St. Jacobs nursery wins Landscape Ontario award

St. Jacobs Country Gardens and Landscape Nursery has built a reputation as an industry leader in water features by winning a prestigious Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence. Owners Keith and Sandy Snider last month accepted the award for “best construction of a water feature” for a project they built with their crew over the summer of 2010. They took a totally functional swimming pool and turned it into a reflecting pond.
The water feature is located at the house of Keith Gummow and Loys Ligate in Conestogo. The couple had searched extensively for a landscaper willing to take on the project and could not find anyone until they met with the Sniders.

“I had other landscapers tell me they thought I was nuts for tackling the project because of all the things that could go wrong with it but I just did it one step at a time making sure everything worked and was properly set before I moved onto the next one,” said Keith Snider.

The landscapers had to reconfigure everything, adding extra walls, building piers, stepping stones and platforms so chairs could be placed in the middle of the feature, allowing the owners to lounge outdoors surrounded by water. Like a swimming pool, one end is shallow  and the other deep, but the deep end is fed by three small waterfalls.

“We wanted it to be formal and symmetrical we did a lot of work hiding all the pumps with angled corners. The pond uses recycled water and no chemicals are needed,” said Keith, who worked with Ligate on the final design that originally was planned to be a Japanese-style pond with a bridge and walkway but that quickly turned into the more modern and sleek design.

This was the first time the company had attempted a water feature of this scale and magnitude, but the Sniders are not surprised it was an award winner.

“It was so different and creative, we thought it would win an award,” said Sandy.

The Sniders got the nod at the Jan. 10 Landscape Ontario award ceremony, which is like the Oscars for landscape designers.

“It is a pretty big deal for us,” said Keith. “It is a feather in our hat being awarded the best of the best, and any award is good promotion for the company.”

The company is now leaning towards doing more water features in the future and hope to expand that side of the company in the coming years. They had just finished their latest project in St. Jacobs before the winter and they hope to enter it into next year’s competition as a natural swimming pond that has no chemicals with a regeneration system and water plants growing across the pond.

“We want water features to be more of what we are known for and what we specialize in,” said Sandy.

Back on duty

After almost nine decades of service, the soldier that once adorned the cenotaph in Elmira has found a much more comfortable home for his retirement: indoors at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. While the exact location is still under discussion, the marble statue has been restored to its former glory after suffering a multitude of injuries over the years. It could be seen this week standing by an office window near the entrance to the facility.
Removed from his perch in late 2009 and eventually replaced with a bronze replica, the soldier was put into the hands of craftsmen at The Stone Centre to undergo extensive repairs. Vandalized over the years and subject to a sometimes harsh environment – including acid rain and salt sprayed up from Arthur Street – the Carrara marble figure was in several pieces when he arrived at the shop, located in Woolwich immediately adjacent to the Bridgeport area of Kitchener.

Despite the statue’s treatment over the years – compounded by yet another break when it was removed from the base in the cenotaph – it was in surprisingly good condition, said the owner of the The Stone Centre.
“He was in pretty good shape. This was above-average work for this kind of project,” Garth Nelson said of the original marble carving.
That said, more than a hundred hours of labour was needed to get the soldier back in tiptop shape.

The work was done in conjunction with a U.S.-based restoration specialist, Jonathan Appell, who was at the workshop to conduct a training course. He got things rolling by using a special epoxy to put the large pieces back together, tricky work, said Nelson, noting special bracing was needed to keep the 1,000-pound statue upright and its weight properly distributed to ensure the gluing was effective. With that done, the next step was a complete sanding by hand in order to remove an outer layer of yellowish-brown, the result of someone having used bleach at some point to clean the statue.  “Bleach is not suitable for marble. It probably looked good for six months, but after that, well, you get yellowing,” Nelson explained.

The sanding was followed by some painstaking work, including recarving some of the facial features and clothing details, fixing a badly chipped nose and addressing the wear and tear that occurred in the years after the original installation in 1923.

A bayonet that once adorned the rifle, long since disappeared thanks to vandals, was recreated with the aid of a Hamilton-based history buff who provided pictures that allowed a new bayonet to be carved from marble to match. Mortar for the new joints and some judicious use of patching marble were the finishing touches.

The soldier you can see today at the WMC looks much more like the one unveiled at the cenotaph almost 90 years ago.
“He looks pretty good now. The work turned out really well.”

Created by the firm of Walton, Gooddy & Cripps Ltd., which produced war memorials in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the carved soldier is similar to many that adorn cenotaphs in Ontario and elsewhere, though both the marble and the detail in the work set it apart from some of the others. In fact, the statue was featured in a 2009 book about Italian Carrara marble by British art historian Sandra Berresford.

The original cenotaph was unveiled on Aug. 5, 1923, having been built for $1,200. The Second World War memorial, added at a cost of $800, was dedicated in 1957. The Korean War portion was dedicated in 1988 at a cost of $744.

With the restoration complete, what remains now is to find a new home for the statue. Director of recreation and facilities Karen Makela said this week the township is looking to select the ideal spot at the WMC. To that end, it will be consulting with groups such as the Elmira branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, which requested the marble statue be housed at the WMC, in keeping with the ‘memorial’ portion of its name.

Calling the restoration a “marvelous job,” she said the township is determined to find the right location, a visible spot where the solider can be seen “standing guard for the building.”

The township is also in discussion with the Legion about funding for the cenotaph project and the restoration, she added.

On that front, Nelson said he had submitted a bid of $2,000 to do the work – much less than a restoration project of that scope would normally cost – but still hasn’t heard back from the township. He went ahead and did the work anyway because the specialist was available at the time, seeing it as a worthwhile and interesting project. Whether he gets paid remains to be seen.
“It was a fun project for the winter, when things are slower here,” he said. “The important thing is that it got done.”

HACKED

At around 6 p.m. on Feb. 11, the nearly 300 people in Karen Berlet’s email contact list received a troubling message. The email said that her and her family had been mugged while on vacation in Madrid, Spain and that their wallets and all of their money had been stolen. The email went on to say that they needed nearly $2,000 within 12 hours so they could settle their hotel bill and make their flight home. Except none of it really happened. Berlet’s email account with Rogers had been hacked.

“We were at friend’s for dinner Saturday, and my husband looked at his Blackberry and said ‘you sent me an email’ and I said ‘no I didn’t,’” Berlet explained.

After looking at the email and its strange wording, Berlet realized that she had been the victim of an email scam. She deleted the message, but soon calls and text messages came rolling in from concerned friends and family.
She quickly sent an email to her closest contacts to inform them of the fraudulent email and that the family was safe, then contacted Rogers to have the situation resolved.

The Rogers technical support worker told her to go into her email settings and change her password and password hints to stop the hackers from gaining access, but when she returned home she discovered yet another headache: the hackers had wiped her contact list and her email inbox clean, and she spent hours rebuilding the list from the contacts in her phone.

It was around that time that she also noticed her signature at the end of the email, which contained her name and phone number, had been changed so that the last four digits of the number were different from her real phone number, which she figures was in case someone tried to call and confirm if the email was true.

The email was also setup to forward all responses to a different email, this one a Yahoo account that spelled her last name with an extra t at the end.

The Heidelberg resident said she still has no idea how the hackers gained access to her account, though the Rogers support staff said it likely was through a Microsoft Outlook email account, which Berlet had tried to set up a few days earlier and is more susceptible to attack.

She also didn’t bother to go to police because she didn’t think they would have the time to look into every single case of email fraud that comes across their desk.

Rogers encourages their customers to be wary of unfamiliar emails and suspicious looking links, and to ensure that you log out of public computers and not share your password with anyone. They also suggest anyone who has had their account hacked to contact them, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

“We do take security very seriously and our systems are continuously being updated and include the best security measures we can implement,” said Leigh-Ann Popek, senior manager public relations with Rogers.
“I’m sure everyone has gotten this type of email.”

Berlet has since changed all of her security settings and had no problems since, but said that the incident has made her more wary of just how much information we make available online.

“There are all these scams out there, and suddenly you think about your online banking and all your accounts for everything are there online. In the technology world it’s getting more and more dangerous, but yet everyone wants us to put more and more stuff online because it’s convenient.
“It’s scary, you just don’t know sometimes.”

How to kill a tree … or not

Environmentalists need not be concerned about the upcoming seminar by Mike Hayes – though the title may suggest otherwise. How to Kill a Tree is a half-hour talk given by the Elmira-based arborist and is aimed at teaching homeowners the proper way to care for their trees and shrubs. The Elmira and District Horticultural Society will host the talk at Trinity United Church in Elmira on Feb. 20 starting at 7:30 p.m., and subject matter will range from proper pruning techniques, to why trees can have problems coping in an urban setting.

“Yeah, I throw that out there just to gain a little bit of interest,” said Hayes of the title.

“A tree really can grow on its own in nature without us, but in the design process mistakes are made,” added Hayes, who has about 25 years of experience as an arborist and has been running his own business, AllGreen Tree Service Inc., for the past 22 years.

“It should be the right tree for the right spot. A lot of times I’ll see trees in a location that was not suitable for a tree, or it’s the wrong type of tree, or maybe it’s too large for that area.” He says that selecting the right tree, caring for it, and helping it grow is a lot more difficult than it might seem. He will also discuss threats to older, more established trees – not just newly-planted ones. One of the biggest threats to older trees is damage to the underlying root structure caused by heavy machinery driving over the lawn, during a major renovation for example. The compacting of the soil can damage roots, and make it difficult for them to properly support the tree.

“People don’t realize that the roots spread out over a large area, and if you’re running big equipment over them, years later the tree will struggle and that’s because the soil is compacted.”
He also said that the winter poses an extra threat to trees and shrubs because of the use of salt on our roads and walkways to help get rid of ice, which is toxic to trees.

“The snow guy has to plow it somewhere, but it ends up getting pushed and banged into trees, and a lot of times it’s laced full of salt and concentrated and in the spring it melts right beside the tree.”
The talk is also timely given the township’s renewed emphasis on planting 23,000 trees over the next four years.

Simply getting them into the ground isn’t good enough, as a lot of time and energy is required to keep them alive, particularly while under the stress of being moved around.

“Planting is not a natural process for a tree. It is important for people to be aware of not only the process of planting, but the after care that’s involved. People can spend a lot of money putting in big trees, but not put very much effort in taking care of them over the next few years.”

How to Kill a Tree will be on Feb. 20 at Trinity United Church, 21 Arthur St. N. in Elmira. Entry is free for current members of the horticultural society, or $2 for the general public, and 2012 memberships for the society will also be sold for $10.

St. Jacobs to host farm safety rally

The Waterloo Farm and Home Safety Association will be hosting its annual farm safety rally on Mar. 8 at the St. Jacobs Community Centre. The theme for the past three years has been “plan, farm and safety.” This year the emphasis is on safety, as farmers should be assessing, improving and developing farm safety systems necessary to keep themselves and workers safe.

There will be a range of speakers at the rally, including an officer from the Waterloo Regional Police Elmira detachment with a presentation on road safety for tractors, farm implements and buggies.

“We must share the road with a variety of vehicles and learn to respect each other. There have been a lot of collisions on the roads over the last year, with vehicles running into farm machinery so we are emphasizing that farmers make sure they are using the proper signage or lights on their farm vehicles,” said Heidi Wagner of the Woolwich Community Health Centre, organizer of the rally. “We will also discuss horse-and-buggy safety, as they should have the proper lights and signs for not only their safety but for motorists as well.”

A member of the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER), will have a demonstration on CPR as well as a review of first aid procedures for choking, bleeding and possible farm injuries, including what to do in case of an amputation, which ties into a presentation from Jayden East of the War Amps as he emphasizes the importance of taking care while working to avoid injuries.

“He will be discussing how life changes once you have an amputation of any kind. Life does go on but it is not going to be as easy to perform many of the farming tasks that they once did if they only have one arm or leg,” said Wagner. “It is difficult to accomplish tasks with one limb missing.”

There will be numerous instructional videos and displays as well as door prizes and refreshments for guests.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the event runs until 9 p.m.

“It is always good just to remind farmers that accidents can happen and there are ways to avoid them by being safe and not rushing, but if one does occur they should know what to do.”
There is no cost to attend the rally anyone interested in more information should contact Heidi Wagner at 519 664-3794, ext. 237.

Growth in Woolwich, Wellesley outstrip averages at regional and national levels

Wellesley and Woolwich townships experienced considerable growth between 2006 and 2011, according to the latest Census numbers released last week by Statistics Canada. Woolwich saw a 17.7 per cent increase in population as nearly 3,500 more people moved to the township, bringing the total population up to 23,145.  In Wellesley, population grew by 9.4 per cent, with almost 1,000 new residents bringing the total to 10,713. The growth rates in both townships were significantly higher than Waterloo Region as a whole, which saw its population grow by 6.1 per cent to 507,096 over that same five-year period. Across Canada, population grew by 5.9 per cent and the national population now sits at 33,476,688.

“We were certainly aware that we were growing at a very robust rate, so this doesn’t come as any surprise,” said Dan Kennaley, director of engineering and planning in Woolwich, who added that the growth in population substantiates the township’s investment in capital projects such as the Woolwich Memorial Centre, the new township hall, the Breslau Community Centre and the new fire halls in Floradale and Breslau, just to name a few.
The majority of the growth in Woolwich was focused in the Breslau area, which experienced an astounding 215 per cent growth in population, from 766 in 2006 to 2,415 just five years later.

Kennaley said that growth was a direct result of the settlement’s proximity to Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as the absence of staging policies to limit growth. Developers Thomasfield Homes and Empire Homes paid for the extension of services and a new sewer line to Breslau, enabling the growth to occur, but as part of the agreement there could be no limitations on that growth imposed by the township.
By comparison, the staging policies in Elmira provide for a maximum of 90 units per year, and in St. Jacobs it’s 20 units.

The township is now embarking on a secondary plan to limit further growth in Breslau by establishing staging policies in that area, and staff is of the opinion that future growth needs to be smarter, and better controlled.
“We are getting some indication from Breslau that growth has been occurring there too quickly. It’s been too much over that period of time.

“It is sometimes difficult for the existing residents because they end up living in a construction site, and there are other impacts in terms of increased traffic and increased demand for services and so on.”
Wellesley Township faces a different set of challenges, however, as the settlement area of Wellesley village has nearly reached its full capacity, and there are few provisions for expansion in any of the other settlement areas because of a lack of water or sewage services, said chief administration officer Susan Duke.

Nearly all of the growth in the township was focused in Wellesley Village, as the population grew by 886 people, but until the sewage treatment plant is updated by the region, which Duke estimates won’t happen until 2016, there is only room for about 290 more single family units in the area.

“The other settlement areas are also very restricted by limitations on servicing. There is no municipal sewage system in any other settlement in Wellesley Township. There is water in Heidelberg, St. Clements and Linwood, but no sewer, and there are no services at all in Hawkesville, from a municipal perspective.”

To that end the township is working hard to encourage more businesses to locate in Wellesley through its completed Employment Lands Strategy, and staff is set to embark upon a residential growth strategy as well.
Duke says the key is to avoid stagnation in the face of a lack of future growth. Several communities experienced a significant drop in population, including Linwood (31.5 per cent), Hawkesville (36.1 per cent), and St. Clements (29.6 per cent).

“What’s the opposite of growth? It is a stagnant situation, but much worse you could have an exodus, because if the municipality cannot afford to provide the services that the people require, than the people are going to do the next best thing, and that is find somewhere that can or does or will, and so they move.”

Yet she also cautioned against reading too much into the statistics, as families in the township have begun moving away from large 10- to 15-member families more common in the past, which could skew the numbers in some communities, particularly the smaller ones.

Both townships urged the need for balance in their future approaches to growth, and to continue to ensure that they provide their residents with the services that they require, and to continue to look forward into the future with a careful approach to planning.

“I’m certainly not suggesting that growth isn’t necessarily bad, it does have its upside,” said Kennaley, “but it can have a downside as well if it occurs too quickly.”

Region shows appreciation for crossing guards

You may not know Lorna Melitzer, but if you have ever driven through downtown Elmira in the morning or afternoon chances are you have seen her standing at the corner of Arthur and Church streets.
Melitzer is a crossing guard and has been at her post for the last four years. “It is a great way to help out in the community and I really enjoy meeting all the people especially the kids,” said Melitzer. “It is good to know that I am making a difference and helping out the 20 children I see daily cross these busy streets safely.”

On Feb. 15 the Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board, along with Waterloo Public Health, celebrated crossing guard appreciation day.

“We are celebrating the over 200 men and women that act as crossing guards in the Waterloo Region and work faithfully in all kinds of weather as they make sure our children walk safely to school,” said Ruth Dyck, a Public Health nurse who works with the Active and Safe Routes to School Workgroup. “It is not their favorite time of year to be outside standing at street corners waiting to help children across the street, but they do it day in and day out and we are appreciative of their work. They are there whether it is windy, snowing or raining they are faithfully working for our children’s safety.”

Melitzer said she does not mind the weather and looks forward to greeting all the children and some adults that walk her route every day.

To coincide with crossing guard appreciation day the region created Winter Walk Day, a day to celebrate winter walking and encourage students to walk to school.

“Often winter is a time when students feel that it is a chance to hibernate and that they don’t need to walk to school or it is just as easy to get a ride from mom or dad and we are trying to celebrate winter walking,” said Dyck. “We encourage students to walk to school because the fresh air is good for them, it is healthy and we know that students that are active are more alert and ready to learn and it is an important source of their daily physical activity.”
It has environmental benefits as well as it is emissions free and there would be less cars on the road if children just walk to school, said Dyck.

The most common complaint heard from school children is that it is too cold or dark to walk to school in the winter, but Dyck encourages them to be vigilant and dress for the weather.

“By staying warm with the proper clothes walking in the winter is as good for you as a walk in the summer. We are trying to encourage them to get rid of their winter blahs by being active and that starts with simply walking to school.”

A knight’s tale

Nothing gets Tim Tobey’s blood pumping more than when he mounts his steed with lance in hand and charges his opponent. The Elmira man, also known as Sir Timothy of Shrewsbury, has been a professional jouster for the last 12 years. “I joust on horseback for keeps: it’s not for show. It’s not like Medieval Times Dinner Theatre – it is a rough-and-tumble, hard-hitting, high-impact, knock-the-other-guy-off-his-horse sport,” said Tobey inside his study at his home, which is decorated with numerous swords, axes, full suits of armour and a medieval-style table and chair fit for King Arthur himself. He belongs to the Knights of Valour, a group of local knights that has been entertaining audiences across North American with demonstrations, tournaments and shows of horsemanship, bravery, and chivalry. Tobey has always had an interest in the medieval era. A self-taught armourer, he began crafting his own swords, helmets and chainmail well before he started jousting. He built his first full custom suit of armour 16 years ago and has never looked back.

It’s a time-consuming hobby, as building a full suit of armour takes a lot of skill and the proper tools. Tobey makes all his suits in the garage of his home. He uses stainless steel because it does not rust; since most tournaments and fairs are outdoors, when it rains the show must still go on. It is also proven to be tougher and more durable metal for riders to use when they are hit. Tobey admits making his chainmail suits is just like knitting: he puts together shirts or full suits with a pair of pliers while watching television.

“It is quite a repetitive process and it looks like I am just sewing the rings together. Once I get into a rhythm I can be done quite quickly.”

After visiting his first jousting tournament in Guelph, Tobey approached the organizers who took him on as a squire, training him to become one of the team’s most decorated knights. Over the last 11 years he has won an impressive array of medals, ribbons and titles competing in various states.

After a gruelling six months of training, learning to ride and hold the lance just right, he obtained his jousting quest by unhorsing his teacher and team leader Shane Adams. Tobey is the only jouster known for this impressive title and is considered head or senior knight as he has been with the team the longest.

“I have always been interested in medieval times, I guess it’s the armour and the weapons and the lifestyle that went with it,” said Tobey. “I just really get into it.”

Tobey shares his passion for the days of yore with his whole family and has a few up and coming knights in the house of Tobey, including his son, 20-year-old Aaron who recently was knighted Sir Lawrence of Essex.
“He is a real natural at it; he has been watching me his whole life and he had no trouble taking to the sport. I spent six months of training, but he didn’t need any training he just jumped into the saddle and was a natural.”
Aaron admits he was surprised he took to the sport so quickly, saying he had a good teacher in his dad. It seemed to be just a natural progression from being a squire in 2002 to becoming a jouster and eventually a knight.
In his spare time he learned to ride and competed in games against his brothers. In 2009 Aaron got his first chance to joust at a tournament in California where he was unhorsed by his father. Undeterred, Aaron continued to work at the sport and was knighted as one of the Knights of Valour in 2010. In the start of the 2011 season Aaron had his first unhorsing but continues to hone his skills in efforts to obtain his ultimate goal: unhorsing of his father.

“It is very rare, in Canada, to have a family line continue the tradition of knighthood and I am very pleased Aaron has really taken to the sport,” said Tobey. A full-contact sport, jousting is really no more dangerous than any similar activities, explained Tobey, adding he knows fellow knights who suffer more injuries playing hockey. “Aaron is a perfect example: two years of jousting and he has not been badly hurt, but last week he was fooling around with some friends and broke his foot.”  Typical injuries for jousters are dislocations and bruising that can be quite severe depending on where he is hit.

In January Tobey was jousting at Madison Square Gardens in New York doing a promo for the upcoming Full Metal Jousting television show for the History Channel in the U.S. The reality show takes a group of people who have never jousted before and trains them to become competitive jousters as they battle one another for the top spot.

During one take he was hit in the arm with the lance, the only direct shot he has ever taken in his life and it was “unbelievably painful.”
“I have dislocated my shoulder and some other bad bruises but this was by far the worst hit I have ever taken.”

It is not all battles and fights for the knights, however, as they hold numerous educational school shows in southern Ontario tying into the Grade 4 medieval history classes.
“We show the kids two forms of jousting, an earlier form with just chainmail and shields and a later version that is full-plated armour. We perform sword fights and games on horseback and hold educational seminars with the kids where they get hands-on experience with the armour, horses, and weapons.”

The Knights of Valour have a full schedule this spring and will be travelling across Ontario promoting the sport.
“This is just a hobby; this is what I like to do when I don’t have to go to work.”

Butter Chicken is the essential taste of India

Every cuisine has a dish that they are famous for. Think Italy and it’s spaghetti and meatballs; for Thailand it’s Pad Thai; southern it is fried chicken. When you think of Indian cuisine one of the most popular dishes would have to be Butter Chicken.  As with each of the dishes that we have mentioned there are many versions of these recipes, depending on who is making it and what region it is from. Most recipes for butter chicken will involve marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices, ginger and garlic. We stay true to that philosophy, as the yogurt acts as a tenderizer for the chicken. You can marinate it overnight, but have also had great results with a quick 30-minute marinate.

You can find pre-mixed Garam Masala spice mixes in most bulk stores and grocery stores. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to send us an email and we’d love to send you ours! Garam Masala is a mild, warm blend of spices. If you like your Indian spicier, add some cayenne pepper, for instance.

Traditionally the chicken was cooked in a tandoor oven; we have adapted the recipe to create a quick and easy meal in one pot, so use your favourite heavy-lidded pot.
In a food processor blend the ginger and garlic together to form a paste, separately finely chop the almonds in the food processor;
Combine the garlic mixture, the almonds, yogurt, chili, cloves, cinnamon, garam masala, cardamom pods and salt;
Marinate chicken in yogurt mixture for an hour, or overnight, in fridge;
Meanwhile, melt butter in Dutch oven or brazier, add onion and continue to cook until caramelized. Add tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes. (this concentrates the tomato flavours);
Add chicken yogurt mixture. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat  for 30-45 minutes until cooked through and flavours come together. Add water during cooking process if necessary;
Turn heat off and stir in cream, if using; sprinkle with cilantro just before serving.

Butter Chicken
(Serves 6)

• 2-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs,      cut into large pieces
• 1/2- inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1 cup thick plain yogurt
• 1/2-3/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp garam masala
• 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 1-1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, julienned
• 1-1/2 cup chopped canned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water (more if needed)
• 1/2 cup 35% cream (optional)
• 6 tbsp finely chopped cilantro leave

 

Jacks split two over weekend to end the regular season

The Wellesley Applejacks split the weekend but managed to end their regular season on a winning note. With two home games at the Wellesley arena, the Jacks hosted the St. George Dukes on Feb. 10 and the Burford Bulldogs the following night. The first game saw the Jacks extend their season-high losing streak to six when the Dukes defeated the Jacks 5-2. The next night Wellesley would shut out the seventh-place Bulldogs in a 5-0 victory.
In the Friday night game, St. George was first on the scoreboard when forward Chris Vasile beat Wellesley goaltender Josh Heer with a wrist shot at 1:33.

The Jacks would retaliate with one of their own eight minutes later when Chris Bauman stole the puck at centre ice and send a beautiful pass to Matt Sovereign waiting at the blue line. Beating a Duke player, Sovereign slipped the puck to Bobby Gray who was all alone on the right side of the net, where he easily chipped in the equalizer past  netminder Brandon Phillips.

The Dukes kept applying the pressure, however, and managed to score their second of the night when Parker McIntyre slipped the rubber under the glove of Heer to give them a 2-1 lead heading to the room at the first intermission.

Returning to the ice the Jacks were caught off guard when a solid play by the Dukes resulted in another goal, putting St. George up 3-1. It was the only goal in a hard-fought second frame.
The first 15 minutes of third period played out much like the second, with both teams working hard to find the back of the net only to be stopped by some outstanding goaltending.
The hard action and fast play were just too much for the Jacks, who were still suffering from injuries last week.

“In the end we just ran out of legs,” said Wellesley coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “We play very well for a team with only nine players but we just couldn’t finish the big plays and we were beat on some flukey goals.”
With Bauman sent to the box for instigating a fight, the Dukes took advantage of the 5-on4 play and potted their fourth and fifth goals of the night less than a minute a part.
Wellesley would manage one more in the last second of play when Reid Denstedt managed to beat Phillips. Connor McLeod and Shawn Fitzpatrick collected the assists.
Heer stopped 32 of 37 for the Jacks while Phillips halted 28 of 30 for the win.

Losing the night before did not effect the Jacks’ resolve against Burford. Wellesley did not waste anytime, scoring in the opening minute when Tyler Eckert beat Bulldog goalie Justin Garner.
Rob Hinschberger added two more to the Jack tally before the first frame was over, giving the home side a three-goal lead heading into the first intermission.
Eckert would score his second of the night at 1:43 when the teams returned to the ice for the second period. Fitzpatrick and McLeod picked up the assists.
Two minutes later Corey Way would seal the deal, scoring the Jacks’ fifth unanswered goal of the game.

“We started strong right out of the gate but halfway through the second period we sort of lost our steam and the third period was like watching a game of pond hockey. We were fortunate that (Bauman) was so strong in net that night,” said Fitzpatrick.

Bauman earned his first shutout of the season, stopping 42 shots on net.

“Bauman was outstanding and he preserved his shutout with some amazing glove saves in the third period,” said Fitzpatrick. “If it were not for him Burford would have had a better chance against us.”
The Jacks would end their season in fifth place in the McConnell Conference and started their playoff run on Feb. 16 against the fourth-place Ayr Centennials at the North Dumfries Community Complex. Results of the
game were not available before press time. Game two of that

series will be at the Wellesley arena on Saturday night starting at 7:30 p.m.