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12 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Tuesday, February 21, 2012 SPORTS & LEISURE Pond hockey tourney held at Plaster Rock Three local squads join the world for four days of frozen frivolity By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer With several hundred teams applying and only 132 earning a coveted invitation, three local area shinny squads were fortunate enough to be chosen to play in the World Pond Hockey Championships, held earlier this month in Plaster Rock, N.B. The remote village of Plaster Rock hosted 120 men's and a dozen women's teams from across North America and beyond for four days of outdoor hockey and social festivities in the 10th anniversary of the event. Twenty-four rinks are set up on Roulston Lake, with 48 teams playing 3-on-3 games simultaneously under perfect conditions in a snowglobe-like setting. A similar event in Huntsville scheduled for late January had to be cancelled due to warm temperatures. For Acton resident Kevin Ward, who undertook his sixth trip to the tournament, making the two-day drive and playing in sometimes -30 Celsius windy conditions is well worth it. His four-man Acton Tanners Pub & Grill entry, also consisting of two New Brunswick residents and another from Vancouver, went 0-5 in the preliminary round again this year and didn't make the playoff round, but they were far from disappointed. "The best part for me is seeing people who go there for the first time, they can't get over how amazing the whole setup is," said Ward, an account manager for a Mississauga cable and wire firm. "The guys will be telling stories about it for months afterwards. `Do you remember this or that.' The other great thing is that it's for charity, to help keep the arena there running for the kids and the money goes to a lot of other good things in the community." Twenty-two-year-old Blake Seaton was a first-time visitor to Plaster Rock this year along with his dad Ian and three other buddies he played minor hockey with in town, calling themselves the Georgetown Raiders. Staying in a trailer on the shore of Lake Roulston, the Raiders went 3-2 in the preliminary round and were denied a berth in the 32-team playoff, falling 18-15 to a team from New Jersey that left them in 35th place. "It was kind of disappointing that we didn't make the playoffs because we thought we would've finished higher, but we were in a tough pool," said Seaton, who unsuccessfully applied to get into the tourney last year. "It's a completely different game from regular hockey. You have to be so good with puck possession, playing the trap and countering on the other team's mistakes. All in all though, it was an experience we'll never forget, just to be there and soak it all in. We'd like to find a charity from this area to represent next year and hopefully we get invited back, because a lot of people told us we were lucky to get in this time." A group of North Halton Girls' Hockey Association grads called the Twisters' Dream Team placed sixth out of 12 teams in the women's division. Another local native, Derek Power, played for a team representing Denmark called the Scandic Vikings. Halton Hills was well represented at the recent World Pond Hockey Championships in Plaster Rock, N.B., with three teams entered. Pictured above are members of the Georgetown Raiders and the Acton Tanners Pub & Grill. Front row: Tanners Kenny Tomkins, Mike Townsend. Top row: Raiders A.J. Syme, Jeff Pierce, Ian Seaton, Tanners Kevin Ward, Greg Johnson, Raiders Craig Syme, Blake Seaton. Photo at left are members of the Twisters Dream Team, which finished sixth out of 12 teams in the women's division. From left: Katie Morrow, Michelle Serafini, Kirstie Cunningham, Brooke Hartwick, Abby Lyons. Submitted photos Football duo honoured by Braves A couple of Christ the King Secondary School senior football players who rarely left the field were rewarded with Halton all-star selections this past week by the Burlington Braves' Football Club. Jaguars Haydn Gaskill-Cadwallader and Pat Pryztula played on both sides of the ball this past season in the Tier II division. Gaskill-Cadwallader was chosen as an all-star for the running back and defensive back positions, while the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Pryztula earned the nod as a guard on the offensive line and as a defensive tackle. The all-star team was selected based on the nomination and voting by the participating Halton Secondary School Athletic Association head coaches in the tier. Also receiving all-star accolades for the Jags were linebacker Brendan Kutlesa and kick returner Kyle Kutlesa. Acton resident Mackenzie Morrison, a standout running back for the Georgetown District High School Rebels who was hampered by a leg injury this past season, has committed to play for the University of Guelph starting in September. The 6-foot, 165-pound Halton Hills Crimson Tide club team MVP is pegged to become a receiver for the Gryphons. GEORGETOWN JUNIOR "A" GEORGETOWN JR. A RAIDERS vs BURLINGTON OR MILTON* GAME OF THE WEEK Wednesday February 22nd, 2012 7:30 pm Mold-Masters SportsPlex (Alcott Arena) *WINNER STILL TO BE DETERMINED AT PRESS TIME Congratulations to our Ontario Jr. Hockey League Regular Season Champions for 2011 & 2012 www.georgetownraidersjra.com