39 | Thursday, 5, February 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER

Jon Kuiperij HALTON Sports Editor “Connected to your Community” TRANSMISSION [email protected] 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 Sports 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Loss to Toronto hurts Blades’ first-place hopes The ’ hopes of finishing first in the Ontario Junior Hockey League South Division reg- ular-season standings took a big hit Saturday with a 4-1 loss to the host Toronto Patriots. Oakville (26-18-2-2) trails the first-place Patriots by three points and is one point behind the second-

place Toronto Jr. Canadiens. All three teams have six | www.insideHALTON.com games remaining in the regular season.

The Blades will be home for four of their last six games, including tomorrow (Friday) against the and Saturday versus the (both 7:30 p.m. starts at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex). Their remaining schedule includes two games against the 10-33-0-1 , though the Blades will also have to face the 36-7-0-3 , 27-16- 2-2 Spirit and 26-22-0-2 . The Blades, Patriots, Jr. Canadiens and Rangers (the latter are two points behind Oakville) are al- ready guaranteed playoff spots. Abbey Park defenceman Austin irvine (22) tees up a shot from the point during the Bur Bear hockey tournament Gold Pool final Saturday in Burlington. Abbey Park Greg Campbell scored the Blades’ goal Saturday defeated the Holy Trinity Titans 3-1 in an all-Oakville clash to win the annual boys’ high school hockey tournament for the second straight year. against the Patriots, making the score 3-1 in the | photo by Eric Riehl — Oakville Beaver — @Halton_Photog third period, but Toronto scored an empty-netter with 3:36 to go. Daniel Manella took the loss in net Abbey Park repeats as Bur Bear champ for Oakville, making 23 saves. “The work ethic of the players on this team is exceptional.” PWHL Hornets roll sevens by Jon Kuiperij The Eagles began the tournament with an 8-0 win over Dun- Beaver Sports Editor das Valley, then rode a hat-trick effort from Boushy to a 10-3 in back-to-back victories rout of Bolton St. Michael’s. Following a 2-2 tie with Georgetown The Provincial Women’s Hockey League-leading Christ the King, Abbey Park posted 6-0 wins over Sudbury St. It took the Abbey Park Eagles 30 years to win their first Bur Bear Oakville Hornets rolled a seven for the second straight Charles in the quarter-finals and Oakville rival T.A. Blakelock in title — dating back to their days as Queen Elizabeth Park High time Monday, defeating the Brampton Canadettes 7-1 the semis. School — and just one year to win their second. at Joshua’s Creek Arenas. Boushy recorded a natural hat trick against St. Charles, and Abbey Park repeated as champions of the annual Burlington Madison Field and Loren Gabel each had two goals Irvine — a defenceman — scored three times against Blakelock. high school boys’ hockey tournament Saturday, defeating the and an assist, with Olivia Atkinson and Amy Curlew Also scoring at least one goal for Abbey Park in the tourna- Holy Trinity Titans 3-1 in an all-Oakville final in the Gold Pool. both contributing a goal and a helper. Jaime Bourbon- ment were Ryan Sykes, Alex Harshaw, Matt Perruzza, Matt Mc- Spencer Verdurmen, Ben Prentice and Austin Irvine scored nais provided the other Oakville marker and Nikki Lacchlin, Daniel Rasquin, Brandon Wood and Colin Semple. for Abbey Park in the title game, and Eagles goaltender Michael Cece stopped 20 of 21 shots to record the victory. Scott Schiffner, Alex Hayami, Matt Fitzpatrick and Kevin Cookish allowed only a goal by Trinity’s Jacob Patriquin to Two days earlier, the Hornets blanked the Leaside Kocken also contributed to the tournament win. clinch tournament MVP honours. Wildcats 7-0 in Leaside despite playing without three The Gold Pool final marked Holy Trinity’s only loss at the Bur The Eagles, who also won the Halton Tier 1 championship of their four top scorers (Field, Gabel and Bourbon- Bear. The Titans beat Waterdown 6-2, tied Lorne Park 2-2 and last year and went on to represent the region at the Ontario Fed- nais). Emma Maltais paced the Hornets with four as- doubled up Corpus Christi 4-2 in round-robin play, edged Iro- eration of School Athletic Associations AAA/AAAA tournament, sists and Christina Putigna and Atkinson had a goal quois Ridge 3-2 in the quarter-finals and downed Mount Carmel went 5-0-1 at this year’s Bur Bear and outscored their opposition and an assist each. Jazz Kennedy, Julia Edgar, Lauren 6-4 in the semis. 35-6. Patterson, Meaghan Hector and call-up Sarah Fillier “It was good (to play Holy Trinity in the final). I knew it “What is most impressive about this team is how players who — playing in her first PWHL game — rounded out would be a good hockey game. Sometimes when you’re playing started the season as third or fourth line or as fifth and sixth the scoring in support of Daniela Paniccia, who need- someone from outside (your region) you don’t know what it will defencemen have stepped up,” Eagles coach Larry Rinaldo said. ed to make just eight saves to post her sixth shutout be like,” Rinaldo said. “Chris Boushy, who is on our top line with Ben Prentice and of the year. “It was also nice to see three Halton teams in the semis, be- Spencer Verdurmen, sent me a message after the game: ‘To be The Hornets (28-2-3 overall, and 6-0-1 in their last cause a lot of the other teams have rep players. Some people say honest, coach, my line does manage to score some goals, but we seven) will be home to the Durham West Lightning we should have them too, but I say we don’t need them.” would not be anywhere close to how far we’ve come as a team tomorrow (Friday) at Joshua’s Creek. Game time is without all the guys that don’t play all that often. It’s those guys 8:30 p.m. that won us the gold today.’ — A photo of the Eagles can be viewed online at bit.ly/1u9kHM9