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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 29, 2016 | 18 Kevin Nagel Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Pieces `falling into place' as Hornets ready for stretch run By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Brooke Jovanovich had three goals and an assist in a pair of Oakville Hornet wins on the weekend. The Hornets start a six-game homestand tonight at Joshua's Creek Arenas against London. | photo by Herb Garbutt -- Oakville Beaver It took more than four months, but the Oakville Hornets finally got the first look at their team. A combination of good fortune and bad luck has left Oakville shorthanded since its opening game of the Provincial Women's Hockey League season, but never more so than in the past month. With Julia Edgar, Emma Maltais, and Jaime Bourbonnais back from the Canadian under-18 team and Amy Curlew returning from off-season knee surgery, the Hornets put their entire lineup on the ice for the first time Saturday. But despite the return of the four veterans, it was the Hornets' rookies that stole the spotlight in a pair of weekend wins. First-year players scored all seven Oakville goals, led by Brooke Jovanovich and Annie MacDonald. The duo had combined for just three goals prior to the weekend, before scoring five times in two days. Jovanovich opened the scoring in a 4-3 win over Waterloo and had two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over Barrie. The 16-yearold earned a bronze medal with Ontario Blue at the under-18 national championships in November and said the experience was extremely valuable. "The speed and size of the girls is so much better. You have to realize you're not always Creating Dream eam Kitchens going to get that perfect shot and you have to be thinking two steps ahead of what you're going to do with the puck," the Grade 11 Appleby College student said. "It's a different level and it was awesome to play against some of the best players in the country. You have to figure out what you're really good at and find your role." MacDonald, who also played at nationals with Team Atlantic, is developing a habit of scoring at key times for the Hornets. In the last three weeks, she scored a last-minute, game-winner in an exhibition game against the Swiss under-18 team and then she scored with seven seconds left in a 2-2 tie with Aurora. Saturday, both of her goals gave Oakville a lead in the win over Waterloo. The production of the rookies is another promising sign for the Hornets who are essentially adding two top scorers for the stretch run. Maltais, whose 54 points ranked second in the PWHL last season, has been limited to just 12 games due to a broken wrist and her national team commitment. Curlew, who was invited to the Canadian training camp before being sidelined, led the Hornets with seven game-winning goals in her rookie year. She had two assists in her first game since undergoing surgery to repair her anterior cruciate ligament. "She's our secret weapon," Jovanovich said. "She brings such huge energy. She's worked so hard to get back. She's been with us at every tournament, every game. She's such a smart hockey player and plays good defence." A boost to the Hornets offence can only help a team that has managed to stay in contention through difficult circumstances. In each of the five games leading into the weekend, the Hornets had four or more midget call-ups in the lineup. Oakville hasn't played a game since Dec. 1 with less than three. At 18-7-4, Oakville is seventh in the standings but is just three points out of the top four. Jovanovich said a big reason for that starts in the Hornets' crease. "Obviously, with Nikki (Cece) and Daniela (Paniccia), we have such good goalies and we've depended on them." A year ago, the Hornets had three players among the league's top 10, plus the league's secondhighest scoring defenceman in Bourbonnais. This year, Oakville doesn't have a single player in the top 50. Jovanovich's four-point weekend gave her a share of the team scoring lead, with fellow freshman Jessica Maggioni, with 15 points. Rookie Jessica Smith, who scored the winner against Waterloo, leads the team with nine goals. The Hornets may not need gaudy numbers to take another run at their first league title. With a group of rookies that has already had to take increased responsibilities early in their careers augmented by veteran group, Oakville is well-positioned for the stretch run. "Our coach has always stressed playing good as a team," Jovanovich said. "That was especially important with all the players we were missing. It's not individual effort, it's coming together as a team. Now everything is falling into place." Notes: Oakville plays its next six games at home beginning tonight (Friday) against London at 8:30 p.m. at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Since 1977, we've been creating dream kitchens, baths, closets and wall units with balance, function and beauty. 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