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Georgetown coaches pleased Thunder clears final hurdle "We'd knocked on the door a couple of mark was impressive considering the into the team nicely." times before so it's nice to get that monkey absences. The perennial powerhouse Bennett had been involved in coaching off our backs," said the 44-year-old Toronto Beatrice Aeros, with its top players AAA minor hockey in his native Having four players who competed in Bennett, who works for the City of away at the Olympics as well, didn't even Mississauga for a few years before taking on the recent 2006 Winter Olympics Mississauga's Parks & make the NWHL playoffs the Thunder position. McFadyen is in Italy presented some challenges Recreation department. or nationals this season. currently an assistant coach with for the Georgetown-based coach"Consistently it's been a In an NWHL regularthe North Halton Twisters' girls' ing staff of the Brampton good team over the last few season contest in Georgemidget B squad and was the thirdThunder, but the team years and it was just a mattown Jan. 13, Brampton round draft pick of the Toronto perservered and captured its firstter of time before we made iced just 10 skaters, yet Maple Leafs in 1976, while ever National Women's Hockey that next step." still managed to beat the Lariviere is a native of Granby, Championship in Sydney, Nova Canadian Olympic gold Oakville Ice 3-2. Que. who played football at Scotia recently. medallists Vicky Sunohara, "The girls hung tough," Montreal's McGill University. Since its inception in 1998, the Jayna Hefford and Gillian added Bennett, who is also The season isn't over for the TIM Thunder has been coached by GARY STEVE Ferrari-- along with the club's general managThunder as the NWHL playoffs LARIVIERE Steve Bennett and his associate McFADYEN BENNETT American Kathleen er. "There were some continue. Brampton eliminated Tim Lariviere, with another Kauth-- played key roles games where we only had Oakville in a best-of-3 semi-final Georgetown resident, Gary McFadyen, for the Thunder in winning the national 12 players and we had to rely on call-ups series this past weekend, and will now face joining the staff five years ago. Brampton championship, even though they didn't from university teams. But the one thing we the Central Division champ Durham had two runner-up finishes and a bronze to actually start playing for Brampton until tried to do from the start of the year was to Lightning. From there, the survivor of that show for its previous trips to the Esso late last month. have (the Olympic participants) spend series will play either Montreal or Ottawa Nationals before breaking through in 2006, They'd been training with their respec- training camp with us and visit four or five on April 15 for the league title. defeating the Montreal Axion 2-1 in the tive national teams since last summer, leav- times through the season to keep in touch (Eamonn Maher can be reached at final. It's the third year in a row that an ing the Thunder somewhat short-staffed. with their teammates, by e-mail or whatevemaher@independentfreepress.com) Ontario team has claimed the national title. The Thunder's 19-12-5-0 regular-season er. And when they did come back, they fit --Photos courtesy I.D.E.A.S. Photography EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer