21 SPORTS & LEISURE •The IFP• Halton Hills, Raiders looking to patch holes as camp opens Thursday, August 23, 2012 Thursday, By EAMONN MAHER fenceman Thomas Welsh of Burlington, Staff Writer a 6-foot, 200-pound 17-year-old who is headed to Penn State on a hockey schol- The Georgetown Jr. A Raiders opened arship. New forwards include 5-foot- training camp this week at the Mold-Mas- 11, 185-pound Drake Hart of Cayuga, a ters SportsPlex with new ownership in 19-year-old who played prep school in place and a few holes to fi ll following last Maine last season. year’s run to a West Division title. Guelph’s Anthony Marra, a soon-to-be Raiders’ head coach and general man- 18-year-old at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, av- ager Greg Walters, back for his third sea- eraged more than a point a game in 2011- son in charge of the Ontario Junior Hock- 12 with the Welland Jr. B Canadiens. ey League club, has made some additions This weekend, the Raiders will play in to the roster prior to training camp, but the Cougars Challenge Cup at the Wave still has several open cards and those Twin Rinks in Burlington, facing the host won’t be handed to returnees just because Cougars, Oakville and Hamilton. they show up. Georgetown will also host the Milton When Bill and Cindy Court of Burl- IceHawks in a tune-up tilt Tuesday at the ington purchased the club in June from Alcott Arena starting at 8 p.m. and visit longtime owners Ted and Joanne Nishi, Training camp began Wednesday afternoon for the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Milton Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. stipulations were attached that guaran- Georgetown Raiders with dozens of prospects trying to impress the coaching staff. To • • • teed the return of Walters and other key prepare for the start of the regular season on Sept. 7 in Oakville, the Raiders are entered Some former Georgetown Jr. A Raid- staff members for at least one season. in a tournament in Burlington this weekend and will face Milton in back-to-back exhibi- ers are on the roster for a Canadian men’s tion games next week. Photo by Eamonn Maher And Court is apparently providing the team that will play in the inaugural Am- resources to keep the Raiders at or near have to go with a bit of a youth movement, Jake Emilio, two of six Raiders who were sterdam Icehockey Cup this weekend. the top of the standings, encouraging fans but we’re not rebuilding by any means. In invited to the recent Team Canada East Forwards Kevin Harvey, Kyle Frieday, on their website to climb aboard for the the past two years, we’ve sent 16 players selection camp in Etobicoke. Matt Carter and defenceman Deron Cous- “drive to the Royal Bank Cup” national on to either the OHL, NCAA or Canadian With both of last year’s goaltenders not ens will take part in the tournament, which championship. university hockey and we’re really excited returning, the Raiders have signed 19-year- begins Saturday with a game against Ger- “They’ve got some new ideas and they’re about this year’s group.” old Gabe Grunwald, whose father Glen many’s Cologne Sharks. very committed to keeping the tradition The regular season begins Friday, Sept. was the GM of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors Harvey helped HC Slovan Bratislava of winning hockey teams in Georgetown,” 7 in Oakville and those two former divi- from 1998-2004 and is now vice president win the Slovak ExtraLiga this past season, Walters said Wednesday. sion rivals will meet again the next night and GM of the New York Knicks. while Carter graduated from the Univer- “We lost 10 or 11 players from last year, in Georgetown. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Grunwald sity of PEI and fi nished out the year with but the luxury of having a successful pro- Among the returnees confi rmed to played in the NAHL last season with a the East Coast Hockey League’s Cincinnati gram is that we get a lot of quality players have signed on are 2011-12 regular sea- couple of teams and is committed to the Cyclones. Local native Cousens was in the coming to us wanting to play here and it’s son and playoff MVP Tyson Fawcett of University of Wisconsin next fall. ECHL last season. Frieday suited up for going to be a really competitive camp. We Barrie, along with second-year blueliner Also newly signed is highly touted de- Fayetteville of the SPHL. Two local players celebrate national box lacrosse titles Team Ontario captured all three year-old Zach Kearney (right), who record and didn’t make the medal Canadian box championships by de- played for Newfoundland at last round. Along with his midget Bull- feating B.C. in the fi nal at the youth year’s national peewee champion- dogs’ teammate Theo Dol, Highfi eld tournaments played during the On- ships, notched a goal and an assist will have a chance for another na- tario Lacrosse Festival in Whitby in Ontario’s 5-1 triumph over B.C. tional title trophy at the Canadian this month and a couple of Georg- in the title game while also playing Lacrosse Association’s Alumni Cup eown residents were on the winning on the penalty kill for the champs. fi eld tournament in Oshawa Aug. 31 teams. Kearney ended up with three goals to Sept. 2. Forward Cory Highfi eld had a and seven assists for the tourna- total of eight goals and 20 assists ment. Forward Cory Highfi eld (left) and Zach for Ontario through the week, scor- Highfi eld also plays for the Hal- Kearney helped their teams claim Ca- ing his team’s fi rst three goals in a ton Hills midget A box team that nadian box lacrosse championships 9-5 victory over B.C. in the midget qualifi ed for this past weekend’s last week. boys’ fi nal, earning selection to the Ontario Summer Games in Eto- Photo by Eamonn Maher tournament all-star team. Twelve- bicoke. The Bulldogs posted a 1-4 STAYING HOME THIS WEEKEND?... SHOP LOCAL Shopping local saves you money. Out of town shops have done a good job of convincing us all that sole traders = expensive, but the evidence just isn’t there to back this up . If you add in travel, parking costs, fees to trans- SHOPLOCAL YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SHOP SMART... SHOP HALTON HILLS port larger items home and your time, the overall cost is often much higher. SHOP LOCAL, SHOP HALTON HILLS! 905.873.0301.