Riverside students go the distance

Most schools commemorate Terry Fox by running on one day, but at Riverside Public School in Elmira students remember his Marathon of Hope by running for weeks on end.

This year they ran for seven weeks to be exact, and they ran not only for Terry Fox, but as part of the 25th anniversary of Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion tour.

Hansen kicked off his lastest cross-Canada tour at the end of this summer, and will be appearing in communities across Canada, including Elmira on Dec. 6.

“We’ve been doing the Terry Fox Run now for a number of years, and we look for a new twist every year,” said Connie Lepp, a special education teacher at Riverside.

This year Lepp proposed the idea of having the students run a cumulative distance of 12,000 km – the same as Hansen’s travel across Canada – as a way of recognizing not only the sacrifice made by Terry Fox but the ongoing work on Hansen and his foundation to help improve the lives of those living with spinal cord injuries.

While the task was daunting, Lepp was optimistic the students could do it. Last year they ran nearly 9,000 km in six weeks, and this year organizers added one extra week to that goal.

“I really wasn’t sure if we could make it, but it seems to be that we surpass our previous record every year in some way.”

They also held their annual toonies for Terry run in September and raised more than $567 for cancer research.

The school tracked their process by setting up a 400-metre lap in the schoolyard and encouraged the children to run during their nutrition breaks or on their own free time, and to record the distances using popsicle sticks.

“It’s really a neat thing to see this grow. This year we had 39 kids who ran two marathons or more. We had 20 kids who ran 100 km or more. We had a Grade 2 that ran 154 km,” said Lepp.

In total, the students ran 12,761 km to surpass their goal.

“I didn’t know if we were kind of exceeding what we were capable of, but they really rose to the challenge.”

Snyder Foundation funds equipment

You need more than just skill and determination to have success in the game of hockey; the sport’s physical and mental demands calls for rigorous training and exercise by athletes in order to maximize their full potential.

It is with that in mind that Graham and LuAnn Snyder donated the money needed to purchase both off-ice and on-ice athletic training aids to Woolwich Minor Hockey through the Dan Snyder Foundation.

A total of about $1,600 was donated to Tony Code’s Woolwich Hockey Academy in August to purchase the training aids, with the understanding that the equipment would then be donated to Woolwich Minor Hockey.

“The training aids are something that we felt that could be used not only by the academy but by minor hockey and by the Kings throughout the year,” said Graham Snyder. “Training is a big part of the game of hockey, and I know Dan was very, very in to training and into fitness.”

There is a wide range of equipment to choose from, from medicine balls and hurdles to help increase explosiveness and foot speed, to on-ice stick handling aids called attack triangles and mini parachutes to increase resistance, as well as skipping ropes and balance boards, just to name a few.

“Balance boards are great to try to solidify a good hockey stance and for having good balance, because that’s key to everything in hockey,” said Tony Code, coach of the Woolwich Major Atom team.

Code is very grateful to the Snyder family for their generous donation to minor hockey, and said that anyone interested in using the equipment is welcome to. It is being stored in a locked chest at the far end of the Dan Snyder Memorial rink and the key is available for signing out at the front desk.

The coach is also hosting an impromptu training session this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at the arena for any coaches interested in coming out to see how the equipment can be used.

“There is so much you can do and any coaches with half an imagination can come up with stuff to keep the kids busy,” said Code.

The Dan Snyder Foundation, named after Graham and LuAnn’s late son, is their way of keeping Dan’s legacy alive after he was killed in car crash back in October of 2003.

Dan played hockey in Elmira for the Kings before suiting up for the Ontario Hockey League’s Owen Sound Platers, the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, and realized his dream of playing in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers before the crash that claimed his life.

Currently the foundation is working on updating its website, 37risingstars.com, as well as installing an interactive showcase in the Woolwich Memorial Centre with a portion dedicated to ongoing news and information about the foundation, as well as Woolwich Minor Hockey.

Every year the group also awards the annual Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship to local athletes for use towards their post-secondary education. This year’s recipients – Jarred Parent, Corin Metzger and Robyn Beckett – were each awarded $1,200.

“We try and service the community, it’s important,” said Snyder of the foundation’s efforts.

“There were a lot of very generous donors to our foundation from the hockey world and from this community, and we’d like to keep giving back for as long as we can.”

Jacks come out of weekend with a win

The Wellesley Applejacks may have emerged from their toughest stretch of the season last weekend with only one win, but coach Kevin Fitzpatrick is pleased with what he saw from the team.

Playing three games in three nights on the road, the Jacks dropped a 4-2 decision in Dehli Oct. 21, fell 5-1 in Hagersville the next night, and emerged victorious last Sunday in a 6-3 win over Norfolk.

“We deserved more than the two points. Our guys played hard,” said Fitzpatrick, who could only dress 14 of his 24 skaters last weekend due to exam conflicts, illness and injury.

On the Friday night in Delhi the Jacks matched up well against the Travellers and were in it until the very end of the game. After allowing a first period powerplay goal to Delhi during a 5-on-3 penalty, Wellesley’s Corey Way tallied the only goal of the second period at 17:53 from captain
Rob Hinschberger and Matt Soveregn.

The Jacks fell behind 2-1 early in the third when Delhi’s Trevor Beihn scored at 5:31, but they continued to fight as Hinschberger managed to slip one past the Travellers’ keeper at 9:32 on the powerplay, assisted by Chris Bauman and Corey Way.

Unfortunately, penalty trouble doomed the Jacks in this one when Geoff Parr went to the box for slashing at 16:47 of the third period and Bobby Gray joined him in the sin bin at 17:57 for a too many men bench minor.

Delhi made them pay with a 5-on-3 goal at 18:01 and an empty net goal at 19:56 to seal the win. Josh Heer made 27 saves for the Jacks to take the loss.

“We played well,” asserted the head coach. “You look at the boxscore and two 5-on-3 goals (by Delhi) and an empty netter, and we could have won.”

The next night in Hagersville, the score was a little more lopsided as the Jacks endured a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the second-place Hawks.

The game was scoreless after the opening period in which Hagersville killed off four straight penalties, including a pair of 5-on-3 situations.

Much of the second period delivered the same, as the teams were scoreless until Hagersville slipped a powerplay goal past Heer for the 1-0 lead heading to the third while the Jacks were trying to kill a 5-on-3 penalty.

It was the third period that was the team’s undoing, however, as Wellesley surrendered three goals in the first 5:45 to put the game out of reach. Wellesley’s Reid Denstedt broke the shutout bid at 9:27 to make it a 4-1 game, but it wasn’t enough as the Hawks skated to a 5-1 win.

“We just stood there for a four-minute span and they skated and scored. We just hit the wall,” said Fitzpatrick of his team’s third period collapse. “We were down to three (defenceman) and two (forward) lines, and we hit the wall. If they think they beat us badly, they weren’t paying too close attention.”

In the third match of the weekend, the Jacks finally got the result they were looking for when they beat the lowly Norfolk Rebels 6-3, but it certainly wasn’t easy.

The Jacks trailed 2-0 at the end of the first after Justin Howden and Andrew Patenaude tallied for the Rebels, who had only won one game coming into the matchup.

The Jacks responded in the second with a quick goal courtesy of Connor McLeod just 15 seconds in on the powerplay from Hinschberger and Derick Lebold.

Wellesley’s Shawn Fitzpatrick fired home a shot at 5:19 to tie the match at two, and Sean Malone gave the Jacks their first lead of the weekend at 7:02 from Spencer Geoffrey and Hinschberger.

Norfolk tied the match briefly at 13:46 on the powerplay, but McLeod’s second of the period at 18:03 stood up as the eventual winner and Wellesley scored twice more in the third to cruise to the 6-3 win.

Heer made 26 saves for the win.

Even though the team only managed to collect two of a possible six points during the three-game stretch, the weekend did hold some positives for the Jacks, highlighted by the return of the team’s captain Rob Hinschberger who missed the entire start of the season due to injury.

He collected two goals and four assists in three games, as well as six penalty minutes.

“He had an outstanding weekend,” said the head coach.

The play of Josh Heer in net was also a big positive on the weekend, Fitzpatrick said, and bodes well for the rest of the season. Despite getting shelled for 11 goals in three games, his goals against average still sits at 2.56 – fourth in the league.

“That’s why he is one of the best goalies in the league. He was outstanding in those three games and didn’t have a chance in Saturday’s loss (5-1 to Hagersville).”

The Jacks (6-4-0) get right back at it tonight (Saturday) at home when they take on Burford (2-7-1) at 7:30 p.m., and the coach knows the team has a few things to work on before then.

“For all three games we had bad turnovers in the neutral zone and just inside the offensive blue line, but they’re easy fixes,” said Fitzpatrick.

“These guys work hard and they’re talented. What it comes down to is focus and discipline.”

Dukes beat Jacks for second time this season

They may be only seven games into the regular season, but the Wellesley Applejacks have developed quite a rivalry with the St. George Dukes.

Playing in front of their home crowd last Saturday night, the Jacks dropped their second straight decision to the Dukes, a 5-1 loss in a penalty-filled affair at the Wellesley Arena.

It was the second time in a week that St. George (4-1-1) has bested the Jacks, following a 3-2 loss in St. George on Oct. 8. This latest setback drops the Jacks’ record to 5-2.

The Dukes managed to capitalize on a slow start by Wellesley when St. George’s Chris Vasile blew past flat-footed defenceman Derick Lebold and fired a quick snap-shot past the blocker of goaltender Josh Heer.

“I felt we were flat from the get-go,” noted head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick of his team’s early performance.

“Give them (St. George) credit, they’re a big team and they’re a good team, but we definitely didn’t play nearly as well as we did through the first month of the season.”

The Jacks also struggled to find any consistency on offence as they had trouble completing many clean passes out of their zone and in the middle of the ice, and the team didn’t even get a quality shot on goal until nearly the 8-minute mark.

“We took a lot of shots from the outside, a lot of shots that he (Dukes goaltender Tanner Armstrong) could see, and when we did get a quality shot he came up and made some good saves.”

Following that quality chance, however, the Dukes transitioned quickly up the ice and after three straight Jacks giveaways in their own zone, St. George made them pay by scoring to make it 2-0 at 7:59.

The Dukes speed was again a factor in their third goal, this one at 12:48 when Andrew Swaniga beat defender James Mildon to the outside before he cut to the net and managed to squeeze the puck past Heer’s left pad and the far post from a nearly impossible angle.

With the score 3-0, however, the Jacks continued to get their chances and some undisciplined play by the Dukes opened the door for Wellesley as they went to work on a 5-on-3 powerplay for the last minute of the period.

Despite some strong pressure by Wellesley to close out the frame, St. George’s keeper shut the door.

The Jacks started the second period with a lot more jump and managed to cut the deficit to 3-1 on a quick snap-shot by Connor McLeod from the hash marks in the middle of the ice after a nice breakout feed from Mildon at 5:19.

Any momentum gained from that goal, however, was quashed by five straight Wellesley penalties.

“We made it 3-1 and then we take five straight penalties and that’s it,” said Fitzpatrick.

“When you’re struggling you’ve got to work hard, you can’t make those kinds of mental mistakes, and we made a lot of mental mistakes that game.”

St. George put the game away with a pair of unanswered goals to close out the second period, and played a tight defensive game in the third, limiting the Jacks to seven shots while only managing two of their own, to skate away with the 5-1 win.

The final shot tally was 33-29 in favour of St. George, with Heer shouldering the loss while surrendering all five Dukes goals. Heer had been outstanding heading into Saturday’s match, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.33 GAA and 0.965 save percentage to start the year.

“He was a sitting duck out there for two periods,” said Fitzpatrick in support of his keeper.

“We didn’t give him any defensive help at all.”

Fortunately there was some good news to come out of Saturday’s game. It was the team’s annual Breast Cancer research fundraising night and a total of $200 was donated to the Canadian Cancer Society through the sale of game programs and other memorabilia.

Players also taped their sticks pink and wore pink skate laces to commemorate the evening.
“The Jacks thank all of the fans for their support of this very worthy cause,” said Rick Grebinski, a member of the team’s executive.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Jacks this weekend, though, as they will have to play three straight road games as they try to right the ship.

After playing in Delhi Friday, the Jacks are in Hagersville tonight (Saturday) at 7:30 p.m. and then play a rare afternoon tilt on Sunday in Norfolk at 3:30 p.m. The Jacks’ next home game is Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Burford.

Jacks split a pair in weekend play

The Wellesley Applejacks lost for the first time in the young season, but a split in weekend play saw the team hold on to top spot in the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

The Jacks defeated the Delhi Travellers Oct. 7, but dropped one while visiting the Dukes in St. George the following day.

On the road against the Travellers, the Jacks claimed a 4-3 victory.

Neither team scored in the first period, but that would change during the second as Jacks forward Corey Way potted one in the opening seconds of the period. Teammate Reid Denstedt was the hero of the day, notching a hat trick, including the game-winner, to put Wellesley up 4-0.

The Travellers would come back with goals from Marty MacDonald and Derek Friesen to end the period down 4-2.

Delhi made a game of it in the third when Reid Morrison cashed one, but were unable to capitalize again, giving the Jacks the win.

“This was a huge win for our team. We have been blown away down there for the last five years, so being on the road and beating this team was a huge lift for us,” said head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick of the visit to Delhi.

The next night Wellesley took on the Dukes at the South Dumfries Community Centre, dropping a 3-2 decision to the home team.

The Dukes opened the scoring with a shot from Nick Cole beating goaltender Jordan Bauman during a power play at 4:37.

With just less than five minutes left to play in the first period, the Dukes would take a 2-0 lead during another power play when Scott Thompson slipped the puck to Andrew Huddle, who found Andrew Swaniga as he sent it into the net.

The Jacks came out in the second period determined and were rewarded with a goal from Connor McLeod, with James Mildon claiming the assist at 7:35.

Parker McIntyre of the Dukes notched another goal for his team with five minutes remaining in the period to take a 3-1 lead.

As the third period began the Jacks went full out against the Dukes, with Blair Witmer squeezing one past Dukes’ netminder Tanner Armstrong to keep the game within one.

Unfortunately the Jacks were unable to profit during the rest of the period, with the final score favouring the Dukes 3-2.

“It was a struggle from start to finish. We didn’t play particularly well, but we didn’t play bad either. We needed some more intensity and we had lots of chances, hitting too many goal posts,” said Fitzpatrick. “It was one of those games that if we had had a break here or there the outcome would have been different.”

The Jacks took some bad penalties in the third period, breaking the flow of the game.

“You can’t take bad penalties at anytime but when you are really struggling as a team and you start to get something going then a penalty occurs it just zaps all the energy right away. We have to show up and play 60 minutes of hockey and not let the other team get to us,” said Fitzpatrick.

Wellesley is tied for first place in their division with the Hagersville Hawks and face off against the Dukes again today (Saturday).The game is their second annual breast cancer research benefit. All proceeds from program sales and donut and cider sales will be donated to breast cancer research. There will also be a display with information about the disease and a donation box to show support in the fight against breast cancer.

The Jacks are hoping anyone attending the game will be dressed in pink to show their support for the cause.

Now that’s using your head

John Chehade is passionate about concussions.

The general manager at Clinical Medicine Research Group (CMRG) and former University of Western linebacker knows about concussions firsthand, along with the dangers of being young and not wanting to let down teammates.

“If you have an undiagnosed concussion or a mismanaged concussion in an adolescent athlete that is maturing they will have problems down the road and will be susceptible to concussions on less force,” said Chehade at a CMRG concussion management program held last weekend at the Woolwich Memorial Centre.

This year Woolwich minor hockey teams will be participating in the program, educating coaches, players and parents about the effects of concussions on young athletes.

Concussions are a major concern among adolescent athletes, especially girls who have the highest incident rate for concussions.

The main causes of concussions are player contact, surface impact and players hitting the boards, Chehade told a group of parents and coaches.

There are two types of concussions a direct blow or a rotational type injury.

“If you look at the Sidney Crosby hit, that glancing blow a cross the chin where the head keeps moving, the brain rattles on the inside of the skull, that rotational injury is the kind we see most commonly with females and what we deal with the most in hockey,” he explained.

CMRG will be providing education and information to coaches and players on the signs and symptoms of concussion and what to do when a concussion is suspected.

Each player in the league will be required to provide baseline and follow-up Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) neurocognitive testing through the program. Baseline testing is conducted at the start of each season.

A baseline gives medical specialists a starting point for each athlete and a referral after a concussion has been sustained. The idea is to rest and recover back to baseline scores.

“In any concussion there is a certain neurometabolic change that occurs when a concussion is sustained,” said Chehade. “Your brain becomes starved for energy and that is why there is no antidote to cure concussion – players just need complete physical and neurocognitive rest.”

In some 80 per cent of cases, symptoms will vanish within a seven- to 10-day period, said Chehade. The problem lies in figuring out whether an athlete is in the 80 per cent category or the 20 per cent category like Crosby.

“Doctors don’t know unless they do testing and have data they need, that is why we use the ImPACT test.”

It is extremely important that coaches and parents manage the concussions as they occur.

“If we let the athletes heal and give them the appropriate amount of time they are going to be fine but try and rush a kid back to play – he could face even greater dangers.”

The symptoms linked to concussions have athletes feeling dazed and confused; they act clumsy, answer questions slowly and have personality behaviour changes, headaches, nausea, double vision and photosensitivity.

The problem, said Chehade, is that these symptoms are all subjective.

“When I played football for the University of Western Ontario I had a diagnosed concussion.

They brought me into a room and I passed all my tests, I hid my signs and symptoms and I suffered with a lot of problems because I did that. I was the starting middle linebacker and I wanted to play, especially homecoming weekend, and I just told them I was good to go, but I was not fine and in no condition to play.

“I don’t want kids to suffer what I went through.”

A key to helping young athletes is strengthening their necks. Female athletes in particular need to strengthen their neck muscled as they have longer necks and “don’t have the stabilizers that male athletes have so their brains move around faster when they are hit and fall.”

Mismanaged concussion can lead to second impact syndrome where the brain loses its ability to control the amount of blood flow rushing to the brain, which squeezes the brain inside the skull causing permanent damage and can lead to death.

Second impact syndrome only occurs in athletes under the age of 21.

“We have to take our time when we are dealing with any younger athletes. There is no rush to get them playing again, they are not making millions of dollars we should be more concerned about their future.”

In that vein, the Waterloo Ravens from the Waterloo girls’ minor hockey league will be hosting a head injury prevention and concussion management certification workshop Oct.

19 in Forbes Auditorium at RIM Park from 5:30 to 10 p.m.

The workshop will be focusing on risk factors associated with sport related concussions, resources available in the Waterloo Region and improve care and outcomes through early diagnosis, prompt treatment and appropriate return to play.

For more information about concussions, visit www.impacttestcanada.ca.

Jacks win home-opener, extend record to 4-0

The undefeated Wellesley Applejacks did not disappoint fans at their home-opener last Saturday night, as Shawn Fitzpatrick notched a pair of goals in the first period to help lead the squad to a 4-1 win over the Tavistock Braves.

Controlling the game from the opening whistle the Jacks dominated the visiting Braves in a
first period that saw Fitzpatrick score two goals within two minutes.

Fresh off the bench, Jake Steenson would pass to Mitch Metzger who would feed Fitzpatrick, allowing him to find the back the net past Braves goaltender Luke Zehr at 14:22.

With the Braves down a man after Josh Zehr was called for holding, the Jacks would keep the pressure on, with Fitzpatrick notching another goal at 16:11. Kevin Howorth and Blair Witmer claimed the assists.

The Braves responded with their only goal of the night when Blair Mackay found an opening to blast one past Jacks’ goaltender Josh Heer to end the first period.

The Jacks took a 3-1 lead after the intermission when Metzger potted his first goal of the season with under seven minutes remaining in the period.

The third period saw both teams come on strong; in the dying minutes the Braves pulled their goalie in hopes of a second goal.

Skating 6-on-5, the Braves were deep in Jacks’ territory when the puck came loose and landed on the stick of acting captain Corey Way, who sent it down the ice to score an empty-netter and sealed Tavistock’s fate.

“(Way) has done a great amount of work for this team both on and off the ice,” said head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick. “He is a real workhorse out there and gives the team 100 per cent every game and he has really stepped up to fill the captain position.”

The Jacks’ netminder turned aside 37 of 38 Travistock shots for the win, while the Braves goaltender made 14 saves in the loss.

The longtime rivals chalked up more than 40 minutes in penalties, with the Braves taking the majority, but the Jacks were only able to capitalize on one of the power plays.

“This happened in our last two games. We need to start taking advantage of the power plays and scoring on these teams so we can have the games in hand early,” said Fitzpatrick. “What it does do when the other team keeps taking penalties is it takes them right out of any flow, their lines are all messed up and guys are sitting on the bench and even if you don’t score there is a negative effect on the other team.”

The Jacks will be back on home ice Oct. 15 to face off against St. George Dukes.

EDSS football season opens with victories

The EDSS junior and senior boys’ football teams kicked off their season on Sept. 22 with a win each as they went head to head against the visiting Galt Collegiate Institute (GCI).

The junior team played a close game, coming away with a 13-6 win. Coach Dave Munroe said the team has a good core of returning Grade 10 players “that started last year and they know the plays and have been showing leadership during the first couple weeks of practice which was great for the coaches to see.”

The junior team managed to grind out a win and the coaches were able to see that there were a few things the team would need to work on.

“We had a few penalty troubles and offside calls that we need to address to the players, but that will come with time,” said Munroe. “It was positive that they stuck out the whole game and taking home the win in the end.”

Last season the junior boys’ finished with a 2-6 record in division A and lost in the B championship finals to the Eastwood Rebels by a score of 18-15.

The junior Lancers will be looking at returning quarterback Jordan Frey, running backs Alex Weber and Alex White and newcomer Grant Kernick, a Grade 9 student, to make things happen offensively.

“We have high hopes to do well during the regular season and our goal is to get up to A division for the playoffs,” said Munroe. “Offensively we’re strong and fast and will get better as the season goes on.”

The senior boys’ team put on an offensive show in handily beating GCI 49-12.

Coach Steve Karn believes the squad will be very competitive this season.

“We have a good committed group this year and they are fairly green as we have a lot of guys that are playing for the first time,” said Karn. “We are in a bit of a rebuilding but the guys are committed and showing up every night for practice, working hard and we will be competitive in the B division, for sure.”

The team has a handful of returning players, four on defence and four offensive players that were starters last season.

“We have one-third of the guys returning at key positions so that means we do have a few holes that need to be filled and we have a lot of young guys in Grade 11 and guys that never played football before,” said Karn. “They are learning and we are only going to get better which is a positive thing.”

On Friday the Elmira Optimist Club presented the football program with $15,000 raised at a golf tournament held earlier this year.

“The money generated by the club will go to keep the program viable and we can get new helmets, shoulder pads and all the new equipment we need to purchase,” said Karn.

The club has also created two new scholarships opportunities for two graduating players.

These students have to be entering a college, university or an apprenticeship program.

From the funds raised, $6,000 will be allocated to the scholarships as each student will have the opportunity to receive $1,000 for each year of studies up to three years. The other $9,000 will be used to purchase equipment and keep the program running.

Juniors boys start season with a win

The EDSS junior boy’s volleyball team hit the courts this week for their first home game of the season and walked away with a win against the Sir John A. MacDonald Highlanders.

Last year the boy’s team won three games, an improvement over the season before when they did not manage to post a single victory.

This year head coach Sarah Gerth is optimistic that the team will perform even better and was given three solid games from her players defeating the Highlanders 25-15, 25-18 and 25-19.

“The team is looking good, we are really excited,” said Gerth. “These are just good hardworking kids.”

The team boasts 10 returning players which will help guide the new players as they make their way through the regular season.

“There are always the powerhouses – those schools that do well year after year – but I think we will stand our ground against them this year.”

Due to a low turnout this year, however, the senior boy’s volleyball team folded allowing the senior coaches, including Adam Hiller, to join Gerth this season.

Hiller is positive that the senior team will return next year as the junior boys advance up to the next level.

“Originally the coaches of the senior boys were going to take the players that I cut but we thought lets work together and really get the program going so next year they will be better and stronger,” said Gerth.

The majority of the players are Grade 10 students, a stark difference from last year when the team was made of fresh new Grade 9 students facing opponents that were a year older and stronger.

“Last year we were at a bit of a disadvantage – I only had two Grade 10 students –but this year I have most of my first line returning and I have the addition of few new players, Ben Strauss who plays for the Kitchener-Waterloo Predators and knows the game very well and Eric Deros who is 6’3” and is just a powerhouse,” said Gerth.

Adding to the mix is Nicholas Pavanel, who will be the team’s libero player and will be responsible for defending the entire back line.

“(Pavanel) is our defensive specialist in the back, and he always is consistent, dependable and really follows the game.”

The team’s MVP from last year, Robbie Mazzocca, is also returning and has been called a coach’s dream player.

“(Mazzocca) is a great setter, hitter, blocker, passer, and server. I can put him anywhere on the court and he performs for me,” said Gerth.

Communication and talent seemed to be helping the Lancers as they played against the somewhat disorganized Highlanders during Tuesday’s game.

“The personalities on this team gel really well and everyone gets along, they are all respectful of the process. I am just looking for to having more wins this season.”

Brenner takes part in Leafs’ rookie camp

This past week, 25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs top rookies converged in Oshawa for a three-game tournament against rookies from the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Among them was Tyler Brenner, a 23-year-old Linwood native who said the rookie camp and tournament was an important step to take in his development as a professional hockey player.

“It’s been a very high pace and a great experience, especially getting a few games in right before main camp, which is nice,” he said on Monday afternoon, the team’s lone day off during the four-day event.

Although Brenner has been in Toronto and skating with members of the Leafs NHL squad for the past three weeks, the rookie tournament officially started with a team practice on Sept. 10 and ended with a 4-3 overtime loss to Ottawa on Tuesday night.

Brenner was a healthy scratch in that game, as well as the team’s first matchup against Chicago, a 4-2 win Saturday, but he performed well and collected a goal and an assist in the team’s 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday while skating on the third line with Kenny Ryan and Kyle Neuber.

The 6’2”, 200-pound forward said that he hopes his production in that game, as well as his physical style, helped turn some of the coaches’ heads and will give him some confidence heading into the main Leafs camp this weekend.

“I think it created a little more space for me and my linemates. It gets me more involved and into the game,” he said.

Brenner also said the team of young skaters was beginning to gel and generate some good chemistry, which should bode well not only for the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but for the big club as well in the coming years.

With the Leafs NHL roster pretty well set for the upcoming season, odds are Brenner will have the chance to get to know most of the guys even better playing for the Marlies.

“It’s great to meet them all because I’ll be playing with them for the next couple of years,” he said. “I feel a little more comfortable and at ease and not so nervous. It’s a great experience overall.”

The former Sugar King captain potted 41 goals and 35 assists in his final season in Elmira back in 2006/2007 before earning a scholarship to the Rochester Institute of Technology south of the border. He was a standout player for RIT, registering 26 goals and 41 points in his final season last year.

The Leafs signed him to a two-year contract in March, a lifelong dream for the boy who grew up cheering for the blue and white. He scored twice in his AHL debut with the Marlies and finished with six points in the final eight games of the AHL season.

Brenner is confident that his decision to attend RIT was the right one for his development, and should serve him well in his continuing quest to make it to the NHL when camp opens Friday.

“It’s a fast-paced game in the States so when I came to the AHL it was a little tougher and guys were a little bigger, but I just continued to play the way I had been at school, and things have worked out.”