Wolves shutout Saints

February 22, 2014 – Wolves vs Saints (boxscore)

The wolves shutout the Saints 4–0 with solid goaltending and defense.

It was a scoreless first period.

Early in the second period, Saverio and sharmin scored two minutes apart to give the wolves a 2–0 lead. Brandy nearly got the Saints on the board with a shot that went off the crossbar.

In the third period, Saverio added two more for the wolves, one of them assisted by Matt. Don once again nearly scored for the Saints on the breakaway, but was turned aside by solid goaltending from Torrance.

Isaac scores twice in win over Bulldogs

February 22, 2014 – Kings vs Bulldogs (boxscore)

In a tight game, the Kings win 3 –1 over the Bulldogs.

In the first period, Isaac opened the scoring for the Kings 3 minutes into the game off the rebound from Kirk's shots. Lorne tied the game 1–1 for the Bulldogs at 11:23. However Isaac gave the Kings the lead again 15 seconds later, where he banked a shot off the goalie Eli and just into the net assisted by Kirk.

It was a scoreless second period, in which a defensive battle occurred.

In the third period, it was much of the same but Kirk was able to score the only goal for the Kings with his third point of the night. Assisted by a beautiful pass from Jordan. Leo was solid in goal once again.

Mustangs tie Lake Raiders with 16 seconds remaining in third

Saturday Feb. 22nd  2014 1:30pm -2:30pm.

With the 5th place Mustangs fighting for a playoff spot the pressure was on to earn valuable points. The action started 3:25 in as the Lake Raiders Jeremy Schofield (Erin Vassilakos and lone defencemenn Steven Davis) beat goaltender Brad Gordon for the lead. With the Mustangs Mike Iacovone in the box for dangerous driving the Lake Raider's Jeremy Schofield (unassisted) added to the lead at 9:39. Then with under 2 minutes left in the first, Mike Iacovone redeemed himself connecting on a mad scramble in front of the Lake Raiders net, bringing the period to an end 2-1 Lake Raiders.

The second frame went down with neither team scoring in this chess match.

The third period played out much like the second, with both sides getting excellent chances but just not being able to capitalize… Then with the game looking like a win for the Lake Raiders the Mustangs threw everything at goaltender Neil Mercer and finally it was Wei Jet Goh (Nicole Neeson) banging his 21st  with 16 seconds left earning a point in this thrilling ending of a 2-2 tie game.

GoalieCam by Neil Mercer

Mustangs hang on for huge win over the Saints

February 15, 2014 – Mustangs vs Saints (boxscore)

In a huge game for both teams, the Mustangs win 4–3 over the Saints.

In the first, Mike opened the scoring for the Mustangs assisted by wei. Wei extended the lead to two assisted by Mike. Mike added a late goal assisted by Nicole to give the Mustangs a 3–0 lead in an important game.

In the second, it was much closer with Nicole scoring the lone goal for the Mustangs.

In the third, it was a different story for the Saints where they scored three goals. Two from Brandy and one from Don with one assist from Matthew, but the comeback fell short in the end. With the win the Mustangs pull within three points of the Saints for the final playoff spot.

Wolves moves into first with win over the Kings

February 15, 2014 – Wolves vs Kings (boxscore)

With both teams coming in tied for first place, it was a big game. In the end the Wolves came out with the 5-3 win in a playoff like game.

In the first period, Saverio opened the scoring for the Wolves off a great shot. Sharmin extended the lead to 2-0 three minutes later. However, the Kings answered with a goal from Issac off a rebound to cut the lead in half. Saverio once again gave the Wolves a two goal lead late in the period, assisted from a great pass from Darrin.

In the second period, the Kings got their second goal from Kirk that beat the goalie bottom left corner. Saverio responded with his third goal of the game for the 4-2 lead. Jordan scored the third Kings goal to pull within one going into the third.

In the third period, the Kings threw everything at the Wolves net even a wheelchair that drove the goalie Torrance into the net but were turned aside with the help of great defence, Saverio sealed the victory late in the period.

Paralympics Sled Hockey Documentary to Air on PBS

Check out “Ice Warriors: USA Sled Hockey” on Monday, February 24, airing at 10 p.m. ET on PBS.

The one-hour documentary, which profiles the United States Paralympics Sled (sledge) Hockey team, will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look as the team defends their 2010 gold medal and prepares for the 2014 games. Similar to “standup” hockey, the fast-moving sled version pits players against each other at eye level with their sticks, their sharp sled runners and the serrated ice picks used to propel their sleds.

Bulldogs win on late comeback goal VS Lake Raiders

Saturday Feb. 15th  2014 1:30pm -2:30pm. With 2 valuable points up for grabs, both of these struggling teams came looking for the win in this close game. Erin Vassilakos (Jeremy Schofield) opened the scoring for the Lake Raiders at 12:25 on the periods lone goal.

In the second the lake Raiders added to their lead at 4:05 on a Jeremy Schofield (unassisted) rising shot beating Bulldogs goaltender Eli Shupak for the 2-0 advantage. 9:56 saw the Bulldogs Lorne Donnelly (unassisted) shovel in a loose ball cutting the Lake Raiders lead in half 2-1 at the end of the second frame.

The third began with the Bulldogs Lorne Donnelly (unassisted) capitalizing to tie things up at 2:26 while both teams where serving dangerous driving majors, plus an extra 2 minutes to the Bulldogs after a big collision at the end of the second. Then with just under a minute to go Lorne Donnelly (Jerry Mariano) banged in the game winner and his third of the game for the hat trick, stunning the Lake Raiders with a 3-2 come back victory.

Kings edge Saints to stay on top

February 8th, 2014 – Saints vs Kings (boxscore)

In a close game the Kings edge the Saints 3-2 to stay on top of the standings.

In the first period, the Kings Kirk opened the scoring however the Saints answered to tie the game on a goal from Don.

In the second period, it was much of the same with Kirk scoring his second goal of the game to give the Kings the 2-1 lead. Once again, Don's great shot tied the game for the Saints.

In the third period, the Kings scored late in the period on a goal from Issac that won the game. On the goal Jordan made a great pass. Both goalies Tracey and Leo played a great game.

Next games on Saturday, February 15:

Kings vs Wolves at 12:30PM
Saints vs Mustangs at 2:30PM

Mustangs beat Bulldogs to keep playoff hopes alive

February 8th, 2014 – Mustangs vs Bulldogs (boxscore)

In a huge game for both teams, the Mustangs came out on top 4-3.

In the first period, Meghan opened the scoring for the Bulldogs on a goal assisted by Lorne. However, Wei Jiet answered for the Mustangs one minute later to tie the game at one assisted by Nicole.

In the second period, Mike gave the Mustangs the first lead of the game 2-1. Meghan scored her second goal of the game to tie the game from great passing from Lorne and Jerry. Lorne nearly gave the Bulldogs a lead late in the period.

In the third period, Mike scored to give his team a lead once again at 3-2 on a goal that just squeaked by the goalie. Nicole scored to extend the lead for the Mustangs to put them up by two. Lorne scored late in the period to give his team a chance but they would come up short. Brandon was solid in net replacing goalie Brad.

Next games on Saturday, February 15:

Bulldogs vs Lake Raiders at 1:30PM
Saints vs Mustangs at 2:30PM

Wolves ground Lake Raiders

Saturday Feb. 8th  2014 2:30pm -3:30pm. Looking to avenge a 9-5 loss on Dec 14th, the Wolves dominated the first period with Sharmin Alam scoring at 2:45 & 3:25 both assisted by Saverio Romano. 8:00 saw Saverio Romano (Darrin Shep, Sharmin Alam) add another, followed by a solo effort at 13:30 to end the first with a 4-0 lead.

Both sides had excellent chances but neither connected in a scoreless second period.

30 seconds into the third Jeremy Schofield put the the Lake Raiders on the board with an unassisted goal. Two minutes and five seconds later Saverio Romano (Sharmin Alam) replied with his third of the game for the hat trick. 6:00 saw Sharmin Alam (Saverio Romano) jump on a loose ball  scoring her third of the game for the second of three hat tricks in this high scoring affair. At 9:00 Jeremy Schofield snipped another for the Lake Raiders followed by a pair by  Erin Vassilakos at 10:01 & 12:00 both assisted by Jeremy Schofield making it interesting with a score of 6-4 Wolves but the Wolves kept up the pressure with Saverio Romano scoring unassisted through a crowd at 12:25 and adding another marker assissted by Sharmin Alam at 13:43. Jeremy Schofield added the fifth goal for the Lake Raiders for the hat trick but it was of little consequence as the Wolves rolled on to a 8-5 victory.

Wolves stuns Bulldogs with late goals

February 1st, 2014 – Wolves vs Bulldogs (boxscore)

Late heroics from Saverio helps Wolves come back in Exciting 3 –2 victory!

Jerry opened the scoring for the Bulldogs midway through the first period, Assisted by Meghan. It was a tight defensive period.

Saverio answered 27 seconds into the second period. For the wolves with a wraparound to tie the game at 1 –1. Lorne gave the Bulldogs their second lead off the game, on a goal assisted by Jerry.

With the Bulldogs Leading 2 –1 in the third period and the wolves having trouble breaking down the Bulldogs tough defense. But with their determination, they were finally able to break through with two goals in the final minute of the game by Saverio, assisted by sharmin in the improbable comeback win.

Team Canada Sochi 2014 Commercial

Canadian Paralympic Committee launches Sochi 2014 campaign to build hype around games

 "When we look at Paralympic athletes, we can make the mistake of focusing on their disabilities, instead of their extraordinary abilities," said Simon Craig and JP Gravina, Associate Creative Directors, BBDO Toronto. "This campaign forces the viewer to see all the amazing things that make these Paralympic athletes great. To catch them in the midst of competition is an awe-inspiring experience by any definition."

 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/canadian-paralympic-committee-launches-sochi-193000926.html

Saints Down Depleted Lake Raiders

Saturday Feb. 1st  2014 12:30pm -1:30pm. With their top goal scorer serving a 1 game suspension the Lake Raiders had a tough challenge against the solid saints. In first period action it was Lake Raiders who stuck first on a sweet pass from Goaltender Neil Mercer on to the stick of Erin Vassilakos, who buried her 14th of the season at 4:31. The second period saw the Saints Don Deschamps tie things up on a Brandy Edwards feed at 1:36, followed shortly by his second of the game on a solo effort at 4:08 for the 2-1 lead. The Saints added another with Braden Martz (Brandy Edwards) crashing the net scoring his fifth at 7:15 taking a 3-1 lead to the third. The final frame saw Brandy Edwards score the periods lone goal on a solo effort at 10:15 for the 4-1 win.

Despite the loss the Lake Raiders played hard and should be proud of their effort...

Sochi 2014: Sledge hockey players smashing stereotypes

Gearing up for Sochi!

http://www.thestar.com/sports/amateur/2013/12/02/sochi_2014_sledge_hockey_players_smashing_stereotypes.html

Intro to Accessible Curling

Three months ago, I wrote about how wheelchair soccer is becoming a popular sport. Wheelchair curling may not be far behind, at least in Canada. Unlike with wheelchair soccer, there are several wheelchair curling clubs throughout Canada. Presently there are clubs and organizations in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Wheelchair curling has its roots in Europe, where it was first played in the 1990s. The World Curling Federation (WCF) held its first wheelchair curling event in Switzerland in 2002. In 2006, wheelchair curling was formally recognized as a Paralympic event in time for the Paralympic Winter Games held in Torino, Italy. Today, wheelchair curling is played by athletes in more than 20 countries.

What distinguishes wheelchair curling from standard curling is that there is no sweeping (i.e. no brushes are used to help the rock slide further), curlers throw from their chair with a “throwing stick,” and team members position their chairs behind the thrower to keep the chair from sliding backwards.

The Ontario Curling Association (OCA) is a member of the Canadian Curling Association (CCA), which in turn belongs to the WCF. In Toronto, games are played from October to March at the Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. In lieu of a playoff period at the end of the season, a Bonspiel tournament takes place in Toronto every January. Other clubs throughout the province come to compete, with an awards banquet at the end.

The most recent Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship for curlers with disabilities was played in Ottawa in March 2013. Some of the players from these Provincial Championship teams have competed at both the national and international levels.

Wheelchair curling was initially played mainly by paraplegics in manual wheelchairs, but now people with various physical disabilities using power wheelchairs or scooters are known to play. This includes Douglas Gebhart, who has cerebral palsy.

Gebhart has played wheelchair curling in the Toronto club since 2010. His interest in curling began as a child, when he watched the likes of Sandra Schmirler and Glenn Howard.

“My friend (Ian) invited me to play, knowing that I liked curling,” he says. “I played before the (2009-10) season ended, and I found l liked it. I immediately signed up the following season,” he says.

Gebhart also says he wanted to find a sport that didn’t involve a lot of physical contact. “When I was 12 years old, I injured my eye when someone threw a basketball at it during a wheelchair basketball game.”

His eye healed up, but he quit playing basketball and vowed to find a sport that was safer. “I promised that as an adult I would find a sport where I wouldn’t get easily hurt. Once I started getting into wheelchair curling, I have never looked back.”

When I went to a curling session recently at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, I was in awe over how the people played with their chairs on the ice. I also discovered you don’t have to have a lot of upper body strength to play. During a break in a game, I threw a few rocks, and they were all good attempts. Attending the curling rink helped me to better appreciate curling as a sport.