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Sports m Cnnablflll Statesman ♦ May 10, 2006 ♦ durhamregion.com :M'L Shawn Cayley Nemisz welcomed by Windsor Spitfires 'He was a great influence' Les Bartley was more than just a lacrosse ' legend in the eyes of Derek Keenan. . The late great coach was a leader, a dear friend and a great influence. ; So when Keenan received a call last week from the National Lacrosse League , informing him that he was this year's recipient of the NLL coach of the year award, many great memories began to roll in for the Oshawa resident. ; They came not because he was named jthe league's top bench boss, but because ■of the sentimental significance that came -with winning the Les Bartley Award. • v "No question," he says when asked if it 'jvas. special to win the award named after ibis mentor. "With it named in the honour iof Les Bartley, it couldn't mean more to fme to win this award." ; Keenan, who played under Bartley for ;Jwo years with the Buffalo Bandits and in his final season with the Toronto Rock, I received his first'coaching job in the NLL alongside the legend as an' assistant with Ihe Rock. From 1999 to 2004, the pair (Would guide Toronto to four league championships, championships, however, Keenan says, it was mvay from the floor that he remembers most fondly. y "I learned so much from Les and not only about lacrosse, but as a person," he says. "We were really close and spent a lot of time together away from lacrosse. I have so many memories,'I mean, Les was just a great person to be around. He was a great influence." - - . ' Based on Keenan's words about their friendship, it's likely no one would have been happier to see Keenan accomplish what he did with the expansion Portland LumberJax this season, than Bartley. Keenan, who coached the Anaheim Storm to the biggest one-year improvement improvement of any team in the NLL last" season, moved over to the LumberJax this past off-season as coach and general manager. With an 11-5 record, and first place in the. West division, Keenan became the first coach in NLL histoiy to lead a team to a division title in its inaugural season. "Last offseason, we went out on a limb Clarington Toro selected 7th overall in OHL draft BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor COURTICE - It took all of about 15 minutes for Greg Nemisz to feel welcomed by the Windsor Spitfires. The Courtice teen didn't have to wait very long for his name to pop up on the computer screen during the Ontario Hockey League internet draft on Saturday morning. With the seventh overall pick, the Spitfires scooped up the Grade 10 student at Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School. And shortly after, the phone rang. On the other end was co-owner Bob Boughner, who is currently involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche. "That was real classy," says Nemisz of the call. The talented centre racked up an impressive 53 points in 32 games with the Clarington Toros Minor Midgets this past season. Hoping those numbers numbers and his play would translate into a top-10 pick, Nemisz was granted his wish early on in the proceedings. "I was very excited," he recalls of seeing his name appear alongside Windsor's pick. "I met with them three days before the draft and went to diner and liked what I heard." Open to going any where, Nemisz had an inkling that the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds might come calling, but when they opted for winger James Livingston Livingston of the York Simcoe Express, Nemisz slipped past Ottawa with the. sixth pick arid was selected by the Spitfires.:■ , ■ - «. ........ "We are going to be a young team because they had four picks in the first two rounds," said Nemisz of his new club. Warren Rychel, vice president of hockey operations for. the Spitfires, liked what he saw from Nemisz at and Under-17 camp held in Peterborough. "He was dominating there, no question," question," says the former NHLer. "He has that rare combination that's hard to find because he has size and skill. There is definitely some pro potential potential there, and the sky is the limit for him." A.J. Groen/Metroland Durham Region Media Group Greg Nemisz of Courtice was selected in the first round, seventh overall by the Windsor Spitfires in Saturday's OHL draft. Durham's 2006 OHL draft picks and brought in some guys and we thought that realistically we'd be a playoff team," Nemisz has already had a little taste of the responsibilities that go along IBS Keenan recalls. "We had a great group of with being a first round selection. He Greg Nemisz Courtice c 1 7 Windsor guys, probably the best I have been around travelled to Windsor on Sunday along Dylan O'Neil Ajax c 1 10 St. Michael's throughout my time in lacrosse, making it that much more special to accomplish with six other picks to do a meet and greet with the local media there. Zack Fenwick Pickering c 8 154 Kingston what we did." "It was a little intimidating" he says ■■ Mark Matthews : Oshawa LW 10 192 Saginaw In putting that team together, Keenan of his first experience with a media Kristofer Faric Whitby C 11 209 Belleville constantly recalled certain elements Bartley Bartley would look for in players, which obvi scrum. "It was overwhelming at the start, but everyone made me feel wel Nicholas Diachenko Courtice LW 11 212 Saginaw ously wasn't a bad route to take consider come." Aaron Pierce Courtice RW 12 232 • Saginaw ing all the championship teams Bartley As for the prospects of moving away Evan MacLean Oshawa C . 15 286 Oshawa constructed. "He really knew how to build relationships relationships and bring the right people into the right situations. That is something I carried to Portland with me this year," Keenan says. Now Keenan will carry the title of coach of the year, knowing his old pal Les Bartley Bartley is smiling down cheering him on. Shawn Cayley's column appears every third Wednesday. E-mail: scayley@durhamregion.com from home and the pressure that will follow with being a top pick, the 16- year-old is taking it all in stride. "I am going to work hard this summer summer and just do what I can to help the team. I'm no,t thinking about the pressure, I'm just more excited to get going. "Moving away is going to take some maturity on my part, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a big step in my life, but I fell that I'm ready for it." Rychel also suggests that Nemisz should be ready to play a lot in his rookie campaign. With nine players moving on from last year's team, the rookies coming in won't be subjected to the sit, watch and learn theory. "All four of the players we took early will be in our lineup on opening day and playing significant minutes right away, maybe even more than they are expecting. We ate going to get over the growing pains right away and build for a championship team'in the second and third year for these guys." The only other Clarington Toro to be selected in the draft was, Nicholas Diachenko, taken in the 11th round, 212th overall by the Saginaw Spirit. Last year, OHL teams came calling for two Clarington Toros in the first round, as Luke Pither went 4th overall to Kingston, and Josh Bailey 19th to Owen Sound. \ 12 3 Final Green Gaels 2 12 5 Barrie 2 15 8 Next game: Saturday at home to the Nepean Knights, 8 p.m. Gaels lose first game Drop 8-5 decision to Barrie Tornado BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor BARRIE - In a battle of the undefeated, undefeated, the Clarington Green Gaels came out second best. The Green Gaels came out on the wrong end of a final score for the first time this season, dropping an 8-5 decision.in decision.in Barrie to the Tornado on Saturday Saturday night. It was the first loss in three outings for the Green Gaels, while Barrie Barrie remained perfect in Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. B play at 3-0. , "In the final period, their shot selection selection was quite good, and they got some good goals. There weren't any weak ones," said GM Neil Atkinson of the third period in which the home side out- scored the visiting Green Gaels by a 5-2 margin, breaking a 3-3 deadlock through two periods. "It was certainly a wake-up call and the players admitted that," said Atkinson on the heels of the first setback of the young season. . Brandon .McFarlane, Steve. Hutchins and Todd Collins had goals in the opening opening 40 minutes for the Green Gaels. McFarlane and Hutchins potted their second goals of the night in the third, making the score 5-4 in favour of Barrie with just under six minutes to go. But goals just 18 seconds apart with 3:26 and then 3:08 remaining in the game gave Barrie a final three goal bulge. "(Barrie) just seemed like they wanted it more than we did," said Atkinson of the play late in the game. Collins equalled his goal output, chipping chipping in with a pair of assists as well. Single helpers went to Blake Bremner, Brandon Phillips and McFarlane. Atkinson added that the Green Gaels will be busy in practice this week work- ■ ing on passing, collecting loose balls and reducing turnovers. He also expects some of the focus to centre around staying staying out of the penalty box, prior to stepping stepping back on the floor Saturday at home to the Nepean Knights. "We will certainly be out to redeem ourselves," predicted Atkinson. "We have a lot of work to do and we know what we have to work on." THE SCOOP - The Green Gaels are down to just two netminders following the release of Curtis Doherty, leaving Kalvin Thomas and Kyle Waldron as the two goalkeepers. Thomas went the distance in Saturday's" loss in Barrie... Returning to the lineup on Saturday from injuries were Tyler Worden (thumb) and Ryan Degerdon (shoulder)...Nepean, who visit the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Recreation Complex on Saturday at 8 p.m., is off to a 1-4 start this season. Generals have high expectations for Del Zotto . Photo by Mike Pochwat Oshawa Generals GM Brad Sclwood already had a jersey and number picked out lor Michael Del Zotto, who was taken second overall in Saturday's Saturday's OHL draft. Oshawa drafts defenceman second overall BY SHAWN CAYLEY Staff Writer OSHAWA - Although Michael Del Zotto won't have Steven Stamkos to feed the puck to anymore, that won't be something you'll hear him complaining about this coming season. Del Zotto will have another dynamic forward in John Tavares to work with, which is a welcome sign to the Oshawa Generals, who selected the offensively gifted defenceman with the second overall overall pick in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection Selection on Saturday, right after Sarnia chose Stamkos. After posting 30-90-120 numbers with the Markham Waxers minor midgets this past season, Del Zotto brings an element to the Generals' blue-line which it has sorely lacked in recent years: An offensive offensive presence. While the expectations are sure to be high, the Stouffville resident plans to take everything in stride and not put too much pressure on himself. "There is going to be a lot of expectations expectations for sure, but I am not putting any on myself," he said on Saturday, shortly after pulling on his crisp new No. 4 Generals jersey, "I just want to come in here and do whatever I have to do to help the team win. If it's putting up points, or blocking shots, I'll do anything they ask of me." Make no mistake, Del Zotto wasn't drafted for his shot blocking prowess; he is here to put up numbers and form a foundation of which to build upon. "You read all the reports and all the scouts and everybody talks about him, l mean, he is the real deal," coach and general manager Brad Selwood says of his new stud defencemen, "We have a guy now to build our defence around for the next few years. That's not a slight on any of the others, but we have a rock now. (Del Zotto) can play any way you want to play, "I am the one making the decisions over on the bench now, and he is going to play a tonne," Selwood adds, Del Zotto is looking forward to commencing commencing his OHL career and hopes to make an impact, but at the same time, he is cognisant that as is generally the case with most rookies, there is going to be a period of adjustment, "Getting comfortable is probably going to take a little bit of time, but once 1 get my feet set, hopefully I'll be able to play my game because 1 am an offensive offensive defencemen," says the 6-foot 190 pounder, "I like to jump up in the rush and put up some points and hopefully I'll be able to do that," That has to be a welcome feeling to a See GENS, page B2