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www.georgetownraidersjra.com GEORGETOWN JUNIOR A GAME OF THE WEEK GEORGETOWN TOYOTA GEORGETOWN JR. A RAIDERS vs OAKVILLE BLADES Saturday, January 19, 2007 7:30 pm Mold-Masters SportsPlex (Alcott Arena) Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, January 16, 2008 13 SPORTS & LEISURE Exam time is approaching for most high school students in Ontario and the Georgetown Raiders will face another series of tough tests coming up over the next week. The 23-11-4 Raiders are tied for second place with the Hamilton Red Wings and Brampton Capitals in the OHA Provincial Jr. A Hockey Leagues West Division standings, although Georgetown has played two fewer games than their rivals with four weeks remaining in the reg- ular season. Over the next six days, the Raiders will play first-place Oakville and Hamilton twice each, beginning tonight (Wednesday) at 8 p.m., when the Red Wings visit the Alcott Arena looking for their third win in three tries here in 2007-08. How we do this week will tell the whole story for our season, not just because of the points, but from a psychological standpoint as well, said Raiders director of hockey operations Lonnie Freeman. We also have a much tougher sched- ule than those other two teams but I like the makeup of our dressing room right now and what its capable of in the playoffs. A snoozy 2-1 home loss to the Brampton Capitals on Saturday night was just the clubs sec- ond loss since early December. Without 36-goal man and captain Matt Ferreira, who was sick, the Capitals received some excellent netminding from Taylor Hewson, who made 34 stops for first-star honours. A power-play marker by Raider John Seymour with five minutes remaining in regulation was Georgetowns only goal on an evening when they failed to capitalize on several man-advantage opportunities, including a couple of lengthy 5-on- 3 situations. Freeman was optimistic that a couple of key forwards will be back in the lineup shortly as Andrew Ella (hand) and Anthony Luciani (ankle) would be able to play in a few regular-season games before the playoffs begin. This week, the Raiders also play Friday in Oakville, trying to break up the front-runners 19- game win streak, and then host the Blades Saturday. A trip to Hamilton follows on Monday night to face the Wings, who dealt former Raider Jeremy Whelan to Huntsville last week. Freeman re-signed big Peter Mrksic last Thursday and the 19-year-old played as a forward against Brampton. Georgetown still has two blank cards with which to sign free agents prior to the post-season. NOTES: Georgetowns Deron Cousens was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie of the week earlier this month. The fresh- man blueliner has a goal and five assists in 15 games for the Michigan Tech Huskies (9-11-2) and is second on the team in plus/minus at plus- 4...Another local native, Liam Heelis, hadnt scored in 19 games this season as a rookie with the Ontario Hockey Leagues Peterborough Petes until he struck twice within eight minutes of the first period on Thursday night in their 5-1 victory over Owen Sound. The 17-year-old centre now has four points on the year and actually scored his first OHL goal last March with the Petes as a year-end call-up...Raider defenceman Michael Paolo, recently acquired from the Aurora Tigers, was Georgetowns lone selection for the OPJHL all-star game, to be held Jan. 23 in Vaughan. Claims that the Georgetown Baseball Associations house league is in jeopardy of folding and that more than $20,000 was unaccounted for were refuted by members of the executive at a special meeting held last week. The sometimes-fiery meeting was called in accordance with the organiza- tions bylaws after a petition containing 33 signatures was collected by a group of par- ents concerned about the GBAs plans for the 2008 season, and some unanswered financial questions emanating from the annual general meeting in October. Executive members countered by say- ing theyre in dire need of volunteers to oversee the various house league divi- sions, involving approximately 400 youths. The positions of the junior house league director, senior house league direc- tor and support services director were vacant at the start of the special meeting, although clipboards circulated during the two-hour gathering collected the names of several possible new recruits. If we get people to sign these volun- teer forms now, it makes it a lot easier for people in those positions to be able to put together a list of people who they need to contact for next year in order to get the season up and running, said GBA presi- dent Wayne Peddie. During open discussion at the meeting, a number of audience members asked how they could volunteer, while others com- mented that the job descriptions for some of the volunteer positions might be too daunting to take on. The problem we have is that it comes back to the five or six on the board who have to run the whole thing, said Bill Byckowski, director of the Georgetown Eagles rep program. Were one association and were trying to be strong in all facets, but were only as strong as as the people who are support- ing us. It was very encouraging that a lot of people stayed after the meeting to talk and ask how they might be able to help out, and were optimistic now about how things are looking for the house league this year. Exacerbating the situation for the 2007 executive was that all but Peddie were new to the board, and they said that important organizational information was not passed on by the previous executive. An explanation was also later given about the GBAs 2007 financial statement that apparently answered questions from the audience of some 100 people at the Halton Regional Police Georgetown detachment offices. A letter to the editor in the Jan. 4 edi- tion of The Independent & Free Press from house league convenor Marnie Carey expressed the petitioners concerns about the GBAs half-dozen members of the Big tests ahead for Raiders EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer GBA soothes concerns, but house league volunteers needed See MORE, pg. 14 EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Georgetown Raider forward Mark McGowan jostles for position with Bramptons Mathew Clark in front of goaltender Taylor Hewson Saturday night during the Raiders2-1 OHA Provincial Jr. A Hockey League loss at the Alcott Arena. Photo by Eamonn Maher