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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 11 | Wednesday, April 23, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Atom AA Hornets win when it matters most It was tough to take at the time. Losing in overtime in the Silver Stick final. Losing in overtime in the semifinals of the Etobicoke tournament. Losing to teams they knew they could beat. Through it all, Brad Arsenault told the Oakville atom AA Hornets to not get discouraged. "We didn't win a tournament all year. The kids were crushed but when you lose, you learn. I just told them to focus on the objectives, which were Lower Lakes and provincials," the Hornets coach said. "I told them you will get these opportunities again. Sometimes when you have too many early successes, you get beat because other teams are playing with more urgency." That other team turned out to be the Hornets. From their heartbreaking losses came a string of thrilling victories when it mattered most, including in the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League final. The last of those came in the recent Ontario Women's Hockey Association gold-medal game when Kyleise Rolf von den Baumen scored four minutes into overtime to give the Hornets a 2-1 victory over Stoney Creek. Reese Oliver's goal early in the first period staked Oakville to a 1-0 lead that held up until a Stoney Creek player broke through the defence and scored with just under five minutes remaining in regulation. "All the Stoney Creek parents were going crazy," Arsenault said. "I called a timeout to try to break their momentum and to remind our girls, `It's a new game, but we can still win.'" Oakville had some chances in regulation but couldn't get the winner. Then in overtime, Rolf von den Baumen, a centre who had been switched to the wing to take advantage of her strength and heavy shot, got the puck in the high slot and ripped a shot under the crossbar to give the Hornets the provincial title. It was the same spot Rolf von den Baumen had scored from in Oakville's 3-0 semifinal win over the Burlington Barracudas, a team that had vexed the Hornets all season. It was the same spot she had buried the winning goal from in a 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa in the quarter-finals. The Hornets' Lower Lakes title was no less dramatic. Oakville needed a shootout goal by Tara Blackburn in the deciding game of its second-round series against London just to advance to the championship weekend. There, the Hornets went undefeated, capping the round-robin with a decisive 4-1 victory over a strong Clarington team that finished first in the East Division. Oakville, the West Division leaders (14-2-6), faced Whitby in the league final. With the game tied 1-1, Blackburn scored in overtime to give the Hornets a 2-1 victory. "We never really built on two or three players," Arsenault said. "To win both of those, you need all 17 on board." For four players -- Reese Oliver, Paige Oliver (who shut out Burlington in the OWHA semifinal), Reichen Kirchmair and Stephanie Stainton -- it was their second straight sweep of the OWHA and Lower Lakes titles, having accomplished the feat in novice as well. Other members of the team are Ava Henry, Quinn Dawson, Nicole O'Leary, Katie Stone, Jessica Haylock, Selena Monardo, Sara DiFilippo, Leah MacSween, Athena Vasdani, Erin Cabaday, Jenni Randall, assistant coaches Jeff Rolf von den Baumen, Mike Krichmair, Grant Dawson and trainer and manager Stephanie Oliver. -- Herb Garbutt The Oakville atom AA Hornets won both the Ontario Women's Hockey Association and Lower Lakes Female Hockey League championships this season. | photo submitted Vytis U12 girls claim Ontario Division 6 title A season that began with uncertainty ended with a provincial Division 6 gold for the Oakville Vytis under-12 major atom girls. Vytis (pictured, right) won four consecutive games at the Ontario Basketball Association championships, downing Scarborough Blues 27-14, Orillia Lakers 38-27, Peterborough Power 34-29 and Nepean Blue Devils 41-36. As recently as January, Vytis was not sure it had enough players to field a team this season. The club featured seven first-year players. Members of the team are Angelina Lasic, Brooklyn Parro, Erin Fiorillo, Farrah O'Connell, Grace Vanderdoelen, Ivana Naumovska, Julia Benoit, Jascel Balbastro, Julia Benoit, Lyla Awan and Rachael DeHooge. The team is coached by Linh Nguyen. Leah Holden Elizabeth Richmond Sami Nevado Local trio earns provincial silver Three Oakville residents recently helped the Halton Hurricanes 14-under Black girls' volleyball team win provincial Division 1, Tier 1 silver at the Ontario Volleyball Championships in Waterloo. Leah Holden, Elizabeth Richmond, Sami Nevado and Hurricanes Black started slowly at provincials -- losing two of their first three matches -- before winning six straight to reach the final. Halton fell 21-25, 8-25 to Aurora's Storm Typhoon in the gold-medal game, finishing second out of 93 teams at provincials. The Hurricanes, who also featured players from Burlington and Hamilton, medalled in each 14U tournament they competed in this season as well as two 15U tournaments. Mercedes-Benz 10K Sunday in south Oakville The sixth annual Mercedes-Benz Oakville 10K, presented by New Balance Oakville, will take place Sunday in the south part of town. The event will feature a 10-kilometre run/walk, 5K run/walk, 1K junior jog, 300-metre toddler trot and a mascot race. Check-in starts at 6:30 a.m. at Appleby College. Opening ceremonies will be held at 7:50 a.m., followed by the 10K race at 8:15 a.m.