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Piper backstops Toronto to PWHL championshipBy Herb GarbuttToronto victory in early February and then OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFmaking a season-high 42 saves in a 3-2 loss a week later. Brianna Piper had been through all thisI knew it was going to be a good game. before: her Toronto Jr. Aeros squaring off Its two really talented teams and theyre our against the Mississauga Chiefs one gamebig rivals, Piper said. We did shut them out, for the Provincial Womens Hockey Leagueso that gives you confidence that you have championship.been successful against them.This year was a little different, though.There would be no shutout this time. For starters, the Aeros were underdogs. LastPiper held Toronto in the game as the Aeros year when the teams met, they had compiledwere outshot 12-3 in the opening period of identical 29-2-3 records to finish tied atopSundays final but Mississauga took the lead the league standings. This year Toronto hadin the final minute of the period. finished third despite a very respectableToronto answered in the opening minute 26-6-4 mark. Meanwhile, the Chiefs openedof the second. Mississauga regained the lead the year with a 24-game winning streak ontwice in the period, but each time Toronto their way to a league-best record of 33-3-0.answered. The Aeros would finally take a And for Piper, last year she watched thelead five minutes into the third on Lindsay seasons final game from the bench. VeteranAllens second goal of the game and a minute Nicole Paniccia drew the starting assignmentlater Appleby College student Jenna in the final, backstopping Toronto to a 2-1McParland made it 5-3 Aeros.victory. This time it would be Piper entrustedAfter that it felt like a weight was lifted. I with shutting down the leagues highestknew we were going to win, Piper said. scoring team.She shut down Mississauga the rest of the It was definitely a different feeling, theway to preserve the victory, improving her Grade 12 Abbey Park student said. Last year,playoff record with the Aeros over the last I knew I helped get us there, but to play intwo years to a perfect 7-0.the championship its a different feelingIt was an honour to have that type of an being in the game and being out there on theopportunity to play for a team that was fortu-ice.nate enough to win two years in a row, the Piper, who was invited to the tryouts for18-year-old netminder said. We had our the national under-18 team, had successstruggles, battling with a lot of injuries and against the Chiefs this season, stopping 25missing players for key games. Everyone shots to shut out Mississauga in a 1-0thought Mississauga was going to win but we came together and won and nobody THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Abbey Park student Brianna Piper helped the Toronto Jr. Aeroswas expecting us to.win the Provincial Women's Hockey League championship last weekend, defeating the MississaugaToronto did not lose a game in Chiefs 5-3 in the league final.the playoffs, sweeping Cambridge wait to get down there, she said. Having second goal in the final, had 17 goals and 35and St. Catharines in three games to Nicole as mentor and seeing her achieve that points in 40 games for the Chiefs. She alsoreach the final four weekend. Piper (Paniccia is now at the University of helped Canada win a silver medal at thethen stopped 21 shots in the semifi-Connecticut), to do it myself, its almost sur-world under-18 championships and won anals as Toronto routed Bluewater real.silver at the Canada Games with Ontario. She7-1.Mississauga had a strong contingent of earned a Division I scholarship to play atIn the regular season and play-Oakville players as well. Pipers netminding Mercyhurst College next year.offs, Piper went 18-7 with four shut-counterpart in the final was Ali Binnington. Blueliner Bryanna Neuwald, a Grade 11outs, a 1.80 average and a .912 save Binnington has committed to the Division honours student at T.A. Blakelock, had threepercentage. And like Paniccia before III national finalist Rochester of Institute of goals and 12 points in 39 games forher, Piper will move on to play NCAA DRIVING RANGETechnology (RIT) Tigers for next season. Mississauga.hockey next year, committed to play Binnington was 18-2 with six shutouts in the Kristyn Capizzano, who helped Applebyfor the Rensselaer Polytechnic 905-257-6075regular season and playoffs combined, with a College win OFSAA gold last month, finishedInstitute (RPI) Engineers.1330 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. (1 km W of Ninth Line Oakville).944 save percentage and a 1.24 average. third in scoring on the Chiefs with 22 goalsThats been a goal of mine ever Hours: 9:00am to 9:00pm Monday thru SundayHailey Browne, who scored Mississaugas and 53 points in 44 games.since I started playing and I cant CPGA GOLF Speedsters medal at nationalsINSTRUCTION Private Lessons Clinics Swing TFour members of the Oakville Speed Skating Club earnedipsmedals at the recent Age Class Canadian Short Track SpeedSkating Championships.NOW OPENAnaka Will-Dryden claimed four medals at the meet, earningLUNCH SPECIAL overall silver in her age class while collecting silver in the 100-$7.00 LARGE BASKETSmetre, two-person relay and team relay.Sean McAnuff added four more medals, taking silver in theMon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.100m, two-person relay and team relay while claiming bronze inoverall.VALUE CARDS Erin Stewart won gold in the two-person relay and BrettSullivan took silver in the two-person relay.NOW AVAILABLEOther local competitors at nationals (pictured right) were Ben10 LARGE BASKETS$Heidecker, Blake Sullivan, Shem Roberts, Hazel Garde andFOR ONLY90Mitchell Kothleitner. Matt O'Donnell was one of the TeamOntario coaches.www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, April 7, 2011 40