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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, December 18, 2009 · 40 Raiders taking another run at OFSAA By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF SERVE'S UP: Aquinas setter Michayla Caughlin delivers a serve during a game last week. The Raiders senior girls' volleyball team has enjoyed a strong start to the season as it attempts to get back to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) tournament. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER Ridge hockey has come long way Continued from page 39 trouble as well, defeating Toronto St. Michael's at the York tournament and falling 4-2 to Mississauga's Our Lady of Mount Carmel. "I thought we were going to have a good team, but I didn't think it would be amazing," said forward Dalton Newsom. "We want to win Halton and give the guys at OFSAA a run for their money." The school's hockey program has come a long way in the past six years. The Trailblazers folded their team in the middle of the 2003 season (discipline and commitment issues) and didn't ice a squad the following year. Now, high school hockey is once again cool at Iroquois Ridge. "It's what you choose to make out of it," said Tarantino, a former NCAA star in his second season behind the Ridge bench. "We're trying to create an environment where it's fun to play. We make sure the boys are committed, and they've bought in." There's also strength in numbers. With 21 players on the team, Tarantino holds the hammer when it comes to players missing practice or having discipline issues. "We can't dress them all every game," said Tarantino, who has already given each player an estimate of how many games they will potentially appear in this year. "Guys don't want to give up their spot. "If a player gets in a fight, he's done. I'll sit him for the year. If you miss practice for no reason, you're not playing. It doesn't matter who you are." Goaltender Chris Andreou picked up his fourth shutout in seven games Wednesday. James Smith scored twice on one shift for the Trailblazers, who broke open the game with three goals on a fiveminute powerplay in the third period. Jordie Herman, Adam Polgar, Cory Camilleri, Anthony di Bella and Andrew Kwast had the other Ridge goals. The Loyola Hawks also carried an undefeated record into yesterday's action, going 6-0-2 in their first eight games. They'll join the Trailblazers in the top tier of the Halton league when the regular season resumes next month. At one time, Michayla Caughlin was a big hitter. Her semifinal grand slam helped the Oakville Angels midget softball team win the U.S. Softball Association World Series last summer. But now it is Caughlin's job to get the ball to the big hitters. As the setter on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders senior girls' volleyball team, it's up to her to coordinate the attack. And the plan of attack this year is to get Aquinas back to the provincial high school championships. Caughlin got a baptism by fire at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) tournament in Grade 9, when she was pressed into starting duties because the Raiders' starting set- "We're a volleyball ter was on a school trip. school. Every single Aquinas won the consolayear, the goal is tion championship and it turned out to be a valu- OFSAA. Not a lot of able experience for teams can say that." Caughlin. "I realized how much Aquinas co-captain better you have to get to Alexa Howard be a good volleyball player," said Caughlin, who plans to play beach volleyball this summer instead of softball. Now, with three years of rep volleyball under her belt, the Grade 11 student is ready to take another run at OFSAA. Middle Jess Reynolds and power Gisela Panza were also part of that Aquinas OFSAA team and, along with co-captains Alexa Howard and Cassie Rogers, the Raiders believe they have a team capable of making it back. "We're a volleyball school," said Howard. "Every single year, the goal is OFSAA. Not a lot of teams can say that. But we always have six girls on the court who know how to play together." That familiarity not only helps in setting up plays but in also overcoming difficulty when things aren't going well on the court. "We're not just teammates, we're also friends," Rogers said, "so we can use constructive criticism to let each other know what's wrong." Extra motivation this year This year, there's a little extra motivation for the Raiders. Though both the senior and junior teams reached the Halton final last year, Aquinas failed to claim a league title. The seniors' loss was particularly hard. They took the opening set only to have Milton District rally to take the next two. The Mustangs will play in the AAA league this year, but both Acton and E.C. Drury should provide a challenge for Aquinas. The Raiders, who won their first two games in league play, will be prepared. As of last week, they'd already played in three tournaments -- sporting a 296 match record -- twice reaching the semis and winning their own event. Their opponent in that final, the Aquinas junior squad, shows there is plenty of hope for the future. Although knee surgery has sidelined last year's MVP, Meagan O'Donnell, for the season, middles Cayla Celestini and Melissa Bleaker, along with setters Jasmine Zanussi and Laura Medlock, give the team depth. With Peter Szpakowski coaching both teams, the juniors and seniors practice together and the benefits have been noticeable. The Raiders junior squad beat senior teams from Holy Trinity, King's Christian Collegiate and E.C. Drury to reach the tournament final. The link between the two teams also helps ease the move from junior to senior, which has allowed firstyear seniors Nicole Walker, Christina Carvalho and Amanda Morin to seamlessly transition from the junior squad. "It's not really about senior and junior teams," Szpakowski said. "It's about building a program." A program that hopes to add more accolades to its resume this year. Athletiques start indoor season on right foot Several Athletiques International members began the indoor season by winning medals at the recent International Youth Meet of Champions at York University. Rachel Bronzovich won the Athletiques' first medal at the meet, claiming silver in the midget girls' 800-metre run with a personal-best time of 2:29.39. First-year bantam Sura Yekka won silver in her first attempt at the 400m, crossing the line in 1:03.11 The Athletiques' midget girls' 1600m relay team then edged out Quebec and Toronto opponents to win gold. Bronzovich ran the final 800m of the race, passing the Toronto team in the final 40 metres. Claire Segeren ran the first 400 metres of the race while Alyssa McGraw and Tina Steinhauser each ran 200 metres. On the final day, five Athletiques sprinters posted personal-best times in their 200m events. Katherine Slattery, Meaghan Collins, Steinhauser, McGraw and Yekka each eclipsed their previousbest times. John Breeson added a pair of top-10 finishes in midget boys' races. As a team, Athletiques' eight representatives combined to earn 27 points, placing 26th out of the 44 teams that scored at least one point at the meet. Athletiques was the top squad from the Golden Horseshoe area. The club returned to action last weekend when it competed in the North Toronto meet at York, the last competition of the calendar year. www.icesports.com 905-845-6989