The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Thursday, O ctober 1, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 33 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com Sat. Oct 10, 2015 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters Sports Plax Georgetown Raiders vs. Buffalo Jr. Sabres SPORTS Comingup The Halton Hills Bulldogs will host Ontario Minor Field Lacrosse U-13 & U-16 boys' regular season games Sunday at Trafalgar Sports Park. Almost exactly 30 years after one Georgetown native signed a contract to play goal for the Montreal Canadiens, another became proper- ty of the famed National Hockey League fran- chise last week. Undrafted 18-year-old Michael McNiven inked a three-year deal with the Canadiens, taking another huge step in what's been a rap- id rise to the pro ranks. The former Georgetown Jr. A Raider was invited to attend the Canadiens' de- velopment camp in July and stuck around for the club's Rookie Tournament entry in London, Ont. last month, in which he made 47 saves in the Habs' 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs' prospects. M c N i v e n ' s signing comes nearly three decades since netminder Brian Hay- ward, a local native out of Cornell University who also wasn't drafted, joined the Canadiens after beginning his NHL career with the Win- nipeg Jets. "It's a very big day for me and my family. I wasn't expecting to come out with it, but it definitely came across my mind with the way I pushed myself during the off season. It's a great feeling. It's just a first stepping stone to many more. I've just got to keep on going from here on in," McNiven said on the Canadiens' website. The Georgetown District High School alum had a superb rookie campaign with the On- tario Hockey League's Owen Sound Attack last season, in which he earned the the F.W. 'Dinty' Moore Trophy for having the best goals-against average (2.79) amongst rookie netminders during the regular season as he posted a 15-8- 0-0 record with a .914 save percentage. He also played in the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in St. Catharines as an injury replacement and was mentioned in NHL Cen- tral Scouting lists, but wasn't taken in the June draft. Following the Habs' July development camp, McNiven was told his condition- ing wasn't up to snuff and he subsequently trimmed nearly 10 pounds off his listed 6-foot- 1, 212-pound frame in a short period of time. "This past summer, I wasn't selected at the NHL Draft in Florida. It just goes to show that I've come a long way with my training and my nutrition, and I came out with the best result I could possibly have. I wasn't too upset after the draft, and I'm especially not upset right now. I kind of feel like it still hasn't hit me yet." Winnipeg-born McNiven was returned last weekend to the Attack for a second year in the Scenic City and posted wins in his first two games back with Owen Sound, including a 1-0 OT victory over the Guelph Storm in which he was named first star, stopping all 30 shots. As a 16-year-old, McNiven starred for the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Georgetown Raiders in 2013-14, in which he posted a 21- 10-0 record with a 2.60 GAA and a .916 save percentage, collecting the league's 1st Team All-Prospect honour. Hayward, now 55, went on to win three Jennings Trophy honours alongside Hall of Famer Patrick Roy in his four seasons with the Canadiens before back problems derailed his career. He is now the in-game analyst for the Anaheim Ducks' TV broadcast crew. McNiven signs with Canadiens The Georgetown Waves Special Olym- pics Swim Team hosted its annual meet at the Milton Sports Centre this past Sunday, drawing clubs from Oakville, Dundas, Credit Valley, Hamilton and Brampton. More than 100 swimmers took part in the competition, including 29 ath- letes from the Georgetown team. Six members of the Waves have qualified for the South Central District team that will compete at the 2016 Pro- vincial Spring Games. Austin Daleman, Jeremy Crocker, Kyle Sullivan, Michelle O'Keefe, Ryan MacBean and Sydney Paul will represent the South District. By Eamonn Maher emaher@theifp.ca The mad dash at the start of the 8-year-old boys' race included a couple of tumbles but the annual Optimist Club of Halton Hills event was well-attended by both athletes and spectators last week at Cedarvale Park. Pictured above (from left) are: Gage Masse of Glen Williams, Ethel Gardiner's Patrick Mills, Glen Williams's Nathan Wittich, Greyson Roach of Ethel Gardiner and Shane Gentes of Glen Williams. Photo by Eamonn Maher Gardiner Grizzlies fleet afoot The Ethel Gardiner Public School Grizzlies took top spot in three of the six team catego- ries at last week's Optimist Club of Halton Hills cross-country running meet held at Ce- darvale Park in Georgetown. The Grizzlies placed first in the 8- and 10-year-old girls' divisions, along with the 8-year-old boys' race. Acton's Robert Little finished first for the 9-year-old girls and Sil- ver Creek claimed the 9-year-old boys' ban- ner, with Halton Hills Christian School top- ping the 10-year-old boys' event. Individual winners from the meet were: 8-year-old Girls Gold - Keira Marling, Gardiner Silver - Parker Kennel, Limehouse, Nata- sha Kerfoot, Limehouse (tie for 2nd place) 9-year-old Girls Gold - Tara Ienciu, North Halton T&F Silver - Lauren Jansen, NHTF Bronze - Clara Hogue, Robert Little 10-year-old Girls Gold - Robin Ingles, Gardiner Silver - Taylor Bechard, Park Bronze - Tehya Fleming, Robert Little 8-year-old Boys Gold - Daniel Coutts, Silver Creek Silver - Graham McDonald, Gardiner Bronze - Carson Adams, Limehouse 9-year-old Boys Gold - Brayden Neville, Limehouse Silver - Matthew Fairhead, Silver Creek Bronze - Malcolm Dahiell, Silver Creek 10-year-old Boys Gold - Easton Gougeon, Silver Creek Silver - Aaryn Andrews, HH Christian Bronze - Colten Munnings, HH Christian The Optimist meet for Grades 7-8 will take place Thursday, Oct. 8 at Cedarvale Park. MICHAEL MCNIVEN Waves host swim meet Greg Sanderson of the Georgetown Waves raced in the breaststroke event at a Special Olympics swim meet the local club hosted at the Milton Sports Centre on Sunday morning. Photo by Lisa Guttman