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is id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 1, 20 18 | SPORTS Oakville's Schizas recovers to finish 6th at nationals Strong long program helps boost skater 6 spots in novice women's competition STEVE LEBLANC sleblanc@miltoncanadian champion.com With the most challeng­ ing elements behind her, Madeline Schizas figured any further hiccups to her short program were as well. Not so. A fluke misstep on some routine footwork saw the 14-year-old Milton Skating Club member come crash­ ing to the ice - the back of her head bearing the brunt of the fall. "It was hilarious, it was just a basic step forward," she said of the tough start to her national champion­ ship debut last week in Vancouver, which included two spills and a disappoint­ ing score of 35.34 - putting her 12th in the novice wom­ en's ranks after day one of competition. "I didn't get a concussion, which was nice." Unfortunate as things began, Schizas and coach Nancy Lemaire were un­ fazed. Danielle Earle Mario Bartel (Left) A strong long program carried Madeline Schizas to a sixth-place finish at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Vancouver. (Right) Helene Carle competes in the senior women's division at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships in Vancouver. The Skate Oakville skater finished 17th. "It's easier to shake off a fluke fall like that than if it had come on an element she would have to do again (in free skate)," noted Le­ maire. "We just said, 'Let's not let that be the defining moment of your national debut.'" Distancing herself from day one's glitches, the Oak­ ville native nailed four of her five triples - the most she's ever incorporated in the long program - and fin­ ished with a personal best 77.30-point showing. That was good enough to vault up the standings and take sixth overall. "She really competed in the moment," said Le­ maire. Added the White Oaks Secondary School student, "I felt good about coming back with a strong free skate. It was a great experi­ ence." The national champion­ ships were in stark con­ trast to Schizas' Skate Can­ ada Challenge efforts in Pierrefonds, Que. There, she had a person­ al best 44.70-point showing in the short program - which would have been tops in Vancouver - before a subpar free skate. "It's just a case of putting both routines together," said Lemaire. Like Schizas, Catherine Carle of Skate Oakville used a strong long program to climb in the final stand­ ings. Last year's Canadian novice women's champion was 15th after the short program, but scored an 83.09 on her long program (seventh best) to climb four positions, making up as much as five points on the skaters she surpassed to finish with a score o f123.83. Skate Oakville's Kaitlyn Chubb and partner Alex Gunther, competing in ju ­ nior dance, also finished 11th. Skate Oakville's Bennet Toman was 12th in senior men's, Jaime Gabbard was 13th in novice women's and Helene Carle was 17th in senior women's. - With files from Herb Garbutt HIGH SCHOOL OT continues winning ways Red Devils hockey team improves to 7-0 HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@burlingtonpost.com Already up 2-0 and about to go on a two-man advantage, the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils had a golden opportunity to put the game away. For 76 seconds, OT moved the puck around beautifully, keeping the pressure on their oppo­ nents but were unable to get the puck past the Rob­ ert Bateman goalie. Less than a minute later, the Wild scored to cut the lead to 2-1. Goals have not been easy to come by for the Red Devils this season. They rank sixth in the league in goals scored, a number that doesn't seem to match their skill level. But in ev­ ery game this season, they've managed to ac­ complish the primary goal - score more than the oth­ er team. "We've had trouble fin­ ishing, but we're also keeping the puck out o f the net," said OT coach Jeff Gruber, whose team has allowed just 10 goals in seven games. "They're working hard, we've been trying to work on our pow­ er play." The Red Devils have ro­ tated three goalies, Grade 11s Andrew Bourque, who picked up the win against Bateman, and Kieran Drover, and Grade 10 Ian Dell who is the only goalie returning from last year's team. With assistant coach Matt Hendry being a for­ mer junior goalie, the Red Devils are well looked af­ ter in the crease. At the other end, the Red Devils have delivered the goals when they've needed them. In the first game back from the Christmas break, in a meeting o f the last two undefeated teams, OT ral­ lied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to edge Nelson 3-2. Against Bateman, Niko Markakis jumped on Mark Boyd's rebound to score with 17 seconds left in the second period and Jack Creighton scored on Jake Howden's rebound in the third to put the game away. Grant Rieckelman and Niki Visic had staked OT to its early 2-0 lead. "We usually play better in the third," said Creigh­ ton, the team's captain. "We have a lot more veter­ an players than last year. They've been on the team before so they know what to do and what the coaches like." As well as the Red Dev­ ils have played in compil­ ing their 7-0 record, Grub­ er says the biggest test will come next month when playoffs begin. "It's like having three seasons," Gruber said, re­ ferring to a schedule that is interrupted by extended breaks for Christmas and for exams. "February is the real test. The team that plays well in Febru­ ary will be the team that moves on." mailto:hgarbutt@burlingtonpost.com SPORTS