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

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 7, 2008 - 41 Steve Mason nets first NHL victory By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When you've been the last line of defence in upholding your country's honour in its national obsession, you learn a thing or two about pressure. And the benefit of that big-game experience paid off as Steve Mason made his National Hockey League debut Wednesday. "There were more nerves for the world junior," Mason said, a day after backstopping the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-4 AMIE SABAU/COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS victory. "It was short notice so I really did- n't have time to get nervous." Mason was slated to start Friday's game against the Montreal Canadiens and his family had made plans to travel down to see his debut. But that all changed when Columbus goalie Fredrik Norrena injured a groin muscle in the morning skate Wednesday. The 20-year-old MVP of Canada's goldmedal world junior team blanked Edmonton in the first period, but two quick goals early in the third gave the Oilers a 4-2 lead. Columbus immediately answered with two of its own, and Manny Malholtra batted home the winner with 1:09 to play. Columbus survived a final flurry by the Oilers, as Mason finished with 22 saves to record the win. "I really don't know if it's sunk in yet," Mason said. "It's what you work for your whole life. It was nice for the guys to come back and get a couple of quick goals. That really took a load off. " Mason may have had even more biggame experience to draw from. He was preparing to lead the Kitchener Rangers into the Memorial Cup last April when a torn ligament sidelined him, leaving him See Mason page 47 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008 Determined Wildcats claim junior girls' basketball title Hoops crown is White Oaks' first in nearly 20 years By Jon Kuiperij points in the fourth quarter. Corpus Christi narrowed the gap to nine by fouling down the stretch, but could not get any closer. Making their school's first appearance in a Kaminda Musumbulwa also had 11 points for Halton high school basketball final in nearly two White Oaks. Mira Krunic and Lana Marcy each decades, the White Oaks Wildcats junior girls scored 10, with Nevena Aksin adding five. weren't about to be denied. The Longhorns, who lost to White Oaks by Spurred on by a loud and supportive crowd, eight points during the regular season, were the Wildcats concluded an undefeated season hampered by early foul trouble to inside threat with a 49-40 victory over the Corpus Christi Stephanie Skacan. Corpus Christi also struggled Longhorns in yesterday's getting the ball to its other post (Thursday's) junior Division 2 "We were undefeated player, Ally Vonk, in the first half, championship game at Sheridan and wanted to keep as White Oaks carried a 23-17 that streak, and all College. lead into the intermission. White Oaks managed to the people that "We usually have more of an secure the majority of loose balls came made us inside game," said Longhorns throughout the contest, both excited and pumped." coach Rob Biturajac. "It would generating extra scoring oppor- White Oaks' have been nice to get (Skacan) in tunities for itself and preventing Ellie Hannaford the game more." chances for the Longhorns. The Longhorns' Grade 9 trio "We wanted it so much," said the Wildcats' of Christina Smiarowski, Hilary Lajoie and Vonk Ellie Hannaford, who scored nine of her team- combined for 32 points in the losing cause. high 11 points in the first half. "We were undeHaving opened only two months ago, Corpus feated and wanted to keep that streak, and all the Christi was competing in its first-ever Halton people that came made us excited and pumped." championship game in school history. White Oaks' juniors were perfect in the reguSTA, Trinity also saw action lar season last year as well, but lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Halton semifinals. Two other Oakville schools played in Halton That, coupled with the fact that White Oaks had- basketball finals yesterday. The St. Thomas n't reached a regional basketball final since 1989 Aquinas Raiders fell 60-31 to the Milton District (according to coach Ryan McLaughlin) made Mustangs in the senior girls' Division 2 final, yesterday's win extra sweet for the Wildcats. while the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils took on "That made us even more determined this Notre Dame in the junior girls' Division 1 title year to do as well as we could," the Wildcats' game yesterday afternoon (the game concluded Lana Marcy said. "We had the skill on this team, after the Beaver's deadline). we just needed to focus." See tomorrow's edition of The Oakville The Wildcats led yesterday by as many as 15 Beaver for coverage of those contests. BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER ILLEGAL DEFENCE: White Oaks' Ellie Hannaford drives past Corpus Christi Longhorns player Rachel Subic during yesterday's Halton high school junior girls' basketball Division 2 final at Sheridan College. The Wildcats won the physical contest, 49-40. 905-845-6989 www.icesports.com