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

SPORTS theifp.ca Ex-Bulldogs finding their footing in the pro ranks Continued from page 33 SLOPE SAVVY: Georgetown District High School's alpine ski team placed first in the girls' team standings and Kyle Macdonald (far right) won the boys' individual race last week at the Alpine Ski Club as all six qualified for the OFSAA championships Feb. 27-28 at Blue Mountain. From left are: Allison Sippel, Megan Marsh, Chrissy Burcher, Meghan Sippel, Kayla Higgins. Photo by Eamonn Maher 'BOARD MEETING: Members of the GDHS girls' snowboard team placed third overall in the team standings at the OFSAA qualifying races held last week in the Collingwood area. From left: Meghan Jones, Erin Oughtred, Jocelyn Whittal, Brianna Buchan, Sabrina Abrahamse all qualified to compte in the OFSAA Snowboard Festival set for Thursday, March 2 at the Beaver Valley Ski Club. Photo by Eamonn Maher Friday's tilt is also a matchup of the NLL's top two clubs as the 5-1 Swarm is loaded with young stars and the Rock is in the early stages of a makeover following the retirements of captain Colin Doyle and Josh Sanderson. MacDonald's field teammate at Princeton University for three years, New Yorker Tom Schreiber, is leading the team in scoring despite never having played box lacrosse previously. The 23-year-old MacDonald didn't see much action as a rookie with the New England Black Wolves last year but signed with Toronto as a free agent and has picked up five goals and three assists in four starts this season. "There's definitely a youth movement with our team. We're fast and energetic and play a completely different game than they have here in the past," said MacDonald, who also won a Minto Cup national Jr. A championship with the Whitby Warriors in 2013 and is currently working for an investment bank in Toronto. "In the summer, when I found out I was coming back to Ontario, my first thought was I'd like to play for the Rock. Just like any kid who grew up playing lacrosse within an hour or two from Toronto, I grew up watching the team. It couldn't have worked out any better." The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Kri has already earned more Canadian championships that few players can boast -- the Founders Cup, a Minto Cup with the Orangeville Northmen in 2012 and a Mann Cup with the Victoria Shamrocks in 2015 -- and relishes playing close to home in the hunt for an NLL Champion's Cup ring to add to the collection. Kri has a goal and three assists in five games in 2017 for Toronto with an impressive face-off success rate near 70 per cent (68 for 104), although he feels there is much room for improvement playing alongside 35-year-old fellow Acton native Sandy Chapman. "(Taking face-offs) isn't what I came here to do. It was just an extra role I took on, but I try to focus first on defence and not so much on the draws. I've taken on a bigger role and defensively I feel more comfortable out on the floor and having Sandy there has been a big help." The 24-year-old O'Connor, a firstround pick of the Rock (9th overall) in 2013 out of Hobart College in his third season with the Swarm, has become a key cog in transition with two goals and four assists so far this year. Sellars was taken with the last pick of the 2016 NLL Draft by Georgia after excelling on the field at Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte, N.C. and the 6-foot-3, 215-pound defender has a goal and two assists in five games with Georgia. Kri said there will probably be some kind of get-together with the Bulldog grads after Friday's game but it will likely be short as the Rock visits Rochester Saturday and the Swarm hosts those same Knighthawks Sunday. "Looking back at it, we did things a little bit differently in Georgetown, just in terms of everyone playing Jr. B," noted MacDonald. "All of those guys did eventually move up to Jr. A, but it does speak to how good that team was for a Jr. B team from Halton Hills to accomplish what we did. It's still a close group of guys." The general manager of that Bulldogs' team, Mike Hancock, is the Rock's director of communications and lacrosse operations. HALTON HILLS MINOR LACROSSE ASSOCIATION COME TO THE DOG POUND! REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN & AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY! *Free Stick to All 1st Time Registrants (not applicable to girls field programs) * Ages 3 to 16 accepted *Affordable Registration Fees *Support a healthy lifestyle *Improve aerobic conditioning and hand/eye co-ordination *20 + NCCA Halton Hills' Premier Location for Golf, Curling, Corporate and Special Events. web@nhgcc.ca | www.nhgcc.ca Insta Hockey in winter, Lacrosse in summer. It's a BULLDOG thing! Scholarships and counting! (Box, Field, House League and Rep, open to boys and girls Ages 3-16) 905.877.5236 Come out and play Canada's National summer sport and the fastest game on 2 feet! For For more more information information or to to register register visit: www.bulldogslacrosse.ca Page 34 - Thursday, February 16, 2017 - The IFP - Halton Hills - www.theifp.ca