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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2008 Johnson's slick move helps OT topple Titans Devils' captain nets game winner with a little help from his friend By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF You won't see Karson Johnson on the TSN highlights tonight, although his slick piece of stickhandling that led to Oakville Trafalgar's winning goal was certainly worthy of inclusion. With his team leading 1-0 in the third period of Friday's Halton boys' hockey game, Johnson broke in one-on-one and drew the puck behind him. As the defender reached to pokecheck him, Johnson slipped the puck through his own feet, pulled his stick around and roofed the puck from the edge of the crease. The goal helped the Red Devils down the second-place Holy Trinity Titans 3-1, extending OT's winning streak to 10 games and increasing their lead atop the Halton Volpe East Division standings to seven points. While there were no video cameras there to capture Johnson's goal, you may see the guy who helped him perfect the move on SportsCentre. "I learned that one from my buddy Sam Gagner," said the Red Devils' captain. "I used to play on his backyard rink." Gagner, a former OT student, is now playing in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and has been a highlight-reel staple during his rookie season with his mesmerizing shootout moves. Johnson's goal with 11:30 to play appeared to have sealed the victory. However, Holy Trinity capitalized on a powerplay when Darcy Storey finished off a give- and-go, taking a return pass and lifting a backhand over the glove of OT goalie Kevin Campbell with 4:20 remaining. OT would waste little time restoring its two-goal advantage. Just 17 seconds after Trinity's goal, OT's Matt Corbeth fired a shot from the left circle that slipped past Titans' netminder Joe Trauzzi. "That was a pretty big goal to get," Johnson said. "It was a lot of hard work and (Dylan) Gilbert made a nice pass." OT held the edge in play for much of the first two periods but Trauzzi was a big reason why the Red Devils led only 1-0 on a firstperiod goal by Tyler Dunn as the teams headed into the third "I thought he kept them in the game," said OT coach Jeff Gruber. OT has now won 10 straight games since a season-opening tie with the Nelson Lords. Trinity, 73-1, was also on a roll coming into the game. It had won four straight, with its last loss coming against the Red Devils in midDecember. Both teams have incentive to win this year. Each could have as few as three players returning next season. "I think there's some added motivation. The guys look around the room and see the guys they've played with and they know they're graduating," said Trinity coach Mark Commisso. "That's a motivating factor but we're always looking to make it as far as we can. Every team should be." Including OT. "I don't think it puts any more DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER SHOW OF SUPPORT: Oakville Trafalgar captain Karson Johnson and Holy Trinity's James Wallace battle for the puck in Friday's Halton boys' hockey game. Johnson's third-period goal proved to be the winner as the Red Devils ran their winning streak to 10 games with a 3-1 victory.. pressure on us," Gruber said. "Every year we want to do the best we can and there are a lot of good teams out there." With just one week remaining in the season, Oakville Trafalgar has company among the ranks of the undefeated. Notre Dame (8-0-1) and Georgetown (8-0-2) have also yet to taste defeat. Also, Nelson, the only team to take a point from the Red Devils, are 6-1-4. Both the Devils and the Titans will host playoff games Feb. 20. OT faces Loyola in its final regular season game, which could be a potential preview of OT's first playoff game. High school basketball, volleyball playoffs set to begin The Halton Secondary School Athletic Association playoffs in girls' volleyball and boys' basketball are set to begin next week. Basketball postseason play will tip off Monday with both junior and senior competition. In senior, the Loyola Hawks (9-2) will host the Robert Bateman Wild (2-8), the Abbey Park Eagles (4-5) will visit the Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers (5-5), the Christ the King Jaguars (2-8) will travel to Notre Dame for a clash with the Fighting Irish (7-2) and the Georgetown Rebels (64) will entertain the M.M. Robinson Rams (6-5). All contests are slated for 3:30 p.m. starts. Winners of those games will move on to face one of the top two seeds in their opposite division: the Nelson Lords (9-1), St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (10-0), Assumption Crusaders (8-2) and Holy Trinity Titans (82). Those contests would be played Wednesday. Junior playoff games slated for Monday include Loyola (5-6) at Aquinas (8-2), Ridge (5-5) at Abbey Park (6-3), Georgetown (4-6) at Nelson (6-4), and the Bishop Reding Royals (4-7) at the Lester B. Pearson Patriots (4-6). All but the Ridge/Abbey Park game will start at 3:30 p.m., with the Trailblazers and Eagles clashing at 4:45 p.m. Awaiting the winners for Wednesday games will be the T.A. Blakelock Tigers (110), Notre Dame (8-1), Assumption (7-3) and Holy Trinity (9-1). Quarter-final games in both junior and senior are scheduled for Friday. Semifinal matches will be played Tuesday, Feb. 19, with the regional championship games the following day at Sheridan College. Volleyball starts Tuesday Volleyball playoffs will get underway Tuesday. The senior first-round matchups had not been determined at press time, but Aquinas (8-2), Assumption (6-2) and Notre Dame (6-3) will host 3:30 p.m. games. The White Oaks Wildcats (6-3) will be home for a 4:45 p.m. start. The Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils (10-0), Acton Bearcats (7-1), Loyola (9-1) and Georgetown (7-1) will host second-round games on Thursday. In junior play, Abbey Park (5-4) will visit White Oaks (7-3), Oakville Trafalgar (5-4) will travel to Holy Trinity (6-3), Bishop Reding (7-2) will host Notre Dame (4-6) and Nelson (6-3) will be home to M.M. Robinson (5-4). All are 3:30 p.m. contests. Winners will move on to face either Assumption (9-0), Aquinas (9-1), Georgetown (9-0) or Loyola (8-2) on Thursday. Volleyball semifinals will be played Tuesday, Feb. 19. The championship games will be contested Thursday, Feb. 21 at Sheridan. * All records listed are as of press time Friday afternoon