www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, January 9, 2014 | 26 Oakville peewee BB Hornets players line up along the blueline at the Harvard Bright-Landry Hockey Centre. The Hornets got to play a game at Harvard University's facility thanks in large part to former Harvard women's hockey goalie Christina Kessler, now a coach in the Hornets system. | photo submitted Hornets forward's hot streak a tale of the tape by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff Peewee BB Hornets get inside look at Harvard hockey Christina Kessler recently helped give young Oakville Hornets players a Christmas present that will last a lifetime. Kessler, a Hornets coach who was a record-setting goaltender during her days at Harvard University, helped organize a trip to her alma mater that offered the peewee BB Hornets a behind-the-scenes look at the historic Boston-area institution and its hockey program. The Hornets enjoyed a walking tour of the campus, a lecture from Harvard's strength and conditioning coach and meetings with players and coaches from the Crimson women's hockey team. Oakville players watched Harvard play a pair of women's hockey games, and also got the chance to play on the Harvard Bright-Landry Hockey Centre ice -- defeating the second-ranked Tier II team in the U.S., the Bay State Breakers, in a shootout. Hornets coach Gerry Bouwman called the trip "a truly unique experience that allowed the girls to see the opportunities in academics, life and potentially sport that could lie ahead for them if they set goals for themselves." The team expressed its appreciation to Kessler for co-ordinating much of the trip and for volunteering her time with the players, to parent volunteers for their organizing efforts, to those who contributed to the team's fundraising efforts for the trip, and to sponsors (BDO Canada, Freightcom, MDD Forensic Accountants, Oakley and Skyhigh Maintenance) that helped make the experience a reality. Members of the peewee BB Hornets are Kristen Akey, Katie Bouwman, Alessia Cenedese, Madison Cote, Tia Glube, Grace Henry, Reagan Lindsay, Julia Longhurst, Kyra Lynch, Victoria McGarrity, Kaitlyn McMahon, Natasha Melhuish, Payton Merkley, Gabby Noordijk, Avery Proszek, Amelia Smith and Alex Wasik. Andrew McGarrity, Mike Cote, Al Lindsay, Jeff Longhurst and Jeff Lynch also coach the team, Liz Akey is the head trainer and Leigh Henry is the manager. Lacrosse magazine ranks Syracuse defenceman Young among NCAA's best Oakville resident Sean Young was recently named to the 2014 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America team. Young was one of four Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse players selected by Inside Lacrosse magazine. The junior defenceman earned thirdteam honours, while his three Syracuse teammates were given honourable mentions. Young was named to the NCAA all-tournament team last season for his role in holding Denver star attackman Wes Berg without a shot in the semifinals. Syracuse, ranked second in the NCAA by Inside Lacrosse, begins the 2014 regular season Feb. 10. FUTURE SHOP CORRECTION NOTICE ® NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE FUTURE SHOP JANUARY 3 FLYER In the January 3 flyer, on page 3, the Sony Laptop Featuring Intel CoreTM i5-3337U Processor (Web Code: 10253405/3406) was advertised incorrectly. Please be advised that this laptop does NOT have a touchscreen. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers. If you were to walk into the Oakville Hornets' dressing room Friday and see assistant coach Brodie Kendrick taping Olivia Atkinson's stick for her, you might think the forward's recent success had gone to her head, turning her into a bit of a prima donna. The ritual, which began a month ago, instead boils down to good old hockey superstition. Atkinson has always considered herself more of a playmaker, but when she arrived in Burlington for the Hornets' 14th game of the Provincial Women's Hockey League season, she had just one goal. Running a little late, she asked Kendrick if he could tape her stick. Three minutes into the second period, with Oakville leading 1-0, Atkinson scored. Three minutes later on a power play, she scored again. Late in the period, Burlington cut the Oakville lead to 3-1 but it took just 10 seconds for Atkinson to answer back, completing her hat trick and putting the Hornets up 4-1 in what would Olivia Atkinson become a 6-3 Oakville victory. The stick taping continued and four nights later in a rematch against Burlington, Atkinson netted the game winner in a 3-1 Hornet triumph. The turn of the calendar has done little to slow her down. Friday, in the Hornets' first game back since the Christmas break, Atkinson had a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie with Cambridge. Sunday, she added another goal in a 6-3 loss to Waterloo, her seventh in her past eight games. "Our line has been connecting well," the Grade 12 independent learning Abbey Park student said of the chemistry with linemates Christina Putigna and Jazz Kennedy. "We work down low pretty well together." While Atkinson has been tearing it up, the Hornets have endured their longest slump of the season, having gone five games without a win after starting the year 7-6-3 despite being riddled by injuries early in the season. That start came as a bit a surprise given the number of new players in the Hornet lineup. That included Atkinson, who played for the Stoney Creek Sabres last season. She came back to her hometown for the chance to play for head coach Jackie Kendrick. Atkinson has already surpassed the five goals she scored in her rookie season and is just two points shy of last year's 16-point output with the Sabres. As for getting the Hornets back on track, the alternate captain said the team has to get back to the style that made it successful. "We're not a team of superstars. There's no one player that carries us," she said. "We grind it out, go out hard and have to want to win." That has slipped in portions of games recently, such as Sunday's loss when Waterloo scored four unanswered third-period goals after Atkinson had given Oakville a 3-2 lead. Atkinson, who turned 17 Monday, has had to work just as hard off the ice. She's preparing to write the SATs and hopes to attend an Ivy League school. But while school and hockey are keeping her busy, at least she doesn't have to worry about having to tape her stick any time soon.