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8 The IFP · Halton Hills, Thursday, February 23, 2012 SPORTS & LEISURE After a 10-day hiatus from game action, the Georgetown Raiders began the 2012 Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs with a home game Wednesday night against the Burlington Cougars. For daily updates on the Raiders' playoff drive, visit our website www.theifp. ca. The West Division-champion Raiders received a first-round postseason bye while the fourthplace Cougars defeated the Milton IceHawks 3-1 in their best-of-5 opening-round matchup. Georgetown won all seven regular-season meetings with Burlington this year by a combined score of 44-12, including two shutouts. Game two of the best-of-7 series will be played Thursday Raiders must tame Cougars in first taste of playoffs at the Wave Twin Rinks, with game three in Georgetown Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Apparently due to the unavailability of ice time at the WTR, game four is set for Monday at 3 p.m. In the other OJHL West Division semifinal, the secondplace Oakville Blades take on third-seeded Buffalo, which swept the Hamilton Red Wings in their first-round series. The Blades were thankful for the contributions of a couple of Georgetown residents in game one of the series with Buffalo Tuesday. Winger Chris Taylor had a thirdperiod marker and linemate Todd Bannerman converted a rebound for the winning goal in a 4-3 overtime victory after the Jr. Sabres had led 2-0 after the first period. Going to the mat E.C. Drury's Max Michaelis (in gold) wrestles Georgetown's Jordan Kirby in the 77-kilogram finals of the last-ever wrestling meet to be held at the Milton school as it's closing in June. Michaelis provided a spirited capper to the day for the hosts, winning the second-last match of the tournament with a comefrom-behind three-round triumph over longtime rival Kirby. Drury won the overall team title, taking top spot in 10 of the 16 divisions, with Georgetown finishing third. Photo by Eric RiehlMetroland Media Group Montag brings college hardware home By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Asked how many times he's watched the thrilling 2011 Vanier Cup between his McMaster Marauders and the Laval Rouge et Or, Georgetown's Elliott Montag said he's lost count. The 21-year-old all-star centre brought both the Vanier Cup and the Yates Cup Ontario title back for a visit to where his football career took shape as a Grade 9 student playing on the senior team at Christ the King Secondary School. Surrounded by students and staff in the Jaguars' weight room, the 6-foot-2, 280-pound Montag fielded questions and recalled plays and stories from McMaster's euphoric 41-38 overtime victory over Laval in November at B.C. Place in Vancouver, the first national championship for the Marauders in what's widely been called the most exciting Vanier Cup game ever played. "We'll be on study breaks at school and somebody throws on the tape of the Vanier in OT," Montag chuckles. "My parents (Liz and Ken) will put it on when people are over visiting. At school, everyone wants to watch it over and over again and I love reliving the excitement of it all. It comes in waves, when you watch the tape or look at some of the pictures. We had finals the week after we got back from (Vancouver), so you had to get the celebrating out of your system pretty fast." Entering his fourth and likely final season at Mac, Montag feels the Marauders have the pieces in place to make another run at the Vanier Cup, which will be held in Toronto this year. Star quarterback Kyle Quinlan could be back for a fifth season, pending his performance at the Canadian Football League's Evaluation Camp March 2-4 in Toronto. A second team OUA all-star this past year, Montag hasn't ruled out pursuing a pro career himself when his kinesiology studies at McMaster are complete, but for now he's looking towards the start of next season in September. "We've pretty much got the same team coming back, a couple of guys are going to the CFL E camp, but if we do lose those players, there are some pretty good guys waiting in the wings to take their place," he added, after hearing that GDHS grad Donnie McKenzie signed with the Toronto Argonauts last week following four years as an offensive lineman at Wilfrid Laurier University. "I'm hoping to do the same as him next year; get invited to E camp and go from there. Hopefully I can keep this going a little longer because I don't want to stop playing football yet. I don't want to go into the real world just now." McMaster Marauders' all-star centre and Vanier Cup champion Elliott Montag brought the national championship trophy and the 175-pound Yates Cup back to Christ the King Secondary School for a visit last week. Photo by Eamonn Maher