October 26th 2013
Saints vs. Bulldogs (Box Score)
In a lop-sided game the Bulldogs shutout the Saints 5-0.
In the first period, Nicole Neeson and Jerry Mariano scored to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. The Saints nearly got one back late in the period.
It was more of the same in the second period, Nicole Neeson scored her second of the game. Jerry Mariano also got his second off a hard slap shot just beat the goalie Torrance Ho.
In the final period the Saints had more bad luck when their own player accidentally shot the ball off their own defensivemen and into their own net. In which Jerry got credited with the hat trick.
Eli Shupak got his first shutout of the season.
Honorable Mention: Greg Contaxis and Tara Gibson provided strong games for their teams.
In a wild game the Mustangs come out on top 5-4 over the Wolves.
Saverio Romano gave the Wolves an early 1-0 lead, in the first period.
Mike Iacovone tied the game at 1 for the Mustangs off a sweet tip in. However, Saverio gave the Wolves their second lead at 2-1. The Mustangs would once again tie the game off a goal from Kirk Ashman late in the second period.
Halfway through the third period Kirk Ashman scored two goals to give the Mustangs a 4-2 lead which was part of three unanswered goals. In a furriest rally late in the game the Wolves scored two goals from Sandy and Saverio but the Mustangs would hang on for the victory.
Honourable Mention: Brad Gordon and Darrin Shep provided strong games for their teams.
Saturday Oct 26th 2:30pm - 3:30pm. Aside from a few chances from each team the quiet first period ended at a 0-0. The second heated up at the 4:09 mark when a trapped Wei Jiet Goh let loose a spectacular off the wall, over the head shot that ricocheted of goalie Neil Mercer's arm and in; Unbelievable! A scrum at 10:09 landed the ball on Erin Vassilakos's stick and she made no mistake potting the equalizer with the second period ending 1-1. In the third frame the Kings regained the lead on a goal by Lorne Donnelly only to be evened out exactly 1 minute later on a solo effort by Jeremy Schofield. Wei Jiet Goh sniped one off the inside of the post as the Kings were once again on top but with less than 5 minutes left, a line drive by Erin Vassilakos finds the back of the net for the Lake Raiders bringing this back and forth affair to a close with a 3-3 tie.
October 19th, 2013 - Wolves vs Saints (Boxscore) In the TPWHL Season opener for the Wolves and Saints, the Wolves Won 4-2. Saverio Romano opened the scoring with 2 Goals for the Wolves. Sharmin Alam replied for the Saints late in the first period. Sandy McGrath scored the lone goal in the second period for the Wolves, he beat the goalie Torrance Ho bottom left corner off a hard shot. In the third period, Brandy Edwards scored for the Saints to pull within one making it 3-2. However, Saverio completed the hat trick to win the game for the Wolves. Even with the lost the Saints did a good job and kept it close for most of the game against the leading scorer from last year, Saverio. Honourable Mention: Matthew Cockburn and Lori Edwards for their defensive plays.
October 19th, 2013 - Bulldogs vs Kings (Boxscore) In the TPWHL Season opener for the Bulldogs and Kings, the Kings come out on top with a 4-2 Victory. Lorne Donnelly scored the league's opening goal for the Kings early into the 1st period. Wei Jiet Goh added another for the 2-0 lead. With the Kings now up 3-0 in the 2nd period, the Bulldogs finally get on the board with 2 goals from Nicole Neeson 29 seconds apart to pull within one at 3-2. Both goals were assisted by sweet passing from Jerry Mariano. In the 3rd period, Wei Jiet Goh put the game away for the Kings with the hat trick.
When I was younger, in the days before I took up power
hockey, I briefly played power wheelchair soccer at my school, Sunny View. I
remember playing it during gym class and occasionally over the lunch hour. I
didn’t pursue it further because I found playing power hockey more enjoyable.
However, this sport has caught on in many circles internationally, and I am
amazed to see its growth in the years since graduating from Sunny View.
Power wheelchair soccer is played with an average of four
players per team on the floor (unlike in standard soccer where there are 11
players per team on the field). There are coaches and officials like in
standard soccer games. All players have bumpers attached to their footrests,
which act as footrest protectors. Bumpers also make it easier to ‘kick’ the
ball. When I played I only used my plates and wheels to kick the ball. The ball
itself is the size of a regular soccer ball.
Wheelchair soccer is a variation of association football.
The wheelchair can be motorized (i.e. power chair) or manual, however you can’t
have both types on the floor at the same time. Both power and manual wheelchair
soccer is played in organized leagues in the USA.
In Canada, the sport has caught on in British Columbia and
Quebec. There is one acquaintance of mine in Vancouver who has played power soccer
for about six years. He tells me there are teams throughout BC who play
competitively as members of the BC Power Soccer Association. To my knowledge,
there presently aren’t any wheelchair soccer leagues in the province of
Ontario.
Internationally, power chair soccer is played in the United
Kingdom, France, Ireland, Japan, Portugal, Switzerland and Australia.
International rules have been laid out by the FIPFA (Federation Internationale
de Powerchair Football Association), based in France, where the sport was
introduced in 1978. According to the FIPFA, the concept of ‘power soccer’ was
introduced in Canada in 1979.
I have read from more than one source that power chair
soccer is the most prominent of all power chair sports. If this is true, how
come it hasn’t caught on in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province?
The Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association (CEWHA)
used to have a Vancouver Island division (I remember when it formed), but it
folded a few years ago, partly due to the growth of power soccer.
I’m hoping this blog will stimulate interest and dialogue,
especially for readers in Ontario. Power chair soccer can yield the same
recreational and social benefits as power hockey (and other wheelchair sports
for that matter). Perhaps attempting the sport at a school gym or local fitness
facility could generate more interest in developing an organized league. The
more sports there are for those of us with disabilities, the better.
October 19th 1:30 - 2:30pm Saw the 2013-14 season opener between the TPWHL Lake Raiders and Mustangs. First period action saw the Mustangs open the scoring with a Kirk Ashman bullet to the top corner, followed by Erin Vassilakos jumping on a loose ball and drawing even for the Lake Raiders. The second period saw the Lake Raiders take a 3-1 lead on a couple goals from Jeremy Schofield, the Mustangs responded with a another from Kirk Ashman and Jeremy Schofield netted another for a 4-2 lead into the third. In the third frame the Lake Raiders had a lone goal from Jeremy Schofield for a 5-2 final.
Outstanding work by all especially… Kirk Ashman, Mitchell Stark, Mike Iacovone, Jeremy Schofield, Erin Vassilakos and Brendon Myrie.
This will
be the start of the 7thTPWHL season, which means it is all brand
new teams for the next three years. The new teams are:
Come join
us, the regular season will be starting on October 19th. Right now the
exhibition games have started for two weeks. From watching the first week of
exhibition games, most teams look pretty even with some exciting hockey action.
There could still be changes to the teams. So come and enjoy the exhibition
game this Saturday, the first game starts at 12:30PM at Sunny View Public
School, 450 Blythwood Road. Throughout the season we will be profiling each
team with coach interviews so stay tuned!
