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SPORTS Sykes' strong junior debut has Oakville juniors buzzing Graham Paine/Metroland Justin Sykes is enjoying an outstanding start to his junior lacrosse career. Sykes has scored 17 goals in five games to help the Oakville Buzz start the season with five straight wins. HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Justin Sykes still remembers his first goal 14 years ago. He had not even reached his third birthday yet when his dad signed him up for lacrosse. He ad­ mits he was a little scared playing with the big kids - those menacing four-year-olds - but at least he had his brother Matt to look out for him. Still, Sykes dreaded the ball coming his way. That changed with one big as­ sist. "My brother came and put the ball in my stick," Sykes recalls. "I scored and I liked that." The Oakville Buzz is the latest team to benefit from Sykes' love of scoring goals. In his first five ju­ nior games, Sykes has scored 17 times, to lead the Buzz to a 5-0 start. The rookie is far from just a sniper, though. "He's a strong athlete and he plays either end of the floor and that makes him extremely valu­ able," said Buzz coach Troy Cor- dingley, who has coached Sykes for 12 years through the minor la­ crosse ranks. "But the thing that makes him special, and you can ask anyone who's played with him, is he always puts the team first." So the fact that Sykes also con­ tributed 12 assists in his first two weeks of junior lacrosse shouldn't come as a surprise. The third overall pick in the On­ tario Jr. A draft, Sykes had the op­ tion of reporting to Barrie this sea­ son. But when he considered mov­ ing and switching schools, he felt it would be best to remain with his hometown team. Sykes will be moving away from home soon enough. The Grade 11 Abbey Park student has already committed to Hofstra Uni­ versity. While being a top-20 ranked lacrosse program was cer­ tainly a benefit, the school's aca­ demics were equally important for Sykes, who hopes to study either kinesiology or medicine. As a sought-after recruit, Sykes certainly had options. But even the recruiting process caught him off guard. The night before schools were first allowed to contact him directly, Sykes went to a Zac Brown Band concert in Toronto. He was riding GO train home when his phone rang at midnight. "That was a really surprising experience," he said. "That was a lot to take in." There has been a lot to take in lately, from earning MVP honours while leading the Oakville Hawks midgets to their second Ontario ti­ tle in three years to suiting up for Ontario at the national midget championships to playing for his country in an under-17 game prior to the Heritage Cup in Hamilton. "Even at a young age, he had the compete level. He always wanted to excel and that's what made him successful," Cordingley said. "He's a pretty level-headed kid. He doesn't let the success go to his head. He knows he still has a lot to improve." Just like his Buzz debut, Sykes didn't take long to make an impact in his first game in a Canadian j er- sey. He scored twice in the first 80 seconds and finished with a hat trick in a 25-7 win over the Iroquois Nationals. "That was pretty awesome," Sykes said. "Being able to play with everybody, the best from each province, honestly, it's something you dream about." The dream now is to bring the Buzz its first Jr. B league title since 2006 before moving up to Jr. A. Sunday against Akwesasne, which also came into the game with a 4-0 record, Sykes broke an 8-8 tie in the third period. He then added a goal - completing his fifth straight hat trick - and an assist as the Buzz scored three times in 41 seconds to seal the 12-9 victory. "We're all excited about the Jr. A process, but Troy has helped us focus on this year," said Sykes, one of nine Buzz players from last On­ tario midget championship team. "We have the talent and the skill set, but it's still tough competi­ tion." One of Ontario's best-ever short trackers won nine World Cup medals • Continued from page 58 als) and the World Champi­ onships. He had won two individual World Cup bronze medals and seven relay medals, highlighted by a gold at the World Cup race in Toronto in 2015. Duffy said that victory set a new standard for the Canadian team. "That was a wild relay," he said. "It was a young crowd in terms of speed­ skating experience but you could see them getting more into it all weekend. That relay kind of captured the moment." Kicking up his feet was the last thing Duffy re­ members from his final World Cup race. He re­ members waking up in the ambulance. He had frac­ tured three vertebrae in his neck and had two com­ pression fractures in his upper back. He credits the quick re­ sponse of team physiother­ apist Veronique Carmel for getting him into a neck brace and providing the critical treatment needed in the moments after the fall. Still, the full extent of his injuries wouldn't be know until he returned to Montreal. Further tests showed he had suffered a tear in the inner lining of the main artery in his neck. The injury brought the risk of blood clots, particularly in the first week. It remains the only lasting complica­ tion from the crash. At least physically. Duffy has always been his toughest critic. "I've always been told that I love to be a pessi­ mist," he says. "I could find fault in the best of races. I guess I'm a bit of a perfec­ tionist." So when he returned to the ice in the fall, it was tough for him to be happy with how things were go­ ing. It had been months since his last race, but in reality it was incredible that he was skating at all. Yet he needed to be on the ice to be ready for the Canadian short track speedskating Olympic tri­ als. Still not back in top shape, he wondered if he would be able to maintain control in the corner as skated that fine line needed to go fast. "I wasn't the same rac­ er," he said. "If someone tried to pass, I'd just step out and let them through. Emotionally, it was tough to race." Duffy couldn't seem to regain that edge. It was dif­ ficult to be fearless, espe­ cially knowing the toll his injury had taken on him and those who have sup­ ported him throughout his career. When he didn't qualify for the Olympics, he felt a sense of relief rather than disappointment. "I realized the dream was dead, but I was pretty damn lucky," the 27-year- old said. "It was a big weight off my shoulders." The same week he wrote his final exam to complete his history degree, Duffy announced his retirement from skating. "The accident, weirdly enough, was actually something that was for the better, where I was able to see things in a different light and be more free," Duffy said. "Now I'm ready for the next step in my life." S> | O akville B eaver | T h u rsd a y, M ay 1 0 ,2 0 1 8 in sid eh alto n .co m mailto:hgarbutt@metroland.com