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Top hockey talent from Halton high schools on display Thursday Halton high schools will be showcasing their bers, with the majority of Tier 1 teams entop boys' hockey talent Thursday, March 24 tering a forward and defenceman. when the Halton Secondary School Athletic The goaltenders were selected based on Association All-star Game is played at Ap- team success (the top four Tier 1 teams are pleby Ice Centre. all represented) while two additional goalies Forty players, including six goalies, will were nominated. be split into Halton North and Halton South The two teams will have a practice on teams divided (roughly) by Upper Middle Tuesday, March 22 from 4-5 p.m. at Appleby Road. Ice Centre. Game time at Appleby is 3:30 p.m. with Forty of the region's best high school boys hockey players will three 15-minute periods compete in the Halton Secondary School Athletic Association all-star and a shootout to follow game on Thursday, March 24 at Appleby Ice Centre's No. 2 pad in if necessary. Burlington. Game time is 3:30 p.m. Organizers hope the HSSAA South team HSSAA North team game acts as a tting No. Player School Player School culmination of the sea- No. 21 John Price Christ the King Abbey Park son and a chance to 22 Austin Irvine 2 Sam Wallace Christ the King Abbey Park showcase the league 11 Ben Prentice 6 Michael Hunter Craig Kielburger 33 Braden Leedham (G) Abbey Park and its players. 9 Jacob Wickware Craig Kielburger Aldershot Teams who had Tier 27 Ryan McIvor 7 Adam Grant Garth Webb Assumption 1 status this season will 19 Josh Mathieson 10 Cam Fritz Georgetown Craig Kielburger have at least two repre- 31 Josh McMillan (G) 66 Colin Hudson Hayden Loyola sentatives while Tier 2 61 Michael Pare 17 Zach Pettit Hayden Loyola teams have one each. 72 Nathan Gelinas 71 AJ MacRae Hayden Nelson Each team will have 16 Zack Moore 35 Matthew Lucente (G) Hayden 39 Curtis Ball Notre Dame equal representation of 22 Kyle Kolwich Holy Trinity 28 Aaron Yakiwchuk Notre Dame Tier 1 and 2 players. 27 Eric Hansen Holy Trinity 9 Jordon Boulding Oakville Trafalgar Most of the players are 30 Mike Gironda (G) Holy Trinity 14 Adam Goraieb Oakville Trafalgar Grade 12 students who 48 Daniel Moll Iroquois Ridge warrant recognition for 10 Owen Burningham Robert Bateman 16 Matthew Milford Iroquois Ridge 7 Josh Rees St. Thomas Aquinas their contribution and 1 Lucas Ricci (G) Iroquois Ridge St. Thomas Aquinas success throughout their 12 Mike Franko 37 Jake Tomkowiak King's Christian 8 Mike Macdonald T.A. Blakelock high school years. 4 Jonathan Mills King's Christian 20 Jack Base T.A. Blakelock Team selections were 12 Brady Bannon M.M. Robinson T.A. Blakelock made by each school 29 Kyle Salmon (G) 11 Ty Riley Pearson 55 Graeme Parker White Oaks coach or team mem- 35 | Friday, March 18, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com McDonnell's netminding talent first noticed on the soccer pitch By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff Sarah McDonnell earned the CHA goaltending award after sporting a 1.26 average in conference play to help the Mercyhurst Lakers reach the NCAA tournament, where they were eliminated by the No. 2 seed Wisconsin. | Photo courtesy of Mercyhurst University Watching her young keeper going completely horizontal, diving to make saves in front of a mini soccer net, Sarah McDonnell's coach couldn't help but think of how her abilities would translate to another sport. "If you think this is fun, you should try hockey," the coach told her. It didn't take long before the young soccer player who hadn't shown much interest in skating was asking her parents if she could play hockey. McDonnell signed up to play house league, but, surprisingly, as a defenceman. She played two years on the blueline before nally donning the goaltending equipment for a game near the end of her second season. "It always fascinated me," McDonnell said. "It might have been the cool equipment." As cool as the equipment was, it didn't exactly t her like a glove. With no other equipment available, she played with her catching glove on her left hand and blocker on the right -- backwards for the natural lefty. But she made enough of an impression on the rep coaches watching the game that she was asked to try out. She practised over the summer -- with glove and blocker on the proper hands -- and made the peewee A team the following season. "She loved playing net," said her dad, James, "but I think what she really wanted was one of the cool Oakville Hornet track suits." · · · Seven years after her rst game, McDonnell backstopped the Mercyhurst Lakers to a 4-3 overtime victory over Syracuse in the College Hockey America championship game to help her team reach the NCAA women's hockey tournament. Mercyhurst faced a dif cult task against the No. 2 seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the opening round, falling 6-0. McDonnell didn't mind being the last line of defence against one of the country's top teams. "It's an intense position," she said of being a goalie. "Not a lot of people like doing it, but I enjoy it." She's faced pressure before. Last season McDonnell stopped 23 of 24 shots and then turned away two of three in a shootout as Stoney Creek edged Whitby 2-1 to win the Provincial Women's Hockey League championship. Earlier in the season, she went 3-0, allowing just two goals, for Team Ontario as it earned a silver medal at the Canada Games. "It was a great experience," she said. "It helps you deal with the pressure of a national championship and that serves you in the long run." That experience helped McDonnell put together an outstanding freshman season with the Lakers. After allowing nine goals in her rst three games, she shut out RIT for her rst collegiate win and went undefeated in her next seven. That earned her CHA goalie of the month honours, an award she would claim again in January after recording a .960 save percentage in eight games. She was honoured again after the regular season, earning the conference goaltending award after leading the CHA with a 1.26 goalsagainst average in conference play. Overall, her 1.59 average ranked seventh in the nation. · · · McDonnell didn't know how much of an opportunity she'd get to play in her rst season at Mercyhurst. Of course, she didn't know how it would go when she rst strapped on the pads either. "I really didn't know what to expect," she said. "Playing on a rep team was an adjustment but my coach encouraged me to take that risk and her encouragement really helped me." That rst rep hockey coach just happened to be the soccer coach that rst suggested she play hockey -- Cathy Collier, the mother of Mercyhurst teammate Nicole Collier. McDonnell is happy she took her advice about trying a new sport. "It's paid off a little," she said. Blades oust St. Mike's, face Cougars starting tonight The Oakville Blades open their Ontario Junior Hockey League conference semi nal series against the Burlington Cougars tonight at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. Brendan McGlynn made 27 saves and Bryce Misley scored twice as the Blades ousted the St. Michael's Buzzers in six games of their best-of-seven series with a 6-1 win last weekend in Toronto. Josh Kosack and Drew Worrad each had six goals in the series while Kosack led the team with 11 points. The Blades/Cougars series opener tonight starts at 7:30, with Game 2 set for Monday, March 21 at Appleby Ice Centre in Burlington at 7:30 p.m. Game 3 is Tuesday, March 22 back at Sixteen Mile with game time set for 8 p.m. PLAY YOUR BEST GOLF GROUP PROGRAMS START Reserve Your Space Now! · Programs presented by PGA Professionals · Golf for Beginners, Golf for Woman I & II, Active 55+ · Golf for Kids, Short Game, Advanced, Company Groups, PRIVATE LESSONS, create your own group APRil 18 contact@pumagolf.ca · www.PumaGolf.ca 905-949-8764