6 Friday, April 7, 2017 brooklintowncrier.com BHS Hockey Bears Bow Out in Provincials By Richard Bercuson Despite being seeded third and with a lineup chock full of outstanding AAA and AA talent, Brooklin High School's boys hockey team couldn't make it past the quarter-finals at last month's OFSAA provincial championships in Mississauga. The team, under head coach and phys. ed. teacher Ethan Markham, managed two wins in the round robin portion, beating Nepean High School 4-1 in game 1 and Catholic Central 4-2 in game 3. They lost game 2 to Oakville's Holy Trinity 6-4, falling behind 3-0 in the first three minutes though their record was enough to launch them into the playoff round. Each of the 20 skaters plus 2 goalies managed to get into at least one game. Markham gave plaudits to defencemen Christian Calabrese and Jake Peacock for their steady leadership in Mississauga. As to the seeding, he concedes that perhaps the panel deciding on seeding might want to have a second look at their approach. The semi finals featured seeds 6,7,9, and 11. Seeds 2, 4, and 5 didn't even make it to the playoff round. So being seeded third might have served only to give players a slightly elevated and not necessarily accurate opinion of their standing, which didn't serve them well. But high school hockey is a tricky balance since players also compete with their community teams where, for most, their priorities lie. Holy Trinity, for instance, does not allow its high school players to play community hockey at all. As Coach Markham explained, there might have been a bit of a March Break hangover in addition to having boys who'd just finished with their local teams. For instance, four BHS players playing for Clarington midget AAA had lost in the OMHA finals just the weekend before OFSAA. As well, students who played for Whitby's minor midget AAA club, which eventually won the OMHA title, weren't permitted by their coach to play high school hockey. The team practiced only one hour each week, a far cry from the intense schedules players experience with AA and AAA teams. However, Markham noted that it did allow them to focus more on teamwork, with skill and individual tactical instruction in the hands of the community teams. Still, the OFSAA tournament result was encouraging for a second year program. While the school will lose half of its 22 player roster to graduation, there's a strong crop moving up a grade, including that bunch from minor midget. "We're quite pleased with the development of the program," Markham says. "We'll lose a lot of high end scoring but in the end we may have a more complete team next year." Like all coaches, Markham reflected on the result and observations of other teams. If they were to return to the tournament next year, he says he'd pay more attention to the little things. "St. Theresa, which got to the gold medal game, blocked shots and finished every check," he recalls. "I don't think we got our guys to buy into that." Perhaps, but winning a league title and making it to the final eight is impressive nonetheless. Brooklin High School Bears celebrate after winning the Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics (LOSSA) championship on March 6 against Pickering. It's the game that vaulted them to the provincials. Photo by Saamah Jadoon