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12 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,October 25, 2011 SPORTS & LEISURE Spencer wins event Georgetown Raiders' leading scorer Brendan Woods was able to control this bouncing puck and put it behind Hamilton Red Wings' goalkeeper Dalton McGrath for the winning goal during the third period on Saturday in a 5-2 triumph for the hosts. The Raiders are tied with Oakville for first place in the OJHL's West Division. Photo by Eamonn Maher Raiders' pressure game paying dividends By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Winners of seven of their last eight games, the Georgetown Raiders appear to be taking a different approach this season and the initial results are promising. While the club usually finishes the Ontario Junior Hockey League's regular season in the upper echelon of the standings and annually sends a few players south of the border on hockey scholarships, four straight eliminations at the hands of the Oakville Blades come playoff time has become a tired story. The 10-4-0 Raiders currently don't have a single shooter amongst the league's top 50 scorers this year, yet as they displayed in a 5-2 home victory over the Hamilton Red Wings Saturday evening, there won't be many games in which they'll be outworked or physically overmatched. After Hamilton tied the score at two in the first minute of the third period, the Raiders didn't allow many quality scoring chances and forced a turnover than led to Brendan Woods's winning marker off an odd-man rush midway through the frame. "Our philosophy is that when we don't have the puck, we play solid defence, and when we have it, we're still a very tenacious team," said Raiders' head coach and general manager Greg Walters. "We pressure the puck and our guys know that if they don't play well away from the puck, their ice time will go down. So, they're buying in." The Raiders have been bolstered by a veteran defence corps and one of the top-producing power plays in the league, along with a 16-year-old goaltender who certainly wasn't in the team's pre-season plans. Walters signed impressive 19-yearold netminder Keegan Wilson in August, only to have him make the opening-night roster of the OHL's Brampton Battalion. Third-year Raider goalie Michael Nishi was outstanding as a shaky Georgetown side shut out Oakville 1-0 on Sept. 16, but then he was picked up by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Scrambling for a reliable replacement, the Raiders acquired first-year junior Michael Giugovaz and all the Peterborough Petes' draft pick has done is post an 8-2-0 record with a 1.98 goalsagainst average, with two shutouts. "We had some things happen that we didn't expect, but the whole thing is about character here and we have 21 guys who are all about the team," Walters added. Second-year forward Patrick Megannety's empty-net goal in the final minute of the contest was another example of the Raiders' new attitude. The 18-yearold from Oakville wasn't thinking about the yawning Hamilton cage when he outraced a Red Wing to clear the puck out of his zone, but he was rewarded when the snooker shot bounced off the boards and slid all the way down the ice into the net to complete the hat trick. "It's been a while since my last (threegoal game), midget, I think, and it feels great. I was just trying to get the puck out and I got lucky, I guess," said Megannety, who is headed for Clarkson University next season. "We've got a lot of character here and we have a group of guys willing to make the sacrifices to win games. I think we're a lot tougher to play against this year." Ryan Lopes rounded out the scoring Saturday and Giugovaz made 29 saves for the W in front of about 300 spectators. The Raiders had their six-game winning streak halted Thursday in Newmarket against the 13-1-2 Hurricanes, who are slotted fifth in this week's Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings. Nathan Domagala scored on the power play just 2:35 into the first period but that was it for Georgetown, which outshot the 'Canes 29-23. This week the Raiders host the 5-9-1 Orangeville Flyers at Alcott Arena Wednesday, host Milton IceHawks Saturday and visit Stouffville Sunday. Samantha Spencer of Georgetown South enjoyed a comfortable victory in the under-19 girls' division at a two-day International Junior Golf Tour event this past weekend at Penn State University. The Grade 10 Christ the King Secondary School student turned in rounds of 80-81 to win by nine shots over runner-up Rachel Pollock of Guelph to become the first non-American winner on the IJGT's Northeast Tour for the Fall 2011 season. Spencer entered the final round with a six-stroke lead over the rest of the field at the tournament, held at the Penn State Golf Club in State College, Pa., and completed her competitive season on a winning note. "Everything seemed to go really well this tournament, and I was able to finish strong," the Club at North Halton member said. "I really wasn't thinking much about the lead. I just wanted to go out there and play well." In the boys' 15-19 age group, Georgetown's Tom Smith shot 82-87 to place in a tie for 39th at +25. Think pink Rachel Inniss (14) of the Georgetown Rebels soars above the crowd for a rebound during a Halton high school senior girls' basketball Tier I matchup with cross-town rival Christ the King Jaguars last week. The visiting 3-6 Rebels received nine points each from Vicky Garvey and Stephanie Brown in a 40-29 win, with Nicole Waters also netting nine for 2-7 CtK. Both teams wore pink socks in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 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