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

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 13, 2012 · 30 Dawson helped expansion teams quickly attain NLL respectability Continued from page 29 STRONG SEASON: The Oakville Vytis major atom girls' basketball team won three medals this past season, including gold at a competition in Scarborough. Major atom Vytis won three medals The Oakville Vytis major atom girls recently concluded a successful basketball season that saw them earn three tournament medals, including a gold. Highlights from the Vytis' campaign included winning the Scarborough AA tournament in January and earning bronze at the Ottawa-Gloucester tournament in February. Members of the team are Erin van Huuksloot, Fiorella Granda, Caitlin Dougall, Lauren Montanari, Bryn Rutherford, Trinity Duff, Aiyana Salvatore, Natalie Bot, Avery Murray, Erica Sampson, Jordan Merner, Kali Pocrnic, Lauren Cross, Jessica Harraway and Kristen Abraham. The team is coached by Stephen Merner, Ken Cross and Ronda Rumig. control that." Dawson was picked up by Philadelphia, which reunited him with his brother, Paul, for the second time in their careers. Finally with an established team -- the Wings began play in 1987 in the NLL's predecessor, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League -- Dawson hopes to put down some roots. "At this point in my career, I want to get heavily involved in the community and help grow the sport," he said. The team has been inconsistent -- a three-game win streak that got the Wings to 7-4 was followed by a three-game losing streak, dropping them back to the .500 mark -- but given his ability to step up his game in the post-season (98 points in 14 career playoff games), it's impossible to count out a Dawsonled team. In reality, Dawson has always been an assist man. He's played for five teams in his career. Those teams posted a combined record of 12-34 (.261 winning percentage) in the year before his arrival and a 35-43 mark (.449) in the year after his arrival. Philadelphia, 5-11 last year, is the most successful team he's ever joined. And yet, in his first season he helped one team (Boston) win its division and led another (Portland) to the NLL final. Not quite the veteran he is now, it took him two seasons to lead the expansion Arizona Sting to the championship game in 2005 (and again in 2007). Dawson is doing it again this year, helping the Wings secure a playoff berth after missing out on the post-season for three straight years. And he's been his usual consistent self. He's second in the league with 94 points in 14 games and, with two games remaining, could top his career best total of 107. The 30-yearold, of course, credits his teammates. "My role has turned into more of a quarterback or a point guard. I try to draw the double team," he said. "Lacrosse is such a team sport. You're only as successful as the players around you and we've got so many great players, they make my job much easier." Of course, the players around Dawson will tell you the same thing. "That season (in Boston) there were a lot of guys coming in and just trying to develop a name for themselves in the league,"said Thenhaus, the former Oakville Buzz standout who now plays with the Toronto Rock. "And with a guy like Dan Dawson steering the ship, there's no way you can't be a better player playing with him." -- Herb Garbutt can be followed on Twitter at @Herbgarbutt Join the biggest cancer event to make the biggest difference. REGISTER TODAY FOR RELAY FOR LIFE OAKVILLE! Register now! Early bird teams are eligible for prize incentives. Don't miss out. Gather your team and join the fight! For more information, please contact Maggie at mirving@ontario.cancer.ca or call (905) 845-5231 Register now at relayforlife.ca Save the date: June 1-2, 2012 @ Appleby College One Night · One Community · One Cause