8 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, July 25, 2007 SPORTS & LEISURE ’Dogs show bite on road in reaching East final EAMONN MAHER peak. It’s going to be tough no matter who Staff Writer we play.” The second-year head coach was refer- So much for home-floor advantage being ring to the club’s next opponent, the unde- important in the playoffs. feated Clarington Green Gaels, who went The Halton Hills Bulldogs have now gone 20-0 during the regular campaign and have farther into the Ontario Lacrosse Association swept through the first two rounds of the Jr. B post-season than ever before in the Eastern Conference playdowns. That series franchise’s 13-year history, knocking off the is set to start Sunday evening at the Green host Mimico Mountaineers 7-6 on Monday Gaels’ new home in Bowmanville, giving the night in front of a rafter-shaking, standing- ’Dogs a much-needed six-day break to room-only crowd of approximately 500 recover from the punishing matchup with spectators. Mimico. The away team was victorious in all five In the eye of the storm was Bulldog goal- games of the closely contested series, which keeper Manny Hundal, who spent three was ironic because the two now-bitter rivals years with the Etobicoke-based side before battled for the extra home game until the moving on to Halton Hills this spring. final days of the regular season. Mimico Mountaineer fans heckled the Mississauga earned the OLA’s South East Division title resident relentlessly and he was run over by Goaltender Manny Hundal of the Halton Hills Bullodgs stops another Mountaineer by just two points— only after the Bulldogs a former teammate just a couple of minutes scoring attempt by Michael MacRory during an OLA second-round playoff game in blew a big lead against Oakville in their sea- into game five while retrieving a loose ball in Mimico on Monday evening. The guest Bulldogs earned their first-ever trip to the son finale. the corner. league’s Eastern Conference finals after beating the Mountaineers 7-6 in a thrilling In a series that featured numerous lead But as the final horn sounded, Hundal decisive fifth game. Photo by Eamonn Maher saluted his critics and the couple of hundred changes, tough defence, fantastic skills and cess this year, so what are you going to do? Halton Hills goals against Mimico on Halton Hills’ fans in attendance before the several violent incidents, Halton Hills We’ll just keep doing what’s been successful Monday night. ceremonial handshake. grabbed another 2-0 early lead in Monday’s for us,” said the 17-year-old Grasby. “We’re In game four Sunday in Georgetown, the “At the start of the year, (Mimico) didn’t deciding tilt and never trailed during the a young team but we’ve got guys who will teams were tied a three after the first period really want me so I was happy to find a new evening, taking a 6-3 advantage into the do anything to win. Our goal is the before the visitors outscored the ’Dogs 3-0 in home in Halton Hills,” said Hundal after- third period before hanging on for the Founders’ Cup and that’s not going to the middle stanza. Another third-period ward. “Emotions were high this entire euphoric win. change just because we’re playing someone rally by Halton Hills fell short despite several series. I’ve known some of the Mimico guys “We took the first two (in Mimico) so we who is undefeated.” excellent opportunities, including a four- for 15 to 16 years now and it was tough. We felt a little confident coming in here,” said Many of the returning Bulldogs are famil- minute power play that produced nothing. didn’t talk during the series until it was over Bulldogs’ coach Blaine McCauley. “There are iar with the David vs. Goliath scenario. In Pat Saunders tallied twice for the and I have nothing but respect for them. It a lot of goals that we’ve achieved this year the 2006 playoffs, the Bulldogs faced eventu- Bulldogs, with singles added by Burke, felt really good to pull this off.” but this is just one stop on the way to win- al Founders’ Cup champion Oakville in the Laforet, Davis and Greg Henry. Hundal also had good fortune on his side ning a championship. It’s the third stage of first round, giving the Buzz a tough test in Saunders and Laforet each notched hat as the Mounties clanked about a dozen shots the mountain and we want to get to the two of the three games. The Green Gaels tricks in game three on Friday in Mimico, off the post or crossbar, while he made sev- could present an even stiffer challenge, led keying a 9-6 victory over the Mounties. eral key breakaway stops as well. by 17-year-old Mark Matthews, who Whillans, Mike Brown and Marcoux “Manny became kind of a rallying point chalked up 99 points during the season. rounded out the goal scoring in a contest for our boys because he took a lot of abuse Kyle Davis (2), J.J. Laforet, Brandon that was even at five early in the third period vs. and for him to come back and play the way Goodfellow, Evan Whillans, Andrew before Halton Hills reeled off four straight he did in front of his former home crowd, I Marcoux and Mike Burke struck for the markers. can’t say enough about it,” added McCauley. “We talk about mental toughness in our OLA Jr. B East Conference room and that’s what you expect from a 21- best-of-five final series year-old like Manny.” Georgetown golfers record early upsets Game 1 The visitors were also given a boost with Two Georgetown golfers pulled off of his Wednesday matches, defeating #36 Sunday, July 29 @ Bowmanville, 7 p.m. the return of injured leading scorer Nic upsets in the first round of the Golf Tyler Szela 2&1 of Strathroy and #45 Barrett Game 2 Grasby, who didn’t find the net on Monday Association of Ontario’s Junior Match Play McCarthy from Oakville 2 up, before being Wednesday, Aug. 1 @ Georgetown, 8 p.m. but was a threat to score on most shifts. The Championships last week at the Galt eliminated by #9 Adam Wilson of Port Game 3 second-year Brampton Jr. A draftee agreed Country Club and one of them made it to Colborne 2 up in Thursday morning’s quar- Thursday, Aug. 2 @ Bowmanville, 8 p.m. his team will be the overwhelming under- the quarterfinals before bowing out. terfinal. x-Game 4 dogs once again against the imposing Green Ryan Thomson was seeded 61st out of the Another North Halton Golf & Country Saturday, Aug. 4 @ Georgetown, 7 p.m. Gaels, but pointed to a 10-8 result between 64 players who qualified for the event, but he Club member, Luke Ovenden, also 16, was x-Game 5 the clubs in Georgetown on June 9 in their convincingly knocked off fourth-ranked seeded 59th and he began by upsetting #6 Sunday, Aug. 5 @ Bowmanville, 7 p.m. only 2007 meeting. Miles Thomson, an 18-year-old from Whitby, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas 1 up. x-if necessary “They’re a big team and I think they’re 5&4 in the opening round. Ovenden was beaten in round two by #38 going to try to intimidate us with their suc- The 16-year-old Thomson then won both Daley Byles of Barrie 1 up. •Truck Accessories •Upholstery APPLE •Heavy Equipment Glass ® Auto Glass NOW FEATURING novus® 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown WINDSHIELD REPAIR SYSTEM 905-873-1655 MORE THAN JUST AUTO GLASS.