Sports

The Morrisburg Junior B Lions had no success this past weekend when they skated into Rideau Division territory against the Gananoque Islanders on Friday night in Morrisburg and the South Grenville Rangers, in Prescott on Saturday.

Friday night the Lions lost to the Islanders 7-2, and then, on Saturday, they were handed a 5-3 loss by the Rangers.

With the two weekend losses, the Lions fall further back in the St. Lawrence Division standings and now trail the fifth place Alexandria Glens by five points.

The Casselman Vikings continue to dominate the St. Lawrence Division with 31 points, while the Char–Lan Rebels have bumped into second place with 25 points.

Friday night in Morrisburg, the Islanders were held to a first period 1-0 lead on a goal  by Wyatt Cota.

They got it rolling in the second period with an unassisted short-handed goal from Chris Smith at 3:35 and then increased it to 3-0 at 5:51 of the period.

Peter Ketcheson, with help from Steven Savage and Chris Rutley, put the Lions on the scoreboard with a power-play goal at 7:32 of the second.

The Islanders answered to make it 4-1 with 5:49 left on the clock, but the Lions kept working at 16:53 Nicholas Pilon scored while the Lions were short-handed to cut the gap to 4-2.

Unfortunately, that was it for the Lions, as the Islanders went to work and nabbed Mikael Dion for another three unanswered third period goals for the 7-2 win.

Saturday night in Prescott, the Rideau Division’s fourth place South Grenville Rangers showed no mercy as they went up 2-0 over the Lions in the first period and increased it to 3-0 in the second.

They made it 4-0, early in the third period, before the Lions were able to get on the scoreboard at 7:35 with a short-handed goal from Clarke Veenstra assisted by Ty Hodgson.

One minute later the Rangers made it 5-1.

In the last 10 minutes of the third period, the Lions got it together for two goals.

Clarke Veenstra counted the first at 11:05 with Sylvester Bzdyl and Peter Ketcheson providing the assists and Brandon Chaffe scored on the Lions power-play, unassisted at 14:35.

Ryan Cooper was in the Lions net for the loss.

Coming up, the Lions travel to Athens on Sunday, December 9 for a 7:30 p.m. match against the Rideau Division’s first place Aeros.

[…]

By Craig Revelle

IROQUOIS-Luke Whitteker and the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team had an amazing 2012 race season. 

To start, Luke was named Race 101 Premier Driver from his class of 2011 in North Carolina and had the opportunity to represent and drive the Race 101 asphalt Super Late Model racecar at the Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina. The first Canadian and the first dirt racer to have won the honour of Premier Driver, Luke showed the talent, focus and drive necessary to compete at this extremely high level of racing. 

Luke even managed to pull off a top 10 finish on his very first start, which was also the first top 10 finish by a Race 101 Premier Driver since the beginning of the program.

Luke and the Whitteker Motorsports team took on a very strenuous schedule racing weekly at three different tracks; Mohawk Motor Speedway on Friday nights, Brockville Motor Speedway on Saturday nights and Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday nights. 

The Whitteker Motorsports team managed to keep it all together and found success each week as Luke raced, even when traveling back and forth from North Carolina.

“As a crew member and a sponsor of Luke and the 38 team it was definitely an exciting year watching each race unfold,” said Joe Jansen, a crew member and sponsor to the Whitteker Motorsports team. “It was also a busy year with countless hours of time put into the new Bicknell car by the whole crew. I’m confident that the Whitteker Motorsports team will be a force to reckon with in the 2013 season!”

In mid-July, Luke Whitteker and the team picked up their brand new 2012 experimental Bicknell race car. Everyone was excited about this new BRP experimental car as Luke Whitteker had a large input into the design. 

Whitteker and the team at Bicknell Racing Products put in a lot of thought and hard work to bring life to this very unique car. 

Week after week, Luke continued to be successful on and off the track when he and his team participated in community events when they were not racing. 

“[Luke’s] fan base continues to grow and Luke is just getting started,” says friend and sponsor Steven Iwachniuk. “He is a young man with the passion, dedication, work ethic, professionalism, and drive to be a great champion and role model in our community.”

Luke did his far share of work during the season doing PR and sponsor hunting. 

Among his new sponsors, was a local real estate brokerage, Storm Realty Cornwall. 

In 2013, Luke Whitteker will attend numerous community events with Storm Realty Cornwall and is very excited to give back to his community that he cares about. Luke and his team will showcase their new experimental car and will be available to sign autographs on site at these community events.

This year Luke and his team also built a great partnership and friendship with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cornwall and District. Luke and The Whitteker Motorsports team will attend future events with this organization and are looking forward to making all the difference that they can.

With the end of the 2012 race season, the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team is currently preparing for the 2013 season. 

Sponsorship opportunities are available and can be made by contacting Luke Whitteker at lukewhitt@ripnet.com.

Luke and the Whitteker Motorsports Racing Team are most appreciative of their fans, their crew, their friends and family members who helped to make 2012 a huge success. 

Luke 2012 crew included Joe Jansen, Kevin Whitteker, Travis McMillan, Dustin Gillard, Tommy McMillan, Jeff Whitteker, Sean Nixon, Jamie Whitteker, Elaine Whitteker and Kyle Dingwall.

2012 sponsors included Storm Realty Cornwall, Rust Check, Toy Storage, Jim’s Performance Plus, ET Performance, C Double J Harvesting, Parcoll Products/Napa Auto Parts, Cohen and Lord Insurance, ERD Engine Research and Development, Bicknell Racing Products and Finish Line Web Design.

[…]

The Winchester Hawks are slowly, but surely, climbing to the top of the St. Lawrence Division hockey standings, and Friday night, the Morrisburg Junior B Lions became one of their three victims in this week’s action.

Thursday night, the Hawks defeated the first place Casselman Vikings in Casselman, 6-5. Their next victims were the Lions, Friday night in Winchester by a 10-5 count. And they weren’t finished yet. Saturday night they claimed a 3-2 win against the Char-Lan Rebels in a shoot out.

The weekend results, which bring their streak to five consecutive wins, put the Hawks in second place in the St. Lawrence standings now just five points behind the first place Vikings.

That drops the Char-Lan Rebels to third place at 22 points, while the Akwesasne Wolves are not far behind with 19. Both the Alexandria Glens and the Morrisburg Lions continue to hang in with 17 and 12 points respectively.

Friday night in Winchester, the Lions managed just one goal from Clarke Veenstra (assisted by Chris Rutley) in the first period as the  Hawks went to work to put three past Lions goaltender Mikael Dion.

In the second period, the Hawks added three unanswered markers to put the game well out of reach of the Lions.

The Lions did come to life in the third period for four goals, but the Hawks answered with four to collect the 10-5 win.

Chris Rutley scored twice in the third for the Lions, and Grant Cooper and Sam Hodgson added singles.  Drew Veenstra and Michel Lefebvre assisted on the first two Lions goals, and then Lefebvre and Rutley helped out on the Hodgson counter.

Rutley scored the final goal of the game, unassisted.

Luke Scott, Ramsey Wheeler and Christopher Rossi had two goals apiece for the Hawks and Brandon Pantaleo, Cody Levasseur, Josh Stubbings and Kyle Richardson added singles.

The Hawks were three for 10 on their power plays, while the Lions were unsuccessful during their four opportunities.

Sunday afternoon on home ice, the Lions gave up a close one, 4-3, to the South Grenville Rangers.

The two played even at two goals apiece in the first period, and the Rangers took the lead with the lone goal of the second period.

They stretched their advantage to 4-2 early in the third period and then gave up just one more to the Lions, that to Michel Lefebvre  (from Chris Rutley and Clarke Veenstra) on the Lions power play.

That was it. The Rangers goaltender Cole MacMIllan held on and the Rangers claimed the 4-3 win.

Clark Veenstra and Chris Rutley did the counting for the Lions in the first period.

Mikael Dion, in net for the Lions, gave up the four goals on 35 Rangers shots.

Coming up this weekend, the Lions host Gananoque Friday night, November 30. Game time is 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 1, they are on the road for a rematch against South Grenville. Game time, at the Leo Boivin Memorial Centre in Prescott, is 7:30 p.m.

[…]

Looking for their first win of the season, the South Dundas Bantam B Rep Lions hosted the Brockville Braves here on Wednesday night. 

Winless in their first 10 games, the Lions have been closing the gap, game after game, and were looking for a break through on offence to get the job done. And get the job done they did with a 5-3 victory.

The Lions opened the scoring early in the first period when Edward Orendi shot home a Quinn Bennis rebound. Picking up the assist on the play was Josh Perry.

The Braves responded one minute later but before the period ended the Lions struck again. This time the Lions goal came from the stick of Aaron Smith who took a pass from Matthew Woolsey and one timed it home for a 2-1 Lions lead. Drew Minish picked up the second assist.

In the second period, Braves centreman Jack Gibbons set up Damon Brown who beat Lions goaltender Christian Francis to even the game, 2-2. 

Francis responded with several keys saves in the period to allow the Lions to go back in front. 

The Braves found themselves in penalty trouble which gave the Lions a 5 on 3 advantage and resulted in

Quinn Bennis blasting a slap shot home. 

Riley Black and Aaron Smith provided some excellent passing plays along the outside to set Bennis up for the one timer.

In the third, the Braves again tie the game, (3-3), but the Lions would not be denied as they scored twice before the period ended.

Drew Minish got one while the Lions were short handed when he stole the puck in the neutral zone and the other would came from Ben Michels assisted by Edward Orendi. 

The 5-3 victory ended the Lions winless streak and gave the Bantam B Lions momentum heading into their game on Saturday, during Lions Day.

[…]

The day curling men at the Morrisburg Curling Club have begun their second round robin league series, this one for the Bowman Trophy. 

Last week the winners of the Adams Trophy, named for Gerald Adams, one of our finest senior curlers, were announced. The champions were Pete Zeran, Karl Duncan, Gerry Thompson and Robert Martin. 

Close on their heels were Jack Barkley’s rink, made up of Ted Herriman, Earl Jeacle and Eric Johnson, and right behind them were Don O’Brien, Rick McKenzie, Keith Robinson and John Walsh.

Some of our senior men attended an over-seventies bonspiel in Navan, the Masters, last week. Raymond Benoit was hoping that some of his old friends from Buckingham, with whom he went to the senior national championships a few years back, would be there. Sure enough, when he arrived with Sid Morrell, Neil Williams and Pete Zeran, not only was Buckingham there, they were scheduled to play Morrisburg. 

It was a morning of dreams, as our local boys trounced the old friends before enjoying a fine lunch. Perhaps they enjoyed too many beverages with the meal, for in the afternoon our chaps were slated against Cumberland, who had lost all but one end in their morning game. For whatever reason, the Morrisburg contingent could not match their morning success, and were overpowered by Cumberland. Too bad, fellows!

    In another bonspiel, Peter Zeran, Doug Jarvis, Fred Langlotz and Eric Johnson played in Winchester against Pete’s old friend from Cornwall, Gary Stover. Gary was unusually generous with Pete, allowing him to win all but one end in their match. 

After another good lunch, Pete’s afternoon opponent was a Russell foursome. Jack Barkley also had a team there: Karl Duncan, Peter Byvelds and Bob Youmelle. (If the skips had their regular teams with them.) Jack’s team split their matches.

Perhaps Pete and Gary will meet again in the Parnell championship being played this Friday in Morrisburg. As hosts, we are only allowed one team this time. Pete, Karl Duncan, Earl Jeacle and Ralph Graves defeated Don O’Brien, Wally Baker, Jack Barkley and Andy Patenaude in competition for this one spot. Pete has to play Sid Morrell’s team for the right to challenge Cornwall, Lancaster and Prescott on Friday.

Two ladies’ quartets competed last week in bonspiels. Gretta McGann, Susan McIntosh and Paula and Claire Locke defeated Smiths Falls and after lunch in Brockville’s dining room, tied their match with a Kemptville foursome to finish in third place, behind Kingston and Brockville. Well done, folks.

Our other curlers, Alice Thompson, Sharon Van Allen, Pat Foley and Sandra Beckstead, dropped tight games against Cornwall and Alexandria at the Lancaster club, and enjoyed a delicious catered luncheon and pleasant social interaction with some very fine teams and likeable curlers.

Next Tuesday, Morrisburg hosts their annual ladies’ bonspiel, with twelve teams from Eastern Ontario vying to get their names on the trophy and collect prizes.

Also, Andy Patenaude reports that he’s taking a mixed team to compete in the Ontario Senior games. The venue is Maxville, and the other teams in the round robin competition are from Winchester and Cornwall. We’ll have the results of those two events next time.

Finally, the Morrisburg club is hosting a Christmas bonspiel for next Saturday. 

The sign-up sheet and details are to be found in the lounge.

    Good curling to all!    

[…]

 

Friday night, the Morrisburg Junior B Lions dedicated their game against the Char-Lan Rebels to their owner, Ron Casselman, who died suddenly last Tuesday, November 13.

And in honour of the longtime hockey club owner, the Lions put together a very impressive 8-4 victory over the visiting Rebels, who until the last couple of weeks had been on top of the St. Lawrence Division standings.

The Rebels are now holding second place, behind the Casselman Vikings, the Vikings counting 27 points and the Rebels 21.

Friday night’s win for the Lions marked their sixth of the season as they continue to chase the fifth place Alexandria Glens who have posted 15 points.

Dylan Dejong opened the Lions scoring at 16:27 of the first period of Friday night’s game with Nicholas Pilon providing the assist.

The Rebels got that one back with a short-handed goal, but the Lions answered in kind  with just  four seconds left on the period clock to carry a 2-1 advantage into the second.

Sylvester Bzdyl did the scoring with Chris Rutley providing the set up.

The Rebels came charging back in the second period to take a 3-2 edge, and they held it until 18:19 of the frame when Drew Veenstra tied it, 3-3, with help from Bzdyl and Brandon Chaffe.

Nicholas Pilon gave the Lions a one goal edge early in the third period with Zach Seguin and Peter Ketcheson helping out, but again the Rebels charged back.

At 5:29 of the third, Grant Cooper collected what would be the winner with help from Bzdyl and Rutley. It was in the dying minutes of the game that the Lions put it out of reach starting with a short-handed Rutley goal assisted by Brandon Chaffe and Sam Hodgson.

At 17:21, Rutley counted his second (Drew Veenstra and Cooper assisting) and Dylan Dejong closed it out with help from Rutley and Veenstra for the 8-4 win.

Lions goaltender, Mikael Dion stopped 40 of the 53 Rebels shots while Rebels goaltender Alex Boileau gave up eight goals on 41 Lions shots.

The Lions were unable to score during any of their nine power-play opportunities and likewise for the Rebels, in eight chances.

The Lions were coached by Cody Casselman, Ronnie’s grandson, who for some of his junior playing years played defence for the Lions and then held an assistant coaching role for a couple of seasons.

Casselman was assisted on the bench by Thom Racine.

In other weekend action, the Lions came up flat in a penalty-filled game against the Akwesasne Wolves on Sunday, in the A’nowara’ko:wa Arena on Cornwall Island.

Grant Cooper managed the lone Lions goal, while the Lions were playing short-handed late in the first period, while the Wolves collected six goals off goaltender Ryan Cooper for a 6-1 win.

The game was tied after the first period, and the Wolves carried a 3-1 lead into the third.

The games saw a huge number of penalties with Morrisburg claiming the Lions share.

The Lions were assessed 23 minor penalties by referee Phil Gilmour, while the Wolves were close behind with 22.

In addition, the Lions added a misconduct, a five minute major  for kneeing and game misconduct to Chris Rutley and a team game misconduct for harassment of the official.

The Lions were unsuccessful in 12 power-play opportunities while the Wolves counted once on their power play.

The bottom of the St. Lawrence Division remains close with the Wolves totalling 19 points, the Hawks 18, the Glens 15 and the Lions 12.

Coming up, the Lions are in Winchester, Friday night, November 23 and on Sunday, November 25 they host South Grenville. Game time is 2:30 p.m.   

[…]

 

Reading a book with a child is about to take on a whole new meaning in South Dundas.

Beginning this week, youngsters and their parents will be able to head down to the waterfront in the villages of Morrisburg and Iroquois to read together a new book. And they’ll be doing it as they walk along the waterfront paths in the two communities.

“I saw The StoryWalk® Project on the Web and I thought, what a great idea,” says Fiona Carr, Family Resource Coordinator for the Ontario Early Years Centre. “When I saw it, I thought of course we are going to do that in South Dundas. So I pitched it to Ben, (Macpherson, Recreation Program Coordinator for South Dundas).”

The StoryWalk® Project, developed in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Vermont, promotes physical fitness and literacy skills by creating opportunities to walk and read outdoors.

A child’s book is selected, the pages are separated, then laminated and attached to posts which are driven into the ground at regular intervals along the path. 

With the two beautiful waterfront paths in Morrisburg, between the dock and the beach, and in Iroquois, between the beach and the marina, it is a perfect fit.

“So families can go to the dock, park their car and walk along the path where we have the posts with the story pages,” says Carr. “By the time they are finished the walk, they are finished the book.”

“It’s brilliant and even the library is on board. Ben did up all the wooden posts, and I did all the books and the laminating.”

The kick off for the StoryWalk® launch was yesterday, November 20 which is also National Child Day.

Carr says she has selected two different books for the two communities in the hopes that perhaps families will take in both locations.

She is also looking to expanding it to include the Two Creeks Forest area north of Highway 2 where the book selection will be geared to older children, with a longer story to accommodate the longer trail. “That will be our winter walk, which I hope to put out before the first snow.”

It is expected that the two riverfront StoryWalks® will be left in place for several weeks. At the Morrisburg Dock starting point, and the Iroquois Beach starting point a red bag will be suspended at the first pole.

Carr is asking that those who take in the walk will sign in, on the books enclosed in the red bags, and perhaps comment on the concept.

“That way we will an idea of numbers and whether or not there is enough interest to continue.” 

[…]

 

The stick bonspiel organized by Glen Cougler at the Morrisburg Curling Club last week went over well, with two teams from Morrisburg, two from Winchester and Russell, as well as ones from Maxville, Kemptville and Prescott taking part. 

In the first draw, one Winchester rink won out, while the second finished third. Our Morrisburg foursome, Pete Zeran, Andy Patenaude, Greta Mc Gann and Bob Bechard defeated one Winchester team in their first match, and last year’s champions from Kemptville in their second. They were both tight games, and our local heroes finished in second place.

In the second draw, Sid Morrell, Neil Williams, Don O’Brien and Alice Thompson finished in first place, defeating Lancaster in the morning and a strong Russell foursome in the afternoon to finish first overall on the day. Lunch was delicious and ample.

Last week, in Cornwall for their 24-team bonspiel, Jack Barkley, Raymond Benoit, Neil Williams and George Rutley finished first in the competition, defeating a Montreal foursome for their repeat win. Our second team, Pete Zeran, Karl Duncan, Earl Jeacle and Paul Gunther were neck-in-neck with the other winners, defeating Laval, but lost out on draws to the button. 

Two days later, three of our teams of senior men returned to Cornwall for a friendly bonspiel. Jack Barkley, Ron Beaupre, Earl Jeacle and Paul Gunther tied their match. Wally McDonald, Ray Benoit, Doug Jarvis and Fred Langlotz lost their game, while George Rutley, Dave King, Sam Locke and Keith Robinson won theirs. As always, it was a very pleasant social event.

Morrisburg hosted the Gamble, the annual four-club mixed bonspiel on Saturday. 

John Allison,  Carolyn Beckstead, and Jim and Wendy Casselman  were tied coming home in their first game against Russell but lost the exciting match on the last rock. They were defeated in their second game by a Winchester team, and failed to advance to the final. 

Our other curlers, John Toonders, Susan McIntosh, Sam Locke and Ruth Kelly lost their first match to a powerful Russell team, but won their afternoon game handily against John Allison’s Winchester opponents to advance to the ‘B’ final.

After a delicious dinner, catered by Bill Laurin, with pork as a main course, and a short business meeting, the two Russell teams did battle in the ‘A’ final, with Trottier winning out. Our Toonders foursome defeated Lapierre from Winchester in a thrilling match which went to an extra end, to claim the champions’ pins and get their names etched on the winners’ shield. 

Our thanks to the organizers, to our ice man, to the chef, and to the many volunteers without which these events could not function.

On Sunday, the first annual Two-Person Bonspiel was organized again by Susan McIntosh. Thanks to Dave McIntosh for the fine chilli luncheon, to Wally Baker for setting the ice up for us, and to the many volunteers who kept the ice prepared through the day, and handled the other aspects of the bonspiel. 

As always, there were champions declared in three divisions, and the profit for the day was dedicated to paying for a second new measuring stick.

In the ‘C’ Division, Sam Locke and Darryl McDonnell defeated Josh Laurin and Judy Morin. The ‘B’ division saw Paul St. Pierre and Ron Beaupre victorious over Claire and Paula Locke, and in the ‘A’ division, the top prize for the day went to Ian and Kathy Wilson, who won out over Peter Zeran and Bud Perry. 

It was another great day, with people from every league in the club participating. 

That’s it for this week,

Good curling to all!    

[…]

 

Last week the hockey community was saddened to learn of the death of Morrisburg Junior B Lions franchise owner Ron Casselman at his home in Morrisburg on Tuesday, November 13. Mr. Casselman purchased the Morrisburg Junior B Lions in 1980, and so began 32 years of dedication to the game he so loved and the young men he mentored.

As in keeping with what Ron would have wanted, the Lions’ scheduled game against the Char-Lan Rebels on Friday night went on as planned. His granddaughters Kasey, Kari and Katie dropped the puck to officially open the game, and his grandson Cody coached the game with former Lions coach Thom Raccine on the bench for support.

At the end of the game, which the Lions won 8-4, in honour of a man they greatly respected, the players skated to the overhead box where Ron would be found at most every Junior B Lions game, for one final salute. In fact, each time they scored that night, they skated to Ron’s box.

The following is a speech written and presented Friday night by Thom Raccine who has been a member of the Lions coaching staff and worked closely with Ron for the past several years.

“Before our game tonight, the Lions are honouring the memory of our owner and biggest fan, Ron Casselman, who passed away on Tuesday.

The Lions and Rebels will dedicate tonight’s rivalry to Ron and his passion for Junior B hockey, by wearing helmet stickers in his honour.

When hockey fans think of the Morrisburg Lions, the image of the stout man with the deep voice is all you really need to know.

Before every game, Ron asked in his jovial deep voice, “what do ya think tonight big fellar?” That voice and that image will never be forgotten.

Ron Casselman’s love of junior hockey began a long time ago, first as a fan, then 32 years ago, when he became the owner of the Junior B Lions. To the many fans of Lions hockey, Ron exemplified what small town hockey teams are about. He revelled in the wins and wore each loss on his sturdy face.

Thirty-two years is an eternity in the hockey business. To have stayed through the tough times is a credit to his love of the game, the people in the league and most of all his players. He really did love the kids, as his own, even if they didn’t know it. Ron Casselman saw hundreds of players. He was proud to say that the fact that they were trying out for his team, meant the world to him.

Ron didn’t always understand the players today, but it never knocked him down. He tried to adjust to our funny ways and although he chalked it up to a different generation, Ron stayed very close to the pulse of what  made his teams tick.

Under Ron, the Lions won four St. Lawrence Division titles and two Rideau Division titles. He mentored his son Kevin, from coaching to general manager.

Tonight, in honour of his grandfather, Cody Casselman will be behind the bench, keeping in the family tradition.

Four weeks ago, I sat with Ron in what we affectionately call the owners box. The weight of the world was on his shoulders and there was no doubt something was bothering him. I sensed a distance, a man alone with his memories of a lifetime devoted to his team. Oh he still watched every play and disputed a few calls, but as much as he tried, he simply wasn’t himself.

This morning, Ron Casselman took one last ride by the place he felt most at home…the arena that gave him so much pride.

Tonight, Ron’s owners box sits empty, in honour of a great hockey man.

Tonight, as our Lions get set for another 8:30 start against our rivals from Char-Lan, take a second to glance over to the southeast corner every now and then, because Ron Casselman will be there, big as life, as he has been for the past 32 years.”

[…]

 

The Morrisburg Junior B Lions righted a couple of wrongs here Sunday afternoon when they downed the visiting St. Lawrence Division’s first place Casselman Vikings, 3-1.

Those wrongs were a 10-2 loss to the Vikings in their barn on Thursday, November 1 and 5-3 loss on Morrisburg ice on Sunday, November 4.

While they didn’t play well in Casselman, the Lions felt they played better than the 10-2 score indicated and back home in Morrisburg, despite the 5-3 loss, they felt they had played well enough to win it.

So this time out there was no question that the Lions do have the stuff needed to win against the Vikings and any other team in their division.

“On Sunday, it was our best team defensive game of the season,” said Lions team manager Kevin Casselman early this week. “It was the result of what Dan (coach Frawley) and Andrew (assistant coach Scott) have been preaching for some time.”

“Mikael (Dion) was solid in net and our five defencemen  played very well collectively. The forward units were coming back to help and picked up their defensive responsibilities.”

“It was a great game, because we felt we had played well enough to have won against Casselman the previous Sunday.”

“With the parity in the league, each week brings hope and optimism that a four point weekend can lift a team back into the battle for a playoff position. It is really that close.”

And close indeed. With the stats in after this past weekend, the Casselman Vikings are in the St. Lawrence division’s top spot with a slim two point lead over the Char-Lan Rebels. The Akwesasne Wolves have climbed into third place with 17 points, Alexandria is fourth with 15, the Hawks fifth with 14 and the Lions still at the back of the pack with 10, but climbing. 

 While a four-point weekend is a must do for the Lions to catch up to the pack, it didn’t happen this past weekend as they got it rolling Friday night in Alexandria with a 4-1 loss.

Again it was a slow start for the Lions who found themselves down 3-0 in the first period.

Michel Lefebvre counted the lone Lions goal, a power play marker, at 6:52 of the second period  assisted by Chris Rutley.

Dion was in the Lions net for the loss. The Lions were out shot 37-24 by the Glens in the game that saw eight minors and one misconduct assessed to the Lions and six minors to the Glens along with one double minor and a misconduct.

Sunday, the Lions were waiting in their home den for the Vikings to come to town for a game that remained even through two periods.

The Vikings got their only goal against Dion just 3:40 into the first period while on their power play.

Just over four minutes later, Chris Rutley answered on the Lions power play with help from Grant Cooper and the 1-1 tie lasted until 1:10 of the third period.

It was at 1:10 that Lefebvre and Rutley went to work to assist Sylvester Bzdyl on what would be the winning Lions goal.

With Dion unbeatable and the defense buckling down, the Lions protected their one goal lead until 15:37 of the third when Grant Cooper, with help from Brandon Chaffe and Matt Marcil, beat Vikings goaltender Phillippe Quesnel for the Lions third and final goal.

Dion was outstanding in the Lions net facing 43 Vikings’ shots, while the Lions managed just 26 shots against Quesnel.

The Lions sat out nine minor penalties, one double minor and a 10 minute misconduct while the Vikings handled five minors, a five minute fighting major and a game misconduct.

This weekend, the Lions are scheduled to host the Char-Lan Rebels, Friday night, November 16 at 8 p.m. Sunday, they are on the road to take on the Akwesasne Wolves in a 3 p.m. match.

[…]