Twin Centre – three teams to OMHA finals

The Wellesley Applejacks may have been eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago, but hockey is still going strong in Twin Centre thanks to three teams advancing to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association finals. The Novice Rep (7-8 years old), Atom AE (10-11) and Bantam Rep (13-14) have all advanced to the provincial finals following outstanding regular seasons that saw them at or near the top of their league standings. The Atom AE team finished third in their division with a 17-4-1 record, the Bantam Rep team finished second with an 18-0-2 record, and the Novice Rep team capped off an amazing undefeated season, finishing 20-0-0 for first overall.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Twin Centre’s president Kevin Kraemer, whose son Kyle is also a member of the Novice Rep team.

“The teams have always been able to compete, but it seems this year that we were able to step it up a little more and make it to the final.”

As far back as Kraemer can remember to his own playing days, this is the first time that three Twin Centre teams have made it to the finals in the same year, which he credits to a shakeup at the Initiation/Tyke level a few years back.

“Four or five years ago we switched it up to get them on the ice three times per week, and we’ve really put a focus on getting them on the ice more often,” he said. “By the time any kid gets to novice they know how to stop, how to pass, and they’ve gotten those basic skills.”

Both the Novice and Atom players would have experienced this new coaching style, and Kraemer hopes to have even more success with it in the future.

The Bantam Rep team has taken a 1-0 series lead (best of six points) against Blenheim thanks to a 3-2 win on Tuesday night, and head coach Brock Gerber is proud of how far his team has come this season.

“We’ve had a very strong season, and hopefully we can keep it going,” he said, adding that the team has had to overcome a disappointing semi-final loss in the Silver Stick tournament last December.

The Atom AE club has taken a 2-0 series lead over their opponents from Centre Hastings thanks to a 10-3 and 4-1 win last weekend on the road, and look to finish off the finals with a three-game sweep on Friday night in Wellesley.
“Our big thing this year was to play for your teammates,” said head coach Steve Krulicki. “It’s a good early age to get them thinking that way because as you move on in any sport it’s all about the team. Play for the team, play for your teammates.”

The Novice Rep team kept their undefeated streak alive with a 9-1 win over South Huron in Game 1 of the finals last weekend, and look to keep the fairytale season intact in which they’ve also claimed the International Silver Stick in January by going 5-0.

Game 2 was set for Thursday night but results were unavailable before press. For a full schedule of games, visit www.tcmha.ca.

Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall

A superstition for an athlete is generally something that is first developed in hindsight, most likely by accident, and then becomes required going forward. Some athletes perform ritual movements or actions before a match, for instance. We have all heard stories about a player with his lucky socks that he does not wash, or a favourite hockey stick that he uses every turn on the ice. Most superstitions or rituals are extensive and considered normal in the sport world. To the average fan, it may seem silly or strange, but for some players mentally these patterns may actually influence their success.

A superstition can arise when a player has a particularly good or bad performance and then tries to come up with a reason by reviewing the details of the game.  For some athletes a great game performance can be attributed to unusual circumstances and they will go out of their way to attempt to recreate it before the next competition. For members of the Elmira Sugar Kings, a ritual can be certain behaviour or action that they perform with the belief that these behaviours have a specific purpose, or power, to influence their performance.  Some players believe that performing a specific ritual before a game improves their performance. These rituals can range from the way they put on the uniforms they wear to the foods they eat or drink before the big game or even the music they listen to.

As Elmira continues its quest for the Sutherland Cup, some of Kings have turned to their superstitions to help themselves and the team reach the next level in the playoffs.

Major Atoms head to OMHA finals

In 2012, Woolwich will only have one minor hockey team to represent the township at the Ontario Minor Hockey Association championships, but if history is any indicator, they could very well come home as champions.
The Major Atom AA team has qualified for the OMHA finals against Whitby, and this is virtually the same group of boys who captured the Minor Atom A title last year. They were one of four Woolwich teams to make it to the OMHA finals in 2011, and one of two to capture first place.

“It’s not just that we’re going back to the OMHA’s, but we went from playing A to AA,” said head coach Tony Code. “We had a very successful year, we were first place in a pretty competitive league, and we were able to have some success in the playoffs.” The road to the OMHA’s wasn’t easy for the team, though, as they had to battle through some playoff adversity to earn their berth in the Ontario finals.

They defeated their Centre-Wellington rivals in a six-game series, winning the final match 4-0, and clawed back against Oakville after losing the first two games of the series to win it in Game 6 on the road.
“We’ve had some epic battles,” said Code.

“We knew even in the first loss (to Oakville) that we could beat them. In the second loss we were leading 3-0 with eight minutes left in the game and we lost that game in overtime, so again we knew that we could beat them, it was just about getting the monkey off our back.”

Despite making the jump to the higher level, Code said he expected his team to be competitive, but didn’t think they would have this much success in their first season at AA. He attributes the team’s success to a strong work ethic, and their experience in last year’s playoffs.

“They definitely know the work that’s involved to achieve that goal. They know that it’s not just going to come by showing up. They come to work; they have a hard-hat mentality.
“They might not be the most skilled but they get it done through hard work and persistence.”

Although he isn’t familiar with their opponent first-hand, Code anticipates Whitby will play a similar type of game as his team, and knows it’ll be a good matchup.
The series gets started today (Saturday) at the Dan Snyder Arena, with Game 2 set for tomorrow (Sunday) at 1:30 p.m. in the Dan Snyder Arena.

Kings advance, second round of playoffs

The Elmira Sugar Kings punched their ticket to the second round of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs by sweeping the Listowel Cyclones 4-0 in their best-of-seven series. Following their 5-2 win in Game 1 on Feb.29 at home, the Kings won 5-3 in Listowel on Mar. 2, 2-0 on home ice on Mar. 4, and finished the Cyclones off with a 3-1 win in Listowel Tuesday night. The team’s head coach said the key was for his team to wrap up the series once they were up 3-0 in order to prevent any shift in momentum.

“It was very important, because it required us to stay focused. It’s easy for a team once they go up 3-0 to lose focus because they don’t think they’ll lose four games in a row,” said Dean DeSilva. “The playoffs are all about momentum, and we didn’t want to give them any.” In the opening round of last year’s playoffs Listowel rode a wave of momentum to erase a 3-1 series deficit to Stratford to win it in seven games. This series was a rematch of last year’s Cherrey Cup finals, which Elmira won in six games, and the Kings managed to accomplish the sweep despite missing Lukas Baleshta and Clayton Greer for the entire series with injuries, as well as Riley Sonnenburg and leading scorer Andrew Smith for the final three games.

“You take four or five guys out of any team’s lineup and what are they left with? Our depth certainly helps and it’s been a Godsend for us this series,” said DeSilva. The coach said those injuries provided an opportunity for other players to step up their play, and that was clearly the case. Eleven different Kings scored at least one goal in the series, and Nick Horrigan was outstanding in net, compiling a 1.50 goals against average and a .957 save percentage.

Last Sunday night he recorded his first shutout of the playoffs in front of a home crowd at the Dan Snyder Arena to put the Kings up 3-0 in the series. Michael Hasson and Wade Pfeffer scored a pair of powerplay goals at 1:01 and 5:59 of the second period, and that was all the offence the team would need. Brad Kraus and Brett Priestap picked up the assists on Hasson’s goal, while Scott Nagy and Cass Frey had the helpers on Pfeffer’s tally. The turning point of the game came at 9:31 of the second when Kraus was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. The Kings managed to limit most of the Cyclone shots to the outside, and Horrigan only faced a couple of dangerous situations.

“Nick played very well and the defense did a good job of letting him see the puck. Your goalie has to be the best penalty killer, and he was. Nick elevated his play for this series, and he is a leader on and off the ice.” DeSilva praised the job the Listowel coaches did of switching their tactics up all series against the Kings, and he believes his team will benefit from seeing those varying strategies as the playoffs progress. “Our players had to counter what they threw at us, and it has made them a better team.” The Kings still do not know who they will play in the second round of the playoffs. Waterloo leads its series against Stratford 2-1 and they played Thursday night with results unavailable before press. Meanwhile, Kitchener and Brantford are tied 2-2, and they also played Thursday night.

DeSilva said the Kings needed to tighten up in the defensive zone, and execute their system more effectively, adding that he fully expects to open the next round on the road against Stratford some time next week.
“We took too many penalties in the first two games, and the hockey Gods were smiling on us because there were a few bounces that could have gone the other way,” said DeSilva.
“We’ll take some time to heal up now, and we’re excited and anxious to get going in the next round.”

Two EDSS swimmers competing in provincials

When it comes to any goal, it’s all about how badly you want it. For EDSS students Katharine Hoffman from Maryhill and Adam Brown, setting new goals for themselves during this week’s provincial competition held at the Milton Sports Centre is what the two students plan to do. “(We) have both had a great season so far and we are hoping to continue with that success,” said Hoffman. “We are both looking to place high at the event.”
Having dominated the swimming season, Hoffman confirmed that she will swim the butterfly over 50 metres as well as the 50m freestyle, whereas Brown will be competing in the 50m backstroke.
Being in the pool has been a big part of Hoffman’s life. She began swimming at age 5, first as a synchronized swimmer and eventually found her passion for competitive racing when she attended high school. OFSAA has been one tough nut to crack for Hoffman, who has attended the competition numerous times over the years but has always been eliminated.

“Getting to OFSAA is always a really big accomplishment,” said the Grade 12 student “I just want to keep going and do really well.” Brown, a Grade 10 student, has only had one season in the pool and has impressed not only himself but his coaches as well. “I just started swimming this year and I really didn’t know what to expect,” said Brown. “I really worked on building my shoulder strength and that is where I get most of my speed from.”
The swim team has been training at the Woolwich Memorial Centre pool for an hour every Monday and Wednesday since November, with mini meets held on Thursdays.

Coaches Anne Kendall, Tory Dettwiler and Angela Zorzitto see a lot of potential from their two star athletes. “It is no surprise that (Hoffman) has once again reached OFSAA – she has been consistent through out the years,” said Kendall. “We were really blown away by (Brown) at first he was on par with everyone but then all of a sudden he just blew everyone out of the water and was clocking times that were a full six seconds faster than anyone else.”
Both students are very committed to the sport, said Kendall, attending all the practices and going above and beyond taking practices into their own hands and swimming on their own time.
“Over the Christmas break I would see them practicing in the pool; they are both determined students and know what they want to accomplish,” said Dettwiler.

The coaches feel both students have a good chance this year as Brown is still racing one or two seconds ahead of qualifying times and Hoffman placed second overall in her two events. “They both stand a great chance of placing very high in the standings this year,” said Dettwiler.

Jacks fall behind in opening round

The Wellesley Applejacks are up against the ropes. It’s do or die time for the Jacks as they lost two games last week and are now down 3-1 in their first round playoff series against the Ayr Centennials. After rebounding on Feb. 18 to win in overtime, the Jacks hit the road to visit the Centennials at the North Dumfries Community Complex but were unable to keep their momentum moving forward, losing the next game 5-0. “(Ayr) played very well defensively and shut us down all over the ice; we never had a really good chance at scoring a goal and we never really got near their net the whole game,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, head coach of the Jacks. Centennials’ forward Tyler Gauthier drew first blood scoring on Wellesley netminder Josh Heer five minutes into the first frame. It would be his first of three on the night.

Ayr would continue to attack keeping the puck in Jack territory for the remainder of the period but Heer managed to keep them at bay and the Jacks returned to the room only down by one.
It was a different story after the first intermission as Gauthier tallied two more to give Ayr a 3-0 lead.

Gauthier came out flying, slipping one past Heer in the opening minute of the second period, with Adam Brubacher and Jay Fried collecting the assists. Two minutes later he potted another to record the hat trick. The third period saw the Centennials add two more to the total as Jordan Eby scored at 11:54 and Patrick McKelvie put the final nail in the coffin just two minutes later at 13:57. Heer finished the night with 23 saves on 28 shots, while Centennial goaltender Lee Doherty had to make only 15 saves for the shutout.

Feeling the sting from their last game the Jacks were looking for revenge at home ice on Feb. 25, wasting no time in scoring first when James Mildon, who skating past the blue line, fed Rob Hinschberger who fired a one-timer past Doherty.

The Jacks would continue with the pressure only to be denied by Doherty as he made outstanding plays to keep his team within one heading into the first intermission. The second frame would be all Ayr as they potted two goals to take the lead, with Jordan Witt scoring at 2:45 and Philip Durnford scoring at 13:27. The third period opened with Ayr scoring their third when Declan Kaster beat Heer with a beautifully-timed shot over the goalie’s stick.
Down 3-1 the Jacks continued to keep the pressure on the Centennials and were rewarded with a powerplay goal when Ayr’s Eby was sent to the box for slashing. With the man advantage the Jacks potted their second of the night when Chris Bauman fed Connor McLeod who in turn fired it past Doherty at 9:04.

Just over four minutes later the Jacks would be deep in the Centennial territory when Matt Sovereign picked up the rubber and skated in behind Ayr’s net, finding Mark Hamilton on the left who would beat one Centennial player before passing to Tyler Eckert as he chipped the puck in behind the pads of Doherty to tie the game and send it into overtime.

The Jacks seemed lost when they returned to the ice during the extra period and Ayr took full advantage, scoring the winning goal off the stick of Alex Richard during a scramble in front of the Wellesley net. “We didn’t even know they scored, the only one who saw it was the referee, and I am not sure the puck really went in,” said Fitzpatrick. “Ayr didn’t celebrate, they didn’t think it went in and the referee didn’t signal it right away and we actually put the next line on the ice before the goal was given.”

The Jacks are still dealing with injuries and sickness and that was evident during Saturday’s game when the team only had 13 players ready to go. “It is so frustrating and I feel so bad for the team,” said Fitzpatrick. “We have a great goaltender that is keeping us in the game but the injuries are starting to hurt the team. I have never coached a team over the last 30 years that has had this many injuries all at the same time.” Game 5 of the series was Thursday evening in Ayr, with results unavailable before press time. Game 6, if needed, sees the teams return to Wellesley on Saturday night , with a 7:30 p.m. start

Kings split final pair to end the season

The Elmira Sugar Kings split the weekend ending their regular season, winning at home over the visiting Stratford Cullitons Sunday but losing a tightly-fought game the night before in Brantford. That, however, is exactly what head coach Dean DeSilva was hoping for. “Honestly, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. The way I look at it is that we had won 10 games in a row and, as a coach, I wanted to go into the playoffs with at least one more loss just to ground us,” said DeSilva. “I know it was important to get first place but I am alright with our result this season. During the year we won a number of games in a row and we got too high and I really wanted these guys to be grounded going into the playoffs.”

The Kings (40-9-2) in fact finished the season in third place in the Midwestern Conference behind Stratford (41-9-1) and the first-place Brantford Golden Eagles (41-7-3). The weekend got rolling with a visit to Brantford Feb. 25. The Kings got on the board first when Andrew Smith scored during a powerplay that had Eagles’ forward Brett Appio in the box for crosschecking. “We had an outstanding first period. We played really well, but we lost all that after the second and we became undisciplined and took some penalties and sat back a little bit,” said Desliva. “At the end of the first we were up 1-0 and by the end of the second we were down 2-1.”

The second frame was all Brantford as they outshot and outscored the Kings. Eagles’ forward Mike Riley would find the back of the net six minutes into the period to tie the game, with Brantford’s Mike Rebry scoring the second of the frame as time wound down.

The Kings opened things up in the third, scoring the tying goal in the last minute with netminder Nick Horrigan on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. With the game tied at two apiece the teams played through OT then headed to a shootout that saw both goalies put in strong performances, but the Eagles came away 3-2 winners. “It was good game and the guys played well. The bounces could have gone either way and we will learn from it and go forward from there,” said DeSilva. The next night the Kings played host to the Stratford Cullitons at the Dan Snyder Arena, skating to a much easier 4-1 victory in front of 1,254 fans.

“We want to play tough at home and make it a tough building to play in – it was important to bounce back from the game the other night,” said DeSilva. “We have been telling the guys that everything has been like a playoff series for the last couple of weeks. We had an emotional game one night and you have to play the next night how are you going to react that is going to make the difference. I want my guys to react to that kind of thinking. That is the kind of mentality that we have been trying to prepare for the playoffs for the last two weeks.”

Stratford drew first blood when forward Brock Reynolds beat Horrigan with a chip over the glove at 4:48 but it would be the last of the night for the Cullitons, as Elmira would score four unanswered goals.
Elmira’s Lukas Baleshta tied in the first when Will Cook picked up the rubber at the blue line and send a beautiful pass to Scott Nagy who was skating to the net only to pass to Baleshta at the last second and catching Cullitons’ netminder Taylor Dupuis off guard.

Returning in the second Elmira was on the scoreboard early when Brad Kraus beat Dupuis with a one-timer giving the Kings a 2-1 lead. Cass Frey and Nagy collected the assists. The remainder of the period would see both teams with good chances only to be denied by the goaltenders who mustered up both skill and luck to keep the game close going into the third. Kings forward Patrick McKelvie gave the boys in green a 3-1 lead just over four minutes into the third frame when he beat Dupuis on the stick side.

Smith made it 4-1 when he scored during a man on advantage that had Culliton Calvin Thomson in the box for crosschecking. With the regular season over the Kings prepared to face the Listowel Cyclones in the first round of playoffs that started Wednesday night. DeSilva knows it’s a whole new season when it comes to the playoffs. “Over seven games anything can happen. It is learning to play through that adversity, learning to deal with unexpected moments like referees missing calls – we are going to make bad plays but we just have to keep the bus in the right path and not get off,” said DeSilva. “We will be prepared for them and I am confident if we play
our game we will do just fine.”

Jacks square up series with Centennials

Shawn Fitzpatrick was the overtime hero on Feb. 18, firing home a rebound at 8:32 of the extra frame to lift the Wellesley Applejacks to a 3-2 win over the Ayr Centennials, knotting their best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
The Jacks had previously lost Game 1 in Ayr on Feb. 16 by a score of 5-1. “We played well both games. Game 1 we ran out of legs and they got good goaltending early,” said head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “Saturday we played very well again with a limited lineup, and the guys played well without the puck and to me that was the key.”

Wellesley responded to the disappointing series-opening loss with one of their best efforts of the season, and Connor McLeod lifted the Jacks to a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period with a pair of goals just seven minutes apart.
His first, at 11:39, came on the powerplay when he pounced on a rebound from a Tyler Eckert shot and fired it into the top of the net.

McLeod scored again at 18:31 with an unassisted marker after the puck squirted out from behind the Ayr net, he wasted no time in unleashing a hard wrist shot past goaltender Jordan Witt to make it 2-0.
Immediately following the goal, however, Jacks forward Brett Vickers was assessed a crosschecking major for flattening Ayr’s Andrew Richard after the play and he received a 5-minute penalty and a game misconduct.
The Jacks’ penalty killing – goaltender Josh Heer in particular – withstood a barrage of shots and managed to kill it off.

In the second period, Ayr’s Andrew Tapsell took over the game, scoring at 10:17 on a jam play in front of Heer, before tying it up just over four minutes later on a bit of a lucky bounce when a blocked shot ended up on his stick and he fired it into the wide empty net at 14:28.

Despite letting their opponents back into the game, the Jacks’ coach said he was happy with the way the team responded.

“Even before they tied it up, we kind of hit the wall, but there was about three minutes to go in the period where we had back-to-back real strong shifts, and that carried over to the third and the overtime,” said Fitzpatrick.
Both teams were held off the score board in the third, sending the game to overtime, and Wellesley looked determined to not head back to Ayr down 2-0 in the series.

Geoff Par, normally a defender but playing forward due to the number of injuries to the Jacks’ bench, got a rush started by using his big frame to protect the puck from two Ayr defenders. Tyler Eckert made a low shot on goal and Fitzpatrick was there to bang home the rebound past the sprawling keeper to give Wellesley the overtime win.

“Shawn [Fitzpatrick] made a great play to break away from his guy and headed straight to the net,” said the head coach, adding that come playoff time every game is like a chess match, with coaches and players trying to match their opponents every move.

Josh Heer had a terrific bounce-back game after allowing five goals in Game 1, making 45 saves in the victory, perhaps none bigger than the handful he made during a 5-on-3 penalty kill to start the third period.
With up to four injured bodies set to return before the end of the week, the Jacks are waiting to hear back about their captain, Rob Hinschberger, who was injured in the 5-1 defeat in Game 1. Fitzpatrick said it initially looked like a minor crack at the base of his left thumb, but said that the captain was heading to see a specialist this week to know the full extent of the damage.

Game 3 was Thursday evening in Ayr, with results unavailable before press time. Game 4 is scheduled for tonight (Saturday) back in Wellesley at 7:30 p.m.

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.

Something Special with the Kings

The Elmira Sugar Kings are accustomed to lining up against opponents who would like nothing more than to pound them into the ice.

Next Saturday, however, they’ll be matching up against some of their biggest fans as members of the Kings will be playing against the Woolwich Wolves Special Olympics floor hockey team at Woodside Bible Fellowship, located at 200 Barnswallow Dr. in Elmira.

This will be the second time that the Kings have played against the Special Olympic athletes, and the Wolves’ head coach says the team is looking forward to the rematch.
“A lot of our athletes attend the Sugar King games quite regularly, and they look up to them so much,” said Darren Martin prior to the team’s weekly game on Wednesday night.
“Ever since the last time we played the Kings they’ve talked about it a lot,” he added with a laugh.

The team normally heads to a tournament this time of year to play against other Special Olympic athletes from across the province, but Martin said this year they wanted to try something different and stay a little closer to home, adding that it would be a “fun and memorable” day for the athletes who idolize the Kings.

The Special Olympics have been in Elmira since the mid-90s, and now boasts about 50 athletes who play sports ranging from floor hockey and bowling in the winter, to baseball in the summer. About 17 regularly attend the floor hockey matches at Woodside, and while they do focus a little bit on skills and drills, the majority of the night is spent playing inter-squad games against each other.

“It’s great for them. This is often the highlight of their week, and it’s good for them to get some exercise running and moving, but even just playing,” said Martin, adding that the players, who range in age from teenagers to middle-aged adults, can be just as competitive as other athletes.

“It can get quite heated, just like the Sugar Kings,” Martin said, “but we always shake hands at the end.”

The event next Saturday gets started at 10 a.m. with an opening ceremony and an hour of drills with the Kings. Then, the Wolves and the Kings will faceoff for an hour-long matchup.
At noon, a pizza lunch will be served, which will be free to all participants and $1 per slice for fans and observers.

At 12:45 p.m. the Kings will play against the staff and elders of Woodside, and at 1:30 p.m. the Wolves will take on the Woodside staff. Finally, from 2 to 2:30 there will be a pick-up game of floor hockey for anyone who wishes to participate.

Martin encourages anyone from the public to come out and cheer for their favourite player, and to enjoy the day’s events.