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43| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,M ay 17,2018 theifp.ca @YOUR LEISURE Visit theifp.ca for more coverage The prospect of making another trip to Sault Ste. Marie for a seventh and de- ciding game was not a pop- ular topic of discussion in the dressing room of the Hamilton Bulldogs Sunday afternoon. And while things looked bleak midway through Game 6 at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton, the Bulldogs rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 5-4 and earn the Ontario Hockey League championship in an upset the top-ranked Greyhounds, with George- town's MacKenzie Entwis- tle front and centre. The six-foot-four, 180- pound forward evened the score at two late in the sec- ond period and made an ex- cellent defensive play in his own end that led to Nick Caamano's winning mark- er in the final minutes in the third for Hamilton's first OHL title since 1976. "Seriously, (returning to the Soo for Game 7) would've really sucked," said the Christ the King Secondary School student of what's usually an eight- hour bus trip. "We flew up the last time (for Game 5 Friday) and HOCKEY Entwistle, Bulldogs advance to Memorial Cup Hamilton Bulldogs' forward MacKenzie Entwistle takes a spin around the First Ontario Centre ice surface with the J.R. Robertson Cup after his team beat the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-4 on Sunday to take the best-of-7 final series 4-2. Entwistle has 10 post-season goals and will have a chance to add to that at the 100th Memorial Cup beginning this Friday in Regina, Sask. Margaret Entwistle photo EAMONN MAHER emaher@theifp.ca l See COYOTES', page 44 For many hockey families, the spring can be the most stressful time of year - and it's not because of the NHL playoffs. The tryout season has just come to a close for the Halton Hills Minor Hockey Association and for those players and parents who were stressed out over making the team, relief was waiting in the arena lobby. For the first time, some of the 54 vol- unteers of St. John Ambulance Thera- py Dogs of Milton and Halton Hills brought their canine cohorts to local rinks to provide a comforting outlet and help offset the on-ice chaos. "We've got a lot of good response," said Christine Lacombe, an assistant co-ordinator with the local branch. "I think maybe the parents need it more than the kids, especially at the younger age groups. I don't know that they grasp the whole concept. The kids know there's stress - their parents are stressed - but they just want to play hockey and the parents are like, 'Please don't cut my kid.'" The idea to bring the dogs to the try- outs came from St. John volunteer Ni- cole Steane, whose husband Dave coached in the HHMHA and their three boys all played. Several of the locally based dogs at- tended the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and last year's Invictus Games to provide stress relief to ath- letes. Lacombe added that therapy dogs regularly visit local high schools, re- tirement homes and abuse shelters and that more volunteers are in demand, especially during the day on weekdays. "We've got 54 volunteers in our divi- sion and surprisingly, that's not enough," she said. "We're in most of the Catholic schools. We'd like to go once a week but can only go once a month because of our numbers. Most of us have full-time jobs and we're not available during the day. It would be ideal for retirees to get involved." In order to become a therapy dog, candidates undergo a 90-minute evalu- ation, which also serves as an informa- tion session for the owner. There are 12 specific tests that evaluate the relation- ship between the handler and dog that evoke reactions from both. For more info visit the website www.sja.ca/English/Community-Ser- vices/Pages/Therapy%20Dog%20Ser- vices/Become-A-Therapy-Dog-Volun- teer.aspx. Therapy dogs give soothing support for tryout anxiety Taking some time out before or after their tryout sessions for some stress relief with some St. John Ambulance therapy dogs were some novice age group Halton Hills Minor Hockey Association players (from left): Kieran Edgar, Austin Kuypers, Jordan Nixon, Maxwell Taylor, Jaxon Lindsay. The four-legged friends (from left) are: Sadie, Libby, Sasha and Chancee. Eamonn Maher photo EAMONN MAHER emaher@theifp.ca