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Sports Oakville Beaver 27 · Friday, December 21, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Bell tournament draws 170 teams By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: It'll be awfully difficult for Oakville Rangers rep hockey teams to improve on the Minor Oaks Hockey Association's showing at last year's Richard Bell Memorial Tournament. Not only has the bar been set quite high (local teams won a record six Bell titles in 2011 and reached the finals in 10 of 15 divisions), there's also more teams standing in their way. This year's Richard Bell tournament will feature an all-time high of 170 participating teams, a dozen more than last year's field. The annual Christmas holiday event for minoraged atom, peewee, bantam and midget teams will get underway Thursday (Dec. 27) and conclude Sunday (Dec. 30), with 404 games taking place during that span. The tournament's continual growth (it has increased in size every year since 2006, when only 68 teams took part) is particularly evident at the AAA level. Eighteen teams are entered in the minor atom AAA division, with another 20 signed up for the minor peewee AAA grouping. "I'd like to tell you it's good management," said cochair Ron Millichamp, who took the tournament's reins in 2006 with Mack Murray. Dana Harvey has co-chaired the tournament for the past five years. Instead, Millichamp and Harvey attribute the steady growth of the tournament to the continuity of organizational staff, strong customer service and the addition of the AE (additional entry) level to the minor hockey rep scene. How much bigger can the tournament possibly get? Not much, Harvey said. Each arena in Oakville is practically booked solid for tournament games during the four-day span, even with last year's addition of the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex's quad-pad facility, which will once again serve as tournament headquarters. "You can grow until you run out of ice," Harvey said. "Or officials. It works better to have two days on the weekend this year." If there is a negative about this year's tournament, it's the fact that only two European teams will participate (technically one, since Finnish team HIFK 01 Helsinki has divided to make two entries into the minor peewee AAA division). In recent years, Richard Bell tournaments have also featured squads from England, Russia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. For the second year in a row, proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Oakville Hospital Foundation. Last year's tournament raised $30,000 for the foundation. All teams are guaranteed at least four games in the tournament, and admission is free for all spectators and participants. -- For a longer version of this story, log onto http://bit.ly/U52Ocm Oakville native Damian Bourne will suit up for Ontario at next week's World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Quebec. Bourne hasn't posted flashy offensive statistics so far in his rookie season with the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga Steelheads, but his plus-2 rating ranks seventh on the team. STEVEN DER-GARABEDIAN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Steelheads' Bourne to play in U17 challenge The life of an Ontario Hockey League rookie is not always easy. Players who make the jump directly from midget are used to being the go-to guy who receives prime ice time. Contributions are easily measured by game summaries. Suddenly, though, they find themselves battling for minutes with 19- and 20-year-olds with several years of experience in the league. Goals and points can be scarce. While Damian Bourne's two goals and six assists with the Mississauga Steelheads may be a far cry from the 79 points he put up in midget last season, he has nevertheless been a solid contributor in his rookie season. Consider that Mississauga's leading scorer, Riley Brace, had just 12 points as a 16-year-old and that Bourne has been attentive to his defensive duties (his plus2 ranks seventh on the team), and there seems to be no reason for the Steelheads to worry about the 11th overall pick in last year's draft. While satisfied with his play, Bourne has definitely had to adjust to the pace of the OHL. "The play is a lot quicker. You've got to get it off your stick a lot quicker," Bourne said. "There's always someone right on you and you have to make plays right away." That's exactly how Bourne scored his first OHL goal in October. Cruising into open space, he took a pass from Kristoff Kontos at the right circle and snapped a quick shot that beat Belleville goalie Charlie Graham on the glove side. It proved to be the game winner in a 6-1 Steelhead victory. Two nights later against Brampton, he dug the puck out of the corner, carried it in front and lifted a backhand into the top corner. While it has been a tough go for Bourne -- and the Steelheads -- in recent weeks, his selection to the Ontario team for this week's World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Quebec is further evidence that he is still among the best players in his age group. And at least one teammate believes suiting up for Ontario over the Christmas break will benefit Bourne in the second half of the OHL season. "It will be a great opportunity for him to see what it's like in the Hockey Canada system," said Steelheads captain and fellow Oakville native Stuart Percy, who played in the tournament in 2010. "It takes young guys time to settle in. The under-17 is a perfect example of where you're asked to fit into a role, and once you do, it translates back (into the OHL). It helps you to know what you have to do to get to the next level." Bourne said Percy has been helpful in easing the transition to the OHL. "If he sees you doing something wrong, he'll tell you -- not in critical terms but in a way that it helps you," he said. "He leads by example. He's definitely helped me a lot, giving me tips on what to do and what not to do, on and off the ice." While the World Under-17 will definitely be a valuable experience, the 6-foot4 Bourne, who is now listed at 211-- 26 pounds heavier than draft day, said he already knows one area in which he can improve in the second half. "I believe I can still contribute more in the physical aspect," he said. One area Bourne hasn't seen a drop off is in the classroom. Carrying a 92 per cent average in his draft year, the Grade 11 student is fast tracking, taking a Grade 12 course each semester this year despite the increased demands of playing in the OHL. This week he was named the OHL Central Division scholastic player of the month. Percy says those traits also serve Bourne well on the ice. "He's a smart young kid. He listens well and he adapts very well in practices and games," the Steelheads captain said. "You come into this league as a rookie and you start to question your skills but you can see him taking control of things. He's going to have a great career." --Herb Garbutt