29 Friday , A ugust 20, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m By Eamonn Maher SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Timing is everything, and as Oakvilles Dylan Gilbert looks back on his lacrosse career, its funny how things fall into place. The 20-year-old was named player of the game Tuesday for the Halton Hills Bulldogs for his four-goal, four-assist effort in a 17-3 rout of Onondaga in the opening game of the Founders Cup championship at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke. Gilbert also had a hat trick in a 17-4 win over Saskatchewan Thursday as the Bulldogs improved to 3-0 at the national Jr. B cham- pionship. The Bulldogs beat the defending champion Calgary Mountaineers 7-3 Wednesday. Gilbert was a late-season pickup by the Bulldogs from the Oakville Buzz and has been a key offensive catalyst in the playoffs with 16 goals and 20 assists in helping the organization win its first Ontario champi- onship. It was capped with a final series vic- tory last weekend over the Elora Mohawks, who eliminated the Buzz in the first round. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward started playing for Oakville the year after its 2006 Founders Cup victory and figured hed also get a shot at a national title with the Buzz, yet four seasons later, its happening with anoth- er team. My second year in the league, we were favoured to go to the Founders and it just didnt work out, he said. In the end its really turned out well. I loved Oakville and I have nothing bad to say about that organiza- tion, but sometimes its just time to move on. Halton Hills had a place for me and I thank my lucky stars every day that Im here now. Another former Buzz player, Ethan OConnor of Milton, has also been one of Halton Hills top performers in the transition role. The Bulldogs came into the Founders Cup as one of the tournament favourites, along with host Mimico and Calgary. Playing on the Olympic-size hockey sur- face at the MasterCard Centre could be a big advantage for the run-and-gun Dogs, who came back improbably from a 2-0 series deficit against the Clarington Green Gaels to win the OLA Eastern Conference title in five games. Our coaching staff has been preaching to us from the start that conditioning is going to be huge if were going to achieve our goal and we see now how important that is, Gilbert added. Halton Hills was set to face Moncton at 4 p.m. Thursday before closing out the round- robin Friday in a matchup with the Winnipeg Gryphons. The semifinals are set for 7 p.m. Saturday and the championship will take place Sunday at 4 p.m. at the MasterCard Centre. In a touch of irony, the MasterCard Centre is the practice facility for the NHLs Toronto Maple Leafs and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, who were coached by Gilberts dad, Greg, until last summer when his contract wasnt renewed. The elder Gilbert, who won the Stanley Cup as a player with the 1994 New York Rangers, was immediately signed on by the Philadelphia Flyers AHL farm club in Adirondack, N.Y. It would be nice to add another ring to the family collection hopefully, but weve got a tough week ahead of us, said Gilbert. He will attend the University of Victoria this year to play lacrosse and plans to try out for a couple of Tier II Jr. A hockey teams after taking a couple of years off from that sport. Shepley third at CPGA Gilbert key contributor as Dogs chase national title DOG DAYS: Dylan Gilbert, left, racked up 12 points as the Halton Hills Bulldogs won their first three games at the Founders Cup. EAMONN MAHER / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER LOST WINNER: Dylan Kent, above, defended his Lake Ontario Swim Team (LOST) title, winning the 3.8-kilometre open water swim with a time of 51 minutes, 45 seconds. Lisa Neidrauer, above right, was the womens winner in 58 minutes. Right, swim- mers make their way to the water before the start of the third annual race along the shore of Lake Ontario. important to get off to a good start, she said. I hit a cou- ple more shots closer (Wednesday) and gave myself lots of chances. After a bogey on 5, Shepley birdied 6 and 7, beginning a stretch in which she was five-under par over seven holes. Baivard would regain the lead with birdies on 7 and 9 and then finished with nine straight pars. Ferrero would be her only challenger down the stretch. A birdie on the difficult 17th moved her within one shot. After the Canadian Womens Open, Shepley will return south of the border for the final tournament on the Duramed Futures Tour, where she recently recorded a pair of top-10 finishes fifth in Concord, New Hampshire July 25 and seventh in Syracuse, New York Aug. 1. Oakvilles Alison Wright finished tied for 34th at the CPGA, following up an open- ing round 79 with a 73 on Wednesday. Carrie Vaughan shot rounds of 75 and 81 to finish 51st and amateur Kaitlin Marrin carded a pair of 82s to finish 72nd. Continued from page 28