Sports

 

The South Dundas “Parcoll Products” Novice B Lions got back into the win column Thursday night with a 4-1 victory over the visiting South Grenville Rangers. 

Through the first three months of the season the Rangers were atop the East Division standings, and with this loss to the Lions, the Rangers are now in fourth place, behind the Brockville #2 Braves, Kemptville #2 Panthers and the Lions.

The Lions didn’t show any rust in the first period jumping out to a 2-0 lead, as they were coming off a two week layoff after winning the “A” Championship in the North Dundas Tournament in late December. 

Ben Lapier opened the scoring at 6:35 by grabbing a puck at the offensive blue line. Lapier broke into the zone on the right wing and let a shot go that after hitting the goalie’s stick, went up and over him and into the net.

Three minutes later Lapier struck again. 

The play started when Cassidy Bilmer made a defensive zone pass to Emytt Fetterly who made a breakout pass to Nolan Henry who moved the puck ahead to Lapier so that he could break in alone and bury a shot into the net.

The Rangers struck back on the power play with 35 seconds left in the period. 

They teams played a scoreless second thanks to some big saves by Lions net minder Brendan Shaver. 

The Line of Lapier, Nolan Henry and Kolby Latulippe scored twice more in the third period giving the Lions a 4-1 lead they would not relinquish. 

Emytt Fetterly gave a pass to Lapier who worked a give and go with Henry to free him up into the Rangers zone for Lapier to net his third of the game. 

A few minutes later, Lapier struck again from Spencer Barclay and Trent assisted on his fourth goal of the game. 

Assists on the day went to Nolan Henry (3), Emytt Fetterly (2), and Kolby Latulippe, Spencer Barclay, Trent Rae.

Saturday morning the Lions travelled to Cornwall to take on the Colts B1 team in exhibition play. 

After a well played game left the Lions down by a goal late, the line of Kayne McCadden, Lapier and Owen Fetterly combined to score the tying goal. 

McCadden gained possession of the puck and broke into the offensive zone before passing to Ben Lapier who got a shot away. The Colts goaltender left a rebound for Owen Fetterly to shoot into the open net.

The Lions battled back from a 2-0 deficit thanks to the stick of Kayne McCadden who scored a natural hat-trick in the second period. He scored three straight times on three consecutive shifts, including a shorthanded goal. 

The Colts battled back with two of their own goals for a 4-3 lead before the Lion’s tying goal. 

Assists in the game went to, Emytt Fetterly (2), Joshua Broad (2), Cassidy Bilmer, Ben Lapier and Kayne McCadden.

The South Dundas “Parcoll Products” Novice B Lions next home game is Thursday, February 2nd at 7 p.m.vs. the Brockville #2 Braves.

[…]

 

It is not hard not to look back into the past year for Luke Whitteker and the Whitteker Motorsports team and see the improvement from the beginning of the year to the end.  

Just one year ago, Whitteker stepped into the Race 101 program in North Carolina with a strong desire to learn. A year later, he is set to graduate and will take the valuable experience that he gained and continue to apply that to his racing career.  

He has met and worked with some great people in the program, shared some great times with fellow students and has made memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. 

Whitteker will wrap up his year with Race 101 in a graduation ceremony next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Luke and his fellow classmates will learn who was named Race 101’s ‘premier driver’ for 2012.  

The winner will be offered a ride in a Race 101 prepared Late Model for the 2012 season.

At the ceremony Luke’s 2011 class of 13 will graduate and the upcoming  Race 101 year’s 18 racers will be introduced including racers from five states and two Canadian provinces.

“I am really excited to graduate from the Race 101 program, and see who will be named the premier driver for 2012,” says Whitteker.  “It has been an amazing experience so far, and winning the premier driver would be icing on the cake.”

Whitteker Motorsports has been working hard over the off-season on their racing program and again this year will race weekly at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday nights, and following the Mr. DIRTcar 358 Modified tour.  

In addition, Whitteker will compete Friday nights in Quebec, at Autodrome Granby, and competing in the 10 race Quebec Series that will see all 10 events televised on the French RDS Channel. 

“Having these races shown on TV will be a huge deal for everyone involved,” says Whitteker.  “Anytime we can get our sponsors that kind of exposure is great.  I look forward to being a part of that this coming season.”

Autodrome Granby is currently utilizing social media site Facebook by having a vote amongst several drivers.  The driver with the most votes will have the opportunity to host their sponsors and have a special section in the stands for their fans for a night during the 2012 season.  

At the start of the 2011 season, Luke and the Whitteker Motorsports team announced that they would be working to raise money for the CHEO Foundation in Ottawa through Whitteker Motorpsorts T-shirts and merchandise.  

The results of the effort will be soon be realized when Whitteker Motorsports makes a $1,000 donation to CHEO.

During the weekend of March 10th and 11th, Whitteker will take part in the Gater Racing News Motorsports Expo at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.  There he will have the race car on display representing Finish Line Web Design, and fans and friends are encouraged to stop by the booth.

 By Craig Revelle-Finish Line Web Design

[…]

 

The Morrisburg Junior B Lions are on a downhill skid as they head into the final games of the season on a five game losing streak

With six games remaining on the regular season schedule and another two makeup games, the Lions failed to get back on the right track on the weekend with back-to-back losses.

It started on home ice Friday night, with a tough 4-3 loss to the Akwesasne Wolves and then went downhill from there in Gananoque, Sunday with a crushing 10-4 loss to the Rideau Division’s second place Islanders.

What is up for grabs in the two tier St. Lawrence Division is the fourth and final playoff spot, currently held by the Char-Lan Rebels. 

In the top tier you have Winchester in first place with 61 points, Casselman in second with 56 and Alexandria in third with 45.

In the second tier you have the Rebels with 26 points, the Lions with 23 and the Wolves with 19. 

The Lions have now lost their last five consecutive games and have had two games cancelled due to weather (against Casselman and Char-Lan). The up and coming Wolves on the other hand have split their last eight games with four wins and four losses, and two of those wins were against the Lions.

The Wolves knew what they had to do Friday night to stay in the running for a playoff spot and they did it.

Keith Sloan opened their scoring early in the first period.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and the Lions went up 2-1 in the second.

A power-play goal from the stick of Dillon Barr just over three minutes into the third period, sparked the Wolves and at 7:33 Keith Sloan gave them a 3-2 lead. Then at 15:32 Amo Connor stretched it to 4-2.

The Lions came back strong, but managed only one more from Michel Lefebvre, from Sylvester Bzdyl and Alex Ploof, in the 4-3 Wolves win.

Clarke Veenstra scored the Lions first period goal with help from Chris Rutley and Ryan Ward. Early in the second period Zach Sequin, from Lance Hodgson, gave the Lions the 2-1 advantage.

Sunday night in Gananoque, the Lions were not in the game. The Islanders went up 3-0 in the first five minutes of the first period and never looked back as they skated to the 10-4 win.

They led 5-1 after the first period and 9-2 after two.

Providing the four Lions goals were Alex Ploof, Joel Marleau, Sylvester Bzdyl and Chris Rutley.

Ryan Cooper was between the Lions pipes for both weekend pipes while Michel Dion sits out a three game suspension.

The third game was Sunday night in Gananoque and Dion will be back in action this weekend.

Coming up this weekend, the Lions travel to Winchester, Friday night, January 27 for an 8:15 p.m. match. Sunday, January 29 they are at home to Alexandria for a 2:30 p.m. game.

The Lions have rescheduled one of their two cancelled games. The Char-Lan cancellation has been d for Tuesday, January 31st in Williamstown.

Still to be rescheduled is the Lions home game against Casselman.

[…]

 

It’s not a good position to be in, but for the second straight year the Morrisburg Junior B Lions find themselves inches away from a St. Lawrence Division playoff spot as they head down the home stretch.

With 10 games left on their schedule including a make-up game against Casselman (due to this past Friday night’s cancellation), the Lions will have to put together some exceptionally good hockey to continue to play past the weekend of February 11-12 when the regular season ends.

After Sunday afternoon’s home-ice loss to the division’s first place Winchester Hawks, 7-2, the Lions are looking at a tough road ahead.

Although they will only meet the Hawks once more, they have three encounters coming up against the equally as tough, second place Casselman Vikings.

They have two games left against the Char-Lan Rebels, the team they are currently trying to catch and overcome for the fourth and final St. Lawrence Division playoff spot.

Last year, at about this time, the charged up Lions reached into their hockey bags to come up with some big wins as they set their sights on a playoff spot. Winning their final seven consecutive encounters it was a Cinderella story as they slipped ahead of the Akwesasne Wolves right at the finish line.

Can they do it again this year? Time will tell. 

Sunday, without regular goaltender Mikel Dion who is sitting out a suspension, the Lions stayed with the Hawks through the first period.

Goaltender Ryan Cooper gave up just one first period counter and that to the Hawks Brent Simms.

The Hawks pulled ahead 3-0 in the second period before the Lions got on board with a Sylvester Bzdyl counter from Michel Lefebvre and Joel Marleau.

The Hawks added another two to close out the second in the lead 5-1.

The Lions final goal was scored  early in the third period on their power play, when Lefebvre and Michael Keenan provided the set up for Alex Steingruber.

The Hawks drew 10 minor penalties and a misconduct while the Lions sat out five minors. Shots on net were equal at 33, and Matt Quirion handled the Hawks goaltending.

The Hawks demonstrated the depth of their bench with a pair of goals from Dustin Tinkler, and singles from Brent Simms, Nevin Guy, Brodie Boulanger, Brandon Belding and Brock Burge. 

Last night, Tuesday, January 17, the Lions had a must-win match against the Char-Lan Rebels.  Coming up this Friday night they are at home to the Akwesasne Wolves. Game time is 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 22 they are on the road to take on the Rideau Divison’s second place Gananoque. 

[…]

 

Coming up this Saturday, January 21, the Morrisburg ladies will host the Broder, a two-team, four club competition featuring Morrisburg, Metcalfe, Winchester and Russell. Three teams were interested in representing our club, so a two-day playoff was required.  

Greta McGann, Jenna Harrington, Kathy Hardy and Rachelle Eves played Susan McIntosh, Kathy Norg, Leanne McCooeye and Wendy Casselman last Saturday. Susan’s team emerged victorious, and they will be one of our champions for the competition.

Next, Greta’s foursome had to do battle with Amy and Ashly Cooper, Nancy Barkley and Anita Cooper on Sunday to fill the other spot. It was a tight, well-played match, but skip Greta McGann pulled out the win with a fine shot in the last end.

There will be some top-notch curling on Saturday, beginning at nine o’clock. See you there.

    Last week two of our ladies teams were in Ottawa at the Granite Club for their invitational bonspiel. Greta McGann, Kathy Hardy, Yvonne Mabo and Claire Locke won their first game against Carleton Heights. After a very good lunch they met a foursome from R.A Riverside in Ottawa. Unfortunately, Morrisburg dropped that match for a split on the day.

    Our other team, Alice Thompson, Susan McIntosh, Anita Cooper and Sharon Van Allen played a quartet from City View in their first game. The matches started a bit late, but the organizers still rang the bell to suspend play before the ladies could finish their final ends. This presented a problem for our folks, as they were unable to pull out a victory. After lunch they played a team from Navy and had a fine match, losing on the last rock in the final end. Nevertheless, it was a good day for both teams.

     Friday, January 13th saw our club host the senior men’s invitational bonspiel, the Bernie Brunt, with 12 teams present. Hudson, Quebec couldn’t make it because of the storm, and one other team was unable to come also. Don O’Brien, Raymond Benoit, Neil Williams and Jack Barkley filled in for one, and Martin Schneckenburger, Andy Patenaude, Dave King and Doug Jarvis handled the other. A delicious roast pork lunch was prepared by Joan Morrell and her committee, and the curlers in the early draw were enjoying it, watching those in the late game at work. Suddenly the lights went out. After checking with hydro and learning how long it would be until they could fix the problem, it was decided to serve lunch to the second group as well, and with the weather deteriorating, to cancel the bonspiel. 

It was a lot of planning and work for Jack Barkley and his committee and for Joan’s kitchen crew, but everyone raved over the meal, and went home happy, with some curling in, and a good portion of their entry fees returned. 

There were two teams from Winchester, two from Cornwall, three from Prescott, one from Maxville and one from Kingston. The chance to renew acquaintances for the day and visit with the others were positives as well. Tough luck, folks. It’s hard to outmaneuver Mother Nature if she’s determined. 

    On Sunday, Susan McIntosh and her committee were to host the second in the series of two-person ‘spiels, but it had to be cancelled.  

    Sunday, January 22 sees our Little Rockers hosting their Big Four Bonspiel, with double teams from Metcalfe, Russell and Winchester in attendance. 

    At press time, the mixed invitational is on next week, although with low numbers, and the stick bonspiel is going ahead then also.

Good curling to all!

[…]

 

For what coach Thom Racine referred to as a must-win game, the Morrisburg Junior B Lions got off on the right foot here Friday night with a 5-2 win over the Char-Lan Rebels. But it was all down hill all the way, after that.

Unable to rub the sleep from their eyes Saturday morning, they gave up a 6-3 loss to the Rideau Division’s fourth place South Grenville Rangers at the Rideau-St. Lawrence showcase event in Winchester.

Then Sunday night on Cornwall Island, they followed it up with a 7-5 loss to the St. Lawrence Division’s last place Akwesasne Wolves. 

Racine admitted everyone was pumped for the must-win against the Rebels and didn’t save anything for the challenges against the Rangers and the Wolves.

As for Saturday’s game, both the Rangers and the Lions had games Friday night and it was tough for both to play first thing Saturday morning. He said simply, “they showed up and we didn’t. I could live with the South Grenville loss. They responded better than us.”

But he says the Akwesasne loss was tough and could eventually come back to haunt the Lions as they make their bid to catch the Char-Lan Rebels for the fourth and final St. Lawrence Division playoff spot.

“Akwesasne is playing for their pride right now. I told the guys if you don’t get ready to play them, they will beat you.”

“We have two games left against Char-Lan and one against Akwesasne, so there could be our season. The boys knew it. It was the quietest in our dress room that it’s been all year. ”

Although the Lions enjoyed the rare treat of a full squad for most of the weekend, Racine said it hurt when the two Veenstras, Clarke and Drew, were unable to play against Akwesasne as they had to return to Ottawa in preparation for their return to school on Monday morning. 

On a brighter note, the Lions plugged a hole on their defence with the signing of Joel Marleau, who has been with the Cornwall Colts.

The Akwesasne win pulled the Wolves to within eight points of the Lions who trail the fourth place Rebels by one point. With the chance that the Wolves could lay claim to a chunk of fourth place, Racine says, that any hopes the Lions might have had to deal with the Wolves for players by this past Tuesday’s January 10 deadline pretty much went out the door.

He said Monday, that it was unlikely the Lions would be make any other pre-deadline changes.

Friday night in Morrisburg, the Lions and the Rebels played to a 1-1 first period draw. At the end of the second period they were still even, at 2-2.

It was three unanswered Lions goals in the third that did the talking and cemented the 5-2 win.

Michel Lefebvre kicked it off on the Lions power play at 9:34, with help from Sylvester Bzdyl and Drew Veenstra.

Marc Antoine Kamel (from Brayden Girard) made it 4-2 at 11:29, and Lance Hodgson pushed it to 5-2 at 14:38 with Ryan Dunbar and Zach Sequin providing the assists.

Alex Steingruber (from Lefebvre and Michael Keenan) scored for the Lions in the first period, and Chris Rutley got goal number two in the second period, with Clarke and Drew Veenstra assisting.

Lions goaltender, Mikael Dion, gave up the Rebels’ goals to Grant MacDougal in the first period and Lawson MacDonald in the second.

Goaltender Ryan Cooper handled Saturday’s action as the Lions and Rangers played to a 2-2 draw in the first period.

The Rangers went up 3-2 at 6:50 of the second period, but the Lions kept it even with a Ryan Ward power play goal (from Rutley and Keenan)at 8:21.

It was a short-handed goal, two in fact, that made the difference as the Rangers charged ahead with three unanswered counters, all scored in the second period, for the 6-3 win.

Michael Poapst (from Brayden Girard and Keenan) and Keenan (from Steingruber and Michaels Paquette) scored the Lions first period goals.

Sunday night against the Wolves, the Lions led after 20 minutes of play on a Michael Poapst power play goal assisted by Paquette and Ward.

Lefebvre (from Steingruber and Bzdyl) put them up 2-0 early in the second period.

Although Amo Connor cut their advantage to 2-1, a mere 35 seconds later, the Lions hung in with a Lance Hodgson goal assisted by Kamel and Girard.

A Wolves power-play goal at 15:12 again sliced into the Lions lead, and 23 seconds later they tied it 3-3.

The Hodgson then stepped in to again put the Lions up, Ty Hodgson popping the puck into the net with a Lance Hodgson assist.

Then it was back in the Wolves court as they used the final three minutes of the frame to push the Wolves ahead 5-4.

It was also at the end of the period, that the Lions lost the services of goaltender Mikael Dion. 

“Mikael drew a match penalty. They (the Wolves) got under his skin and unfortunately, he lost his cool and reacted poorly. So we went into the third period, behind 5-4, with four minutes of penalties to kill and Ryan Cooper in net. But we tied the game with a short handed goal thanks to Ryan Ward working extra hard.”

The goal came less than two minutes in when Ward set up Sylvester Bzdyl.

But that was it. Matthew Morin, on a break away, beat Cooper at 11:10 of the third for a 6-5 lead and Keith Sloan made it 7-5 with 3:51 left on the clock.

Coming up this weekend, the Lions are at home for two games.

Friday night they host the St. Lawrence Division’s second place Casselman Vikings at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, the first place Winchester Hawks  will be in town for a 2:30 p.m. start.

“It will be a tough weekend. We will be playing without Mikael, as he will probably get three games from the suspension,” says Racine. “But I have total confidence in Ryan. He came in, in relief Sunday night and played well.”

With the Vikings trailing the Hawks by just two points in the division standings, both will be playing hard for wins.

 

[…]

 

The South Dundas Atom B 1 Lions had plenty of reason to celebrate this past holiday season when they won bronze medals at the annual Ottawa Bell Capital Cup held from December 28 to January 1st. 

The Lions opened their play with a 2-2 tie against the Kanata Spitfires. 

In game two, they came back to crush the West End Eagles with a smashing shutout score of 7-0.

In game three, it was another shutout performance from goaltender Sam Waytowich, as the Lions collected a 4-0 victory against Almonte-Pakenham Thunder. 

Waytowich made several stunning saves to preserve his shut out.

With their undefeated record, the Lions then advanced to quarter final action where they met the South End Phantoms.

Both teams played tough and after three periods the game was tied 4-4. 

Three grueling overtime periods followed, and the Lions finally claimed the 5-4 win while playing a meager one on one. 

For the semifinal, the Lions met the eventual tournament winners, the Pembroke Panthers, who handed them a 4-1 loss. After defeating the Lions, the Panthers skated to a gold medal 4-2 victory over Kemptville.

The semi-final loss left the Lions with the Bell Capital Cup bronze title for Atom B House.

A tournament highlight for the Lions was the offensive performance of Jackson Thom who placed fifth out of more than 600 players for goal scoring during the round robin. 

Collectively, the Lions gave a great team performance for their bronze medals.

This year marked the 13th running of the Bell Capital Cup, a tournament that attracts atom and peewee teams from across Canada, the United States and around the world in 19 divisions. Hundreds of youngsters were involved in the playing of some 850 hockey games during the five day event.

[…]

 

Last Thursday, January 5, the South Dundas Novice C Lions dominated the ice in a South Stormont Tournament to skate away with the ‘A’ championship with a 9-4 win over the  South Stormont Selects C#1s. In their first game, the Lions defeated the St. Isidore Aigles, 4-3. They followed that up with a solid 9-1 victory over the Char-Lan Rebels to earn entry into the championship final. Winning individual MVP awards were goaltender Brett Froats, Duncan Hutt and Callahan Staye. Pictured above, the champs are front, l-r, Owen Paterson, Maclean Machan, Nate Paulino, T.J. Barnhartd, Stefan Kronstal and goalie Brett Froats. Centre row are Dryden Buter, Sean Nicolaassen, Scott Brooks, Callahan Staye, Duncan Hutt and Isaac Orendi. Back, l-r, are the coaching staff of George Menges, Mark Froats, Kelly Buter, Michelle Paulino and Chris Paulino.

[…]

 

The club held its first New Year’s Eve bonspiel and party for some years, and our president, Mahlon Locke, tells us it went well and that they hope to have another one next year. There was a full slate of curlers, with the top athletes on the evening being Sam Locke and Rachelle Eaves, with Rick Mackenzie and Janie Connolly right behind them. 

The participants played two-person games first, and in their second games combined high and low scorers for a four-end match, with each one skipping for an end. Finally, the third game involved draws to the button, with final scores reflecting total points earned. With television coverage of the New Year’s Eve entertainment in certain large venues to augment their own, the revelers eventually headed home after a great evening. 

The event was open to non-curlers, as well as former members and friends. It was a great mix of people, and we’ll look forward to the renewal of festivities next year.  

     The senior men’s playoff last Wednesday saw Martin Schneckenburger, Wally McDonald, George Rutley and Ron Brown drawn against Pete Zeran, Jack Dikland, Karl Duncan and Earl Jeacle. It was well-curled game, with Martin’s team triumphing on the last rock of the ten-end match. They would join our other champions in Cornwall for the Parnell competition on Friday. Jack Barkley, Doug Jarvis, Maurice Kolff and Andy Patenaude curled Sid Morrell, Neil Williams, Raymond Benoit and Al Harriman. Each team won four ends, but the Morrell foursome emerged as the winners. Good competition as always in these elimination matches.

     On Thursday a senior mixed team ventured to Alexandria for their one game bonspiel. Steve and Alice Thompson, Keith Robinson and Sharon Van Allen took to the ice against two Mount Royal fellows and two late replacements from the local area. The Morrisburgers could only win three ends against this fine group, who won the overall championship among the eighteen teams in the competition. 

In spite of it all, it was a wonderful day, and our representatives met many fine people, including twelve the teams from the province of Quebec. We’ll be back next year!     

     In the Parnell in Cornwall, our champions acquitted themselves well, splitting their matches. Sid Morrell, Neil Williams, Raymond Benoit and Al Harriman dropped their first game to the Prescott foursome that won the trophy, but defeated Lancaster in their second. Martin Schneckenburger, Wally McDonald, George Rutley and Ron Brown were squeezed out in their first game against Lancaster, but managed a huge win against the top Cornwall team. The highlight of the match was a shot by skip Martin, slipping his shot between two tight guards to knock out the enemy shot stone to lie and win the match. Don and Sally O’Brien were there to support our teams. Good to see them there, even behind the glass. 

     Glen Cougler’s stick bonspiel had 10 teams confirmed at time of writing, two from our club. It should be interesting to watch this fine invitational bonspiel.

     Susan McIntosh’s next two-person bonspiel is also on this month. There’s a sign-up sheet in the lounge.

    With 10 teams signed up for Thursday morning we’ve had to go to 9 and 11:15 a.m.

starting times to get everyone playing each week. Unless there’s a new schedule out, the plan is to have teams formerly on a bye play in the 11:15 a.m. draw each time. It’s good to see the daytime mixed numbers so high. 

Good curling!

[…]

 

Every year for nine years, since January 2003 to be exact, Morrisburg resident Florence Oglestone has been organizing the Walking Club.

“I started basically because I wanted to walk indoors,” she said. “I approached the Operating Engineers to see if they were agreeable.” 

Since then, walkers have been enjoying a warm, safe ‘home’ in the hallways of the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario facility, which is located on the eastern outskirts of Morrisburg.

Oglestone was originally quite surprised by the positive reception to the club: “I thought just a few people would show up and a lot of people showed up.”

On average, Oglestone says she has about 20 to 25 walkers. Most walkers, according to Oglestone, choose to join the club in their pursuit for health and wellness, which includes a place to walk sheltered from the elements. 

Walking provides more than just physical health benefits. As Henry David Thoreau once said: “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” 

Members can walk anytime during the specified hours set by the facility, which work around the schedules of the Engineers training classes and the T.R. Leger classes. From Monday to Friday, walkers are welcome any time between 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the facility is available from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The Walking Club is a mere $12 per calendar year and covers the coldest months: January 1st to March 31st, and October 1st to December 31st. 

For more information, contact Florence at 613-543-2445.

[…]