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Minor bantam AA Rangers were lone Canadian semifinalist lowed an 8-2 win over the Petrolia Oilers. The Rangers also hammered the San Jose Jr. Sharks 13-0, squashed the Declo Phantoms 11-1 and defeated the Barrie Colts 4-1 during the tournament. Max Perry and Ethan Enright provided rock-solid goaltending throughout the competition for the Rangers. Forwards Adam Nicholson, Daniel Littlejohn, James Johannesson, Ben Ecclestone, David Hayman, Jordan Gamble, Michael Syrota, Rogan Doyle and Ryan Skjarum helped Oakville score 40 goals during the tournament, and defencemen Aidan Williams, Chris Nurmi, Aidan Ecclestone, Caleb Walker, Evan St. James and Mac Sinclair keyed the club's strong defensive effort. Oakville had qualified for the international championships by winning the Georgina regional competition in early December. The Rangers won the gold-medal game 5-0 over Richmond Hill after posting 6-0, 5-2 and 5-1 wins in round-robin play and a 4-2 triumph over Aurora in the semis. Dave Skjarum, Sean Doyle, Cam Sinclair and Luke St. James coach the Rangers, who also earned A-level bronze at the Bell Capital Cup last month. Steve Nicholson is the trainer and Paul Enright manages the Continued from page 26 27 · Friday, January 25, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com REGIONAL CHAMPS: The Oakville minor bantam AA Rangers won their regional Silver Stick qualifier in Sudbury to qualify for the international tournament, where they reached the semifinals. squad. Minor bantam AA The Oakville minor bantam AA Rangers were the lone Canadian team to reach the semifinals at their International Silver Stick tournament recently in Newmarket. Oakville doubled up the Toronto Wolverines 4-2 to open the tournament, fell 5-4 to the eventual champion USA Eagles and blanked Peterborough 4-0 to reach the semifinal round, where it dropped a 4-1 decision to the Oakland Grizzlies. Derek McVey (two), Spencer McLean and Justin Lyttle scored for the Rangers against Toronto. Liam Gravelle, Jacob Moro, McLean and McVey tallied against the Eagles; Gravelle (two), Cameron McLean and Moro provided the offence against Peterborough; and Moro had Oakville's lone marker versus Oakland. The Rangers qualified for the International Silver Stick finals by winning the Sudbury regional competition in December. Oakville blasted the Ottawa Silver Seven 5-1 in the final of the Sudbury tournament, led by two-goal performances from Cameron McLean and Gravelle. McVey had the Rangers' other goal in the title game. Oakville had also defeated Ottawa in its opening game of the tournament, claiming a 4-1 decision. That was followed by an 8-1 romp over the host Sudbury Jr. Wolves, a 1-1 tie against the Mississauga Jets to conclude round-robin play and a 4-3 win over the Mississauga Terriers in the semifinals. Spencer McLean scored the game-winner in the semifinals, banging in a rebound late in regulation. Moro had a natural hat trick in Oakville's first win over Ottawa. Other goal scorers for the Rangers during the tournament included Christopher Bassett and Lyttle. Game MVP awards went to Lyttle, Moro, Joshua Aloe, Nick Humeniuk and Cameron McLean, and the tournament MVP was awarded to Moro. Also contributing to the Rangers' regional tournament win and appearance at the International Silver Stick were Tyler Blanchard, Riley Butler, Harrison Clarke, Ethan Cummings, Tol Gerchikov, Geoffrey Marchioli, Alexei Morita and Mike Taciuk. The team is coached by Mark Moro, Chris Martin, Erik Nabeta and Mark Soubry. Laura McLean and Diana McVey are the managers. Kids' contest to design Pan Am mascot KINGS IN KESWICK: The Oakvlle Venom atom boys recently won a basketball tournament in Keswick, winning four of five games at the competition. Hey kids, it's time to start flexing those creative muscles. Canadian youth are being asked to do so in the name of national sporting pride, with the TORONTO 2015 Mascot Creation Challenge now officially underway. Rather than rely on professional illustrators, the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee is calling on young artists to design a mascot for the Games. The contest is open to teams of two to six children and/or youth 16 years and under. To be considered, all hand-drawn entires and 250-word mascot life stories must be mailed to TO2015 by March 8. The top six designs will be featured in a nationwide online voting contest this spring, with the winning mascot revealed on Aug. 7 to kick off the two-year countdown of the Games. As the official ambassador of the Games, the mascot will visit communities and schools through Canada, appear on signage and merchandise and welcome athletes and visitors from 41 countries in the summer of 2015. The mascot could be an animal, an inanimate object or even a space oddity that captures the excitement of the Games. For an entry form or more information, visit www.toronto2015mascot.ca. Atom Venom boys win Keswick title With its only loss coming by one point, the Oakville Venom atom boys won four of five games to claim the championship at the IEM Basketball Tournament recently in Keswick. Oakville defeated the Brampton Breakdown 50-43 in the championship game. Earlier in the tournament, the Venom downed Milton Stags B 53-24, edged Toronto JCC 52-51, thumped Brampton 70-38 and fell 42-41 to Toronto. "We had strong passing skills and were really focused on making good shots," Venom rookie Owen Parney said. "We have also been working hard on our defensive and offensive rebounding, and that helped us in our games." Coaches David Wilson and Claude Heath have emphasized skill development and fundamentals all season. "Our program is designed around making sure all of our boys get full skill development in all key areas of the game," Wilson said. "These skills will continue to lead to on-court success." The Venom, ninth in its division last year, is playing an aggressive schedule against some of last season's top teams in an effort to advance to Tier 1. "(Our coaches) always support us and encourage us on the court and off," said Venom player Andrei Adam. "They make the right calls to help us succeed against some tough teams. We know that we can take it up a level and play against the best teams in the province." Other members of the Venom are Tyler Garcia, Manuel Bustamante, Jan Gielazewski, Fletcher Lorenzo, Mateo Mayne, Ronan Heath, Jaden Reyes, Mickey Griffiths, Christian Hines and Khelan Dhindsa. Gold in Stratford for peewee Hornets Megan Harley's goal gave the Oakville peewee A Hornets a 1-0 win over host Stratford in the championship game of the recent Festival Challenge girls' hockey tournament. Madeline Hayes and Emmy-Lou O'Neill drew assists on Harley's marker, which capped an undefeated showing by Oakville at the tournament. The Hornets eliminated Owen Sound, Bluewater and Aurora during round-robin play. The gold was Oakville's third medal in four tournament appearances, and the Hornets' second title. Other members of the team are Mikayla Hanson, Hunter Nugent, Chelsea Coderre, Emily Wilson, Chloe Saxton, Laura Cote, Sydney Morrison, Rylee Davison, Catherine Trevors, Logan Hackett, Avery Vickers, Isabelle Hardy, Andrea Fausto and Ashley Taciuk. Dominick Hardy, Neil Morrison, Dave Wilson, Thom Harley, Scott Vickers, Steve Hayes and Jake Hanson coach the team. Antonietta Cote is the squad's trainer. -- A photo of the team can be found online at http://bit.ly/ZD4OIA