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48 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006 The fly Eagles grounded in hoops rematch Nelson avenges playoff ousting By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER GOING SWIMMINGLY: Abbey Park student Erin Radford swims the 50-metre butterfly during Wednesday's high school swim meet at White Oaks. Radford easily won the race, contributing to the Eagles' overall title win at the competition. Complete results were not available at press time. Red Devils test Irish in girls' hockey The Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils, looking for their first win of the high school girls' hockey season, almost got it in unlikely fashion Wednesday. The Devils battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a team that hasn't lost a regular season game in four years, for two periods before a pair of unanswered goals sent OT to a 5-2 defeat. The Irish scored in the opening minute of the game but Olivia Domiani danced around one defender then beat Notre Dame goalie Meghan O'Neil for a power-play goal. Paige Goloubef and Erin Beaver drew assists. However, it took Notre Dame only six seconds to regain the lead. Despite good chances on the power play in the second, O'Neil helped the Irish maintain its lead and Notre Dame went up 3-1 midway through the period. Goloubef used her speed to create a good shorthanded scoring chance but was denied by O'Neil. OT would cut into the lead when Bianca Mirabella took a pass from Megan French, broke in and ripped a shot from the top of the circle to make it 3-2. Notre Dame would add another goal six minutes into the third and another into an empty net to seal the win. Boys' hockey Goals from James Wallace, Jake Legein and Ryan French helped the Holy Trinity Titans boys' hockey team gain a 3-3 tie against the Nelson Flames in recent play. HIGH SCHOOLSPORTS Matt Bertrand, Ryan Mallany, Ed Konroyd-Bolden, Adam Kubacki and Legein earned assists for the Titans, who held a 3-1 third-period lead before Nelson rallied for the draw. In other action, the Loyola Hawks defeated the Abbey Park Eagles 3-1. Hamel Scott scored twice and Niksic Velimir also tallied for Loyola, with Brandon Smith replying for the Eagles. Boys' basketball Led by a 21-point effort from Kyle Enright, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders defeated the White Oaks Wildcats 71-11 in Halton high school senior boys' play Tuesday. Matt Padmore scored six in a losing cause for the Wildcats. In junior action, Nelson held off a late charge by Abbey Park for a 41-39 victory. The Eagles held Nelson to just three points in the final quarter as they attempted to overcome an 11-point deficit. Brandon Musselman led Abbey Park with nine points, Zach Hill had eight, and Eric Kucerak and Bijan Hezarkhani each had seven. -- Coaches, parents and students are encouraged to submit high school sports results and details to The Oakville Beaver by e-mailing sports@oakvillebeaver.com. Call it payback, call it revenge. Call it even. The Abbey Park Eagles and Nelson Lords met Tuesday for the first time since the Eagles ended Nelson's seven-year reign as Halton high school senior boys' basketball champions with an upset victory in last year's regional semifinals. So, even though it was just two games into the regular season, the matchup was an intriguing one. And for the first half of Tuesday's game, it looked like the teams were on course for another epic battle with Nelson clinging to a 3938 halftime lead. However, after momentarily losing its lead in the opening minute of the second half, Nelson roared out to a 20-1 run, alternately driving to the basket and pulling up for the outside shot, leaving the Eagles struggling as to what to defend against as they went down to a 73-61 defeat. "(The Lords) came out and adjusted really well," said Eagles coach Dana Stubbert "We tried to contain their penetration but even when we did they made their shots (from the outside)." Nelson was strong defensively as well, forcing the Eagles into numerous turnovers in the third quarter. The Eagles lost two starters from last year's squad, including 6-foot-10 centre Geoff McLaughlin, who is now pulling down rebounds for the McMaster Marauders. While that is a big loss, both literally and figuratively, it was partially offset by the addition of Pat Donnelly, who played on the provincial under-15 team. Still, it will take time for Donnelly to adjust to the senior game, which was apparent when he fouled out in the third quarter Tuesday. Donnelly joins returning veterans Pete Devooght, Pat's brother Matt Donnelly and Nik Rusic in the Eagles' starting lineup. Among the team's seven new players are Greg Stewart and Peter Howse, who join the team from last year's Eagles' junior squad that went undefeated before losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Halton final -- the same fate that befell the seniors. "We're trying to get these guys as much time as possible to build their confidence and let them see how it feels to play senior, because that is a big difference," Stubbert said. Devooght continues to be the team's offensive leader. He hit five three-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points while Pat Donnelly had 10 despite missing the final quarter. Matt Donnelly and Stewart each had eight. Nelson and Abbey Park have now split their four meetings over the last two years and though Stubbert knows going into Nelson's gym in the first game back after the Christmas break (Jan. 9) will be a challenge, it's one he's looking forward to. "We're definitely going to adjust based on what we saw here," he said. "I think they'll see a different team. We will have improved, it's just a matter of how much (we'll have) improved." -- Herb Garbutt can be reached at sports@oakvillebeaver.com. CANLAN ICE SPORTS ­ OAKVILLE CHRISTMAS BREAK HOCKEY CAMPS ­ JAN. 2nd-5th Tips for Tots, Powerskating, High Performance, Girls Only, Elite Shoot to Score $119.00-$229.00 REGISTER TODAY Spaces are limited! 905-845-6989 www.icesports.com