, the House #2 Lions defeated the Kemptville 2s in two straight games in round two.

Game one was played in Morrisburg, on February 28, with the Lions taking a 3-2 win on goals by Oakley Beavers (unassisted), Kolbey Hamilton (assisted by Colin Minish) and Trinity Hanes (assisted by Julenea Barnhartd).

They wrapped up the four point series in Kemptville, on Saturday, March 2, with a 4-1 victory. This time out goaltender Sam Waytowich, gave up the lone Panthers goal early in the first period.

The Lions didn’t get it rolling until the third period when they counted four unanswered markers for the win.

Goals came from the sticks of Oakley Beavers (from Brody Smail), Kolbey Hamilton (from Grant Wells), Brody Smail (from Dean Lapier) and Adam Lapier (unassisted.)

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The South Dundas Peewee B House #1 Lions won the UCMHL East Division Championship here Monday night, March 18 with a 3-1 win over Brockville.

The Lions opened the series on Morrisburg ice, Sunday, (March 17), with a 6-1 victory to claim the first two points of the four point series.

Monday night in Brockville, they went up 1-0 in the first period with an unassisted goal by Devon Dumoulin, after he broke up a two on one, skated the length of the ice, and deposited the puck in the five hole.

A scoreless second period featured very tight checking and kept the fans on the edges of their seats.

Then early into the third period, Brockville’s Ryan Duke tied it 1-1 from a scramble in front of the Lions net.

The Lions, however, responded quickly and just over a minute later Lucas Bennis again gave them a 2-1 lead with help from Jonah Bennis and Dumoulin.

Following the goal, the now frustrated Brockville team took a five minute roughing major which put the Lions on their power play. It was an opportunity they made the best of when Jonah Bennis, with a nice move on the Brockville goalie deposited the insurance marker with help from Noah Keeler and Sheridan Caines.

Brockville fought hard, and they pulled their goalie for the last minute of play, but Lions goaltender Wes Alexander stood tall and prevented them from getting back into the game.

The Lions are now preparing for the UCMHL championship final against the House #2 Lions starting this Friday night.

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The South Dundas Peewee C Lions ended their 2012/13 season on a winning note here Sunday afternoon, when they defeated the Ottawa East Snipers 1-0, to claim the C Division championship of a day-long tournament.

It was Mackenzie Nelson, with help from Megan Mackay and Tyler De Dekker, who allowed the Lions to end the season with a win thanks to her goal scored in the last minute of the first period.

Michaela Mustard was in the Lions net for the shutout.

The Lions had a tough start in the tournament, and it was back-to-back losses that put them into the C final.

Their first game of the day was against Nepean Attack who claimed a 4-2 win.

Tyler De Dekker counted the two Lions goals, the second unassisted and the first with help from Mackenzie Nelson and Megan Mackay.

In game two, the Lions fell victim to the South Stormont Selects, 4-1.

De Dekker counted the Lions first goal late in the second period with help from Matthew Mackay and Kaitlyn Perry scored goal number two with help from Nathan Cameron and Amber Bailey.

The Selects led 1-0 after the first period and pushed it to 3-0 in the second period before the Lions were able to get on the scoreboard.

Tournament player of the game awards were presented to Tyler DeDekker in game one, Grace Brooks in game two and Katie Perry in game three.

Throughout the year the Pee Wee C Lions were presented Team Hustler/Hard Hat Awards after every game and after the three tournament games, the team awards went to Sarah Backes, Amber Bailey and Grace Brooks.

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Our senior ladies were out again at bonspiels last week. Alice and Cheryl Thompson, Betty Locke and Sandra Beckstead were in Alexandria for their annual ladies’ bonspiel, renewing acquaintances with a team from Valleyfield, Quebec, (the overall winners,) and the rest from Eastern Ontario.

Our ladies had a pleasant day, although they dropped their morning match against a team from R.C.M.P. and also their afternoon game against Cornwall. Lunch was good, St. Patrick’s Day was the theme, and the weather was fine, so it was another happy outing for the ladies from the Morrisburg club.

The women were curling again last Thursday, with three teams competing in Winchester’s Grandmothers’ bonspiel. 

Susan McIntosh, Kathy Norg, Betty Locke and Leanne McCooeye won their matches against Prescott in the morning and Carleton Heights in the afternoon and finished first overall in the bonspiel. 

Greta McGann, Claire Locke, Joanne Baker and Linda Murphy won their morning match against Carleton Place, but lost against Buckingham, Quebec. Still, they made it to the prize table along with Susan’s team. 

Alice Thompson, Pat Foley, Sandra Beckstead and Nelda Hickman dropped both of their matches, against Carleton Heights in the morning and an R.A. team in the afternoon. 

This was an all-day event, with a light breakfast, followed by lunch and dinner, with some curling in between times. Ask some of our local ladies about their grandchildren. Perhaps they’ve hidden some grandmother/grandchild stories from us.

On Saturday, Gretta McGann, Cheryl Thompson, Betty Locke and Linda Murphy were in Prescott for the Ladies’ Invitational Bonspiel there. They dropped their morning match by a point against Manotick, had a fine lunch, with a St. Patrick’s Day theme, and then went out to do battle with a Prescott foursome, which they won, finishing in second place on the day.

Our senior men hosted Winchester for a friendly bonspiel last week. These friendlies consist of three games in the morning followed by a lunch, before the guests head back to their home club. 

Representing us were Pete Zeran, Ted Harriman, Maurice Kolff and Paul Dobry, who tied their match, and George Rutley, Arnold Barkley, Paul Gunther, Pete Byvelds, who lost theirs. Our third team of Don O’Brien, Len Bellamy, Glenn Cougler and Robert Martin defeated the visitors. Well done, fellows.

As usual, it was a pleasant day, with good curling, good food, and a chance to visit with friends. We’ve three more teams off to Cornwall for another friendly this week.

Robert Houze, Mahlon Locke, Joe McCooeye, John Toonders and Bev McQueen had their first game in the City of Ottawa Bonspiel last Thursday. They went on to play a total of seven, finally being eliminated on Saturday night. They won one more game than last year, and impressed with their play. Some great curling, fellows!

On Saturday, Susan McIntosh and her committee hosted her last two-person bonspiel of the year at the club, this time with a St. Patrick’s Day theme, including Irish stew! Jim and Wendy Casselman took the “C” division honours over Ron Beaupre and Pete Byvelds, Kathy and Ian Wilson triumphed over Kathy and Anjo Norg in “B”, and Paul St. Pierre and Ginette Gadbois defeated Wally Baker and Al Harriman for the “A” title. Congratulations and thanks to all involved in this money-maker for the club.

     Good curling to all!

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For Morrisburg and District figure skater Ali VanHoof, it’s been a season of ups and downs. But with a hugely solid performance behind her at the, February 15-17, EOSIC at Whitby, Ontario, the 16 year old, grade 10 student at Seaway District High School is exactly where she wanted to be when it started…training for the upcoming 2013 Ontario Starskate Championships in Fort Erie, Ontario.

For a period of several weeks last fall, Ali’s hope of qualifying at EOSIC for a spot at the Ontario Championship wasn’t looking good.

“Ali started her season by training over the summer (2012), developing new programs with the goal of qualifying at EOSIC in the Triathlon event to go on to the Skate Ontario StarSkate Championship,” explains her coach Louise Dimmick. “It all seemed on track until she suffered an injury to her ankle warming up at a competition at the end of September. That kept her off the ice for five weeks, and limited her as to what she could practice for an additional three weeks once she came back.”

It resulted in her planned 4.5 month pre-competition preparation time being cut in half.

“She had just over two months to get back into competition shape both physically and mentally, as well as finish the preparation and polish of four programs,” says Dimmick. “We were faced with a daunting challenge.”

But, says Dimmick, “it is amazing what can be accomplished by the human spirit with perseverance and support.”

Despite the injury-plagued season, Van Hoof worked hard and her results were impressive at the Eastern Ontario Section Inter Club event (EOSIC) in Whitby, which allowed her to qualify for the upcoming Ontario Starskate competition from March 22-24.

The Triathlon is a three part event with skaters competing in Skills, Interpretive and Freeskating.

Ali started the Triathlon at EOSIC with a personal best skate in her Skills program. “She demonstrated good edges, turns and spirals and filled the boardless ice surface with her speed and power,” says Dimmick.

Her performance put her in fourth place with only 1/100th of a point separating her from third spot going into the Interpretive program.

“Her Interpretive program, admittedly her weakest part of the Triathlon, was the true breakthrough of the weekend,” says Dimmick explaining that Interpretive requires that the skater communicate a theme to the audience through performing skating moves to music.

“Cleopatra’s Conquest was a fitting theme for Ali this season as it signifies the fight and determination she has demonstrated in order to challenge for her goals given the obstacles she has faced.”

In skating her Interpretive, Ali shattered her previous score by over 12 points to earn a fifth place finish in the Interpretive segment. This moved her into third place with her strongest event, Freeskate, yet to come.

“I knew going into the Triathlon that the Freeskate would be my strongest. I knew that it could be the one that could lift me up,” says Ali. “I was fairly confident going in, but after I was finished I knew there were a few things I could have done better. I felt that I had skated well enough though to be in the top somewhere.”

And indeed she had. An excellent performance placed her first in the Freeskate segment and landed her an overall second place finish in the Silver Triathlon Event to qualify for this month’s Ontario Starskate Championship.

During her EOSIC Freeskate, VanHoof landed five double jumps, two double, double combinations, a double lutz and a third jump combination-Axel plus loop.

She performed three great spins including a death drop flying spin and two combinations which included difficult variations.

As for the upcoming Starskate Championship, VanHoof says she is now training hard. “I’m going to try to add to my Interpretive, and I am working on cleaner turns in my skills.”

“I am trying to up my mark a bit in all of my programs.”

Ali has been skating since she was a wee tot. She is a very motivated skater and works very hard. She successfully balances her skating with her school studies, school athletics and a part-time job.

She is one of only a few local skaters to earn the opportunity to skate at provincial levels. 

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Thanks to a solid performance from goaltender Les McAllister throughout the tournament and a two goal effort from Fern Gauvreau in the final, the Morrisburg Senior Combines skated away from the Ontario 55 plus Senior Winter Games with gold medals.

The games were held in Huntsville, Ontario February 26-28, and the Morrisburg-based Combines laced up as representatives of the local District 8 which includes Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott, Russell and Akwesasne.

They were one of 12 teams that played in the 65 year plus division and one of two teams representing District 8 in hockey.

The other was the Cornwall Seaway Blades who captured Bronze Medals in the 55 plus division.

The Combines opened with a 6-0 win over Windsor/Essex and then tied York 3-3 to qualify for the quarter finals. Providing the opposition in the quarter final was Grey Bruce, who fell to the Combines 4-0, a second shut out for McAllister in three games.

Next up was Muskoka/Nipissing in semi-final action. In this game, the Combines jumped into an early 4-0 lead, and never looked back as they cruised to an 8-0 win.

The Combines now found themselves in the gold medal game, with London providing the opposition. This time out it was a much closer encounter, but thanks to the two goal effort from Gauvreau, the Combines edged out their opponents, 2-1.

The win qualifies the Combines to compete in the upcoming Canadian Games in Edmonton.

The Cornwall Seaway Blades lost their opener 3-2 to London. They followed that with a 3-0 win over Haliburton to advance to quarter finals play where they defeated Huntsville 6-1.

A loss to Brampton in the quarter finals put them into the bronze medal game against York. A 2-0 win, with goaltender Dave Alguire in net, earned them the bronze medals. 

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