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CONTEMPORARY QUALITY HOME FURNITURE - LEATHER/FABRIC SOFA SETS - BEDROOM SETS MATTRESSES & BOX SPRINGS - DINING/PUB SETS - COFFEE TABLES/SOFA TABLES LARGE SELECTION ARTWORK - SPORTS MEMORABILIA - HOME DECOR ITEMS - ACCESSORIES TERMS & CONDITIONS: PAYMENTS - CASH, VISA, M/C OR DEBIT. BUYERS PREMIUM APPLIES. PRODUCTS MAY DIFFER FROM PICTURES ILLUSTRATIONS AS SHOWN AND DESCRIBED. ITEMS SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS & DELETIONS. ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS AS POSTED AND ANNOUNCED. This event is free thanks to generous funding from CVC's regional and municipal partners. Registration is required. Call 1.800.668.5557 x 436 or visit www.creditvalleyca.ca/events Tues, March 18 7 to 8:30 p.m. Belfountain Public School 17247 Shaws Creek Road, Caledon Are you a rural landowner living in the Credit River watershed with questions on how to manage your property? Experts will be available to advise on: • Wetlands, streams and ponds • Trees forests and meadows • Septic systems and wells • Invasive species • Planning and land securement • Agricultural practices Discover programs and financial assisstance for rural landowners Experts will be on hand to answer your rural land management questions RURAL LANDOWNER SERVICES SOCIAL R A ID ER P LA YO FF P RE V IE W • M A RC H 6 , 2 01 4 6 Raiders, IceHawks get back to basics Not since 2005 have the Georgetown Raiders and Mil- ton IceHawks met in the play- offs and a rekindling of the North Halton rivalry couldn't have come at a better time for both Jr. A clubs. Once one of the better-sup- ported teams in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Raiders have dropped to 16th out of the 22 teams in atten- dance with an average of just 143 spectators per game, ac- cording to the loop's statistics website poinstreak.com, by far the lowest total since those numbers were first compiled in 2005-06. At that time, the Milton franchise boasted the highest attendance figures in the league at 931, which is now one-quarter of that amount. So both teams are hope- ful that their first-round post-season clash between the third-place Raiders and sixth-seeded IceHawks, which Georgetown led 2-0 heading into game three Wednesday at the Alcott Arena, would be compelling enough to get lo- cal residents out to one of the contests. The Raiders have won both games by a goal in a tightly contested matchup that has been an interesting and en- tertaining on many fronts, even though the gates weren't much larger than during the regular season in either rink. Georgetown entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league with 11 wins in its last 14 starts, in- cluding victories over heavy- weights Kingston, Toronto Lakeshore and Cobourg. The IceHawks, meanwhile, have undergone a resurgence under head coach Dan Cur- rie, who was an assistant to Raiders' bench boss & GM Greg Walters until the former left to take the job in Milton. The IceHawks possess one of the top lines in the league in Shane Bennett, Jeremy Gottzmann and Elliot Kane, while Raiders' captain Steve Hladin was second among all OJHL scorers with 38 goals and 45 assists in 53 games. "It was so close between three and six (in the confer- ence)," said Walters of the three-point difference sepa- rating the teams. Milton won the season series 3-1. "We dominated them in the last two (regular season) games, scored two goals and lost both because their goalie was spectacular. We're evenly matched teams with two out- standing 16-year-olds in net and it's going to be a battle for sure. We think we're a better team when we're rolling lines and everyone's going. Every- one knows our defensive sys- tem and we're not going to get carried away with line match- ups. We've been disciplined and that's going to be huge in this series. We've kept our emotions in check and they've got an elite power play unit, so we'll have to stay out of the box." In past years, the Raiders have acquired 20-year-olds to tend goal but they've found a homegrown gem in Michael McNiven, who'll stare across the ice at another 16-year-old standout in the Milton net in Ben Blacker, an Oakville resi- dent. The series also offers a sneak peak at a potential fu- ture star in 15-year-old for- ward Adam Mascherin (see story on page 2), a call-up by the Raiders after his mi- nor midget AAA team, the Vaughan Kings, were elimi- nated from their league play- offs. As for Walters and Cur- rie, who played pro hockey together in the International Hockey League with the Chi- cago Wolves in 1995-96, there are apparently no side wagers between them on the outcome of the series. "Dan's a very good friend of myself and (Raiders' assistant coach) Terry (Richardson) and we'll put that aside for the next week or so," chuckled 43-year-old Walters. "May the best team win, right? There are no bets. We haven't talked to him and we'll keep it that way. Everybody's focused on their own game." By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer GREG WALTERS