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20 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, January 27, 2011 Georgetown native's goal sends Raiders to 5-3 loss Georgetown resident Justin Rasmussen potted the third-period winner as the Mississauga Chargers recorded a 5-3 upset victory over the visiting Georgetown Raiders Monday evening. The 17-year-old Rasmussen, a fourthround draft pick of the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors in 2009, tallied at the 5:11 mark of the third period on a power play to break up a 3-3 tie for his seventh goal of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League season. Rasmussen, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound centre, also has a goal and assist with the Memorial Cup-host Majors this year. The 29-13-3 Raiders held a 3-2 lead in the second period and had a chance to build on that as rookie Patrick Megannetty was awarded a penalty shot, but SPORTS & LEISURE missed. Justin Basso, Josh Burnell and Nick Marinac scored for Georgetown, which outshot the 11-31-3 Chargers 40-35. With five regular-season games remaining, the Raiders host the Buffalo Jr. Sabres Saturday at the Alcott Arena starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by a trip to Burlington Sunday to take on the firstplace Cougars at the Wave Twin Rinks at 3 p.m. Georgetown Raider forward Nick Marinac tries to slip one by Mississauga Chargers' goalie George Grammenopoulos during their Ontario Jr. Hockey League contest Monday night won 5-3 by the lowly Chargers. Photo by Rob Beintema Merger in jeopardy without arenas, say hockey execs By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer A proposed amalgamation between minor hockey groups in Georgetown and Acton is on thin ice pending the approval to build three arenas in Halton Hills before 2014, officials say. Executive members with Georgetown and Acton minor hockey associations have been working on arrangements for the past two years about amalgamating the organizations, with a constitution and bylaws already in place for what would be called the Halton Hills Minor Hockey Association. Members of the Halton Hills Ice User Group have made numerous pleas to council regarding the high demand for ice time in the four current rinks in operation. "The amalgamation was approved overwhelmingly provided that we could get the additional ice that we needed to make the program meaningful," said GMHA president Carson Mininch. "So I'm in the position that unless I go back and get another mandate, I can't turn around now and say, `Forget about your mandate, membership, but we're president Arlene Fritz. going to go this way.' I can't do that. We would have to "I think everyone felt this explain changes and get apwould be deferred because proval from them again." it's not a bad thing to look at other options, but for it not At a meeting on Jan. 4, to happen? I think it would the Halton Hills budget have been a huge political committee-- consisting of issue for the last election the members of town counto make sure everyone was cil-- voted 7-4 in favour of on board. There are a lot deferring for one month apof kids and adults in this proval of any capital budget municipality involved with items for 2011 regarding CARSON anything on the ice pads, future arena construction. MININCH whether it's pleasure skatA plan that would see the ing, figure skating, hockey building of another twin or 3-on-3." pad at Georgetown's MoldMininch explained that amalgaMasters SportsPlex and the twinning of the Acton Arena would cost an esti- mation of the Georgetown and Acton groups would enable the HHMA to opmated $29 million. Some Town councilors were shocked erate a "true" double-A, single-A and by the proposed financial strategy to additional entry rep system at both pay for the arenas, which would re- the major and minor levels within the quire the municipality to go $25 mil- Ontario Minor Hockey Association. At lion into deficit, mostly through prop- present, Georgetown is classified as a double-A, AE centre, while Acton runs erty tax debt. "Both organizations have really truly BB and AE teams. given up the mandate to say go forward There are currently close to 1,900 with amalgamation, but we need the players registered in house league and ice. That was always the problem and rep combined in the GMHA, while in now we're stuck on hold," said AMHA Acton, the house league and rep programs (350 and 150 players, respectively) have operated separately for over 50 years. The Acton House League has opted not to be part of the amalgamation. Several other municipalities in southern Ontario have teamed up to amalgamate in recent years, including Elora and Fergus (Centre Wellington), Alliston and Tottenham (TNT) and Nobleton and King City (Noble-King). Mininch added that the GMHA's refusal to turn away youths from registering has masked the scale of the icetime crisis and that there are probably 800 more youths playing in the GMHA alone for what would be typical of an organization that offers a suitable development system. For the 2010-11 season, the GMHA has more than 300 hours booked at the Erin-Hillsburgh and Caledon Teen Ranch facilities, while the AMHA accounts for about 100 hours of ice time in those rinks. Fritz said that plans are in place to apply a surcharge to registrations that would be used in a fundraising campaign to help build the arenas. 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