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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, April 6, 2004-23 a*-OMHA ~V~s vLocal curlers rock flicm house one last time this season Ala Devidoon watches hlm rock curl from hie vantage point close to the Ica surface white <mmmWlIeft) fmllow curler Kathryn Blmhop watchem her own rock hmad towarda Res lntendmd tar- gmt durlng Milton'a maonendlng Town and Country Bonsplmi Saturday. Thm overall champi- ons8 were AsIlta MscDougall (sklp), Shauna ftke (vice), Bill Knowlton (second) and Stephanle Hall (land). Maxine Gaddym waa rmcognzmd as voluntmsr of thm ysar. Photos by GRAHAM PAINE Bertoli's ECHL Titans miss p1ayoffÇ, Scott Hertoli has had a lot of firsts tbroughout his professional hockey caneer. But Saturday marked one that he wasn't exactly looking forward to - as his Trenton Titans missed the playoffs for the first turne in his five-year tenure in the ECHL. The deck was stacked against Trenton heading into, the night, with botb a win over the Johnston Chiefs and a Reading Royals loss nccded to make post-season play. Neither happened, as Reading pievailed and the Titans were doubled 4-2. 'For sure, it's a big disappointment," said the 27- year-old Miltonian, who's among the original Titans and arguably their most valuable performer over the past half-decade. "With about 25 gaines to go we knew it'd be a tough road ahead, being about eight to 10 points out. We put ourselves back in position to grab the final playoff spot and won eight of the last 13 gaines. 1 guess it just wasn't good enough." Froin a persona] perform- ance standpoint, Bertoli has to be feeling fairly good about the 2003/04 season. The former Princeton Tiger broke the 60-point plateau for the third turne in five years - collecting 19 goals Scott Bertoli and 42 helpers in 57 gaines to finish second in teain scoring. His assist count feil just three shy of bis teain record of 46, estahlished in 2001/02. That year he also, set the franchise benchinark for points with 71. Saturday be notched Trenton's final goal of t season, a powerplay deposit witb about six mi utes rernaining. A model of consistency since tumning pro, t well-rounded left winger has 348 points (regut season and pîsyoifs combined) iii 349 gaines wi the Titans. Bentoli said he expects to be hack in Trenti next season - but wilI retuin under new directic as head coach Bill Armstrong has opted not renew bis contract. Meanwbile, fellow Miltonian Daryl Knowl and bis Mississauga IceDogs evened their secot round OHL series at one win apiece with a 2 overtimne decision against Bamie Sunday eveniný Gaine tbree is tonigbt at the Hershey Centre. Knowles was back in the line-up Sunday A missing two gaines with a minor arm injury. huge year f orT'anes Aided by a local foursome. Halton's AAA minor peewees capped a wildly suc- cessfulty season witb OMHA gold tate last month in Wbitby. The Milton Toyota Hurricanes -.wbo included Miltonians Jake Davis, Brandon Denhani, Scott Dermott and Michael Sgarbossa - went 2-I-I in round robin play and then clinched top honours with a 3-2 nail-binter over the cbaminponsbip bosts Marcb 28. Overcoming a pair of one-goal deficits made the title triumph that mucb sweeter. Davis sank botb a first-period equalizer and the third-period winner - wiUs under seven minutes remaining -to secure MVP bonours. wbile Sgarbossa evened things up in Use second. Denhain played Usrough Use pain of an ill-timcd leg injury - specifically a nasty cul above bis lefi ankle, sustsined in Use second round - ta aid in the narrow victo- ry. The titte win was pay-back for a 5-0 loss to Whitby Marcb 27 - a gaine that meant notbing in terms of cbainpionsbip advancc- ment, and in which Use Hun-icanes were down to just Usree defencemnen. Halton kicked off Use tournainent wilb a 3-2 squèaker over Markhain - in wbicb Sgarbossa contributed an unassisted mark- er -and highlighted Use round robin wiUs an 8-0 sbellacking of Burlington. Davis, Dermott and Sgarbossa aIl collected points bie in the Usird-round roui. n- Sandwiched between Usese victories was a 2-2 draw wiUs York-Simcoe. he TMis marked Use fourUs straigbt year in ýar wbicb this group of boys came home wiUs Us an OMHA medal - taking two golds and a pair of bronzes. Denhain, Dermott and )n Sgarbossa bave been onboard for ail four n, seasons, wbile Davis joined Use chainpi- to onsbip ride st year. TMe Huricanes' most recent title drive es followed playoff sweeps of Guelph and St. id CaUsarines. Overafl, Halton went an ainaz- ing 66-3-4 Usis past season and won five g.touinainents along Use way. Their Milton foursoine sbowed strongly er aIl year, particularly on Use offensive side of tbings. Three Winterhawk teams fali, just short of Optimist victory 9from MINOR PEEWES Sn pegm 22 but there waa no evening tbings up duriag their te finals, only to be vanqýase when toumnamet chsmpionshi remnatcb. hardware waa on ie line. nhe Winleihswk would cul a 2-0 lesd in haf late ChauMumslup~ ~ ~ ~ ~ dfa a seiyihde second period, but drew no dloser tough to swallow for the midgets and down the stretcb. NMl Psenicka stoned minor amoins - who were cdgcd by the West London togh the final two peri. narrowcat of margina Ssinday ods t0 keep comcb>ack hopes alive, The mnidgets even held the upper while Quinn Kerr notched dt lonte ally hand for a short lim - thankas t, ie Meanwhile, dIse battani Wintcrhawks first of two goals by Nick Vipond -hadr rallher humbling follow-up t0 their before being oclipsd 3-2 by lniisfll. unheaten round-robin canspagn - gel- Three unanswered goals agsinst uni in blanked 3-0 in thse finals by the differenc maker in s spiriled rcmatch Fsbrub fromn Millon's 5-3 round-robin loas 10, Inniafil Unable to, solve David Feere, Milton feil behind Fnday night. Delivering somte key saves ta keep txudway dirougIs Uhc opening frne and just could- thinga tigbl lin tic finals wss James Connor. n'l recover. Milton's minor atonis overcsme. two separate Kevin Marshall kept thinga respetable to close deficitu in roun-robin play againsl West Lonon out an mmpressive tournament showing. Drury girls suifer quick exit at hockey provincials E.C. Drury's girls hockey teain had a rather rougb ride at OFSAA's A/AA chans- pionships last week in Pembroke. The Spartans - who beat Oakville's Q.E. Park Eagles 2-0 on shoot-out a montb earlier to reach the provincials - dropped tbree straight gaines, including a 4-2 deci- sion to, Ottawa's St. Paul Golden Bears last Tuesday. On March 29, Drury suffered back-to- back shutout losses to Collingwood area teais - 4-0 to the Sacred Heart Crusaders and 6-0 to the Jean Vanier Storm, who went on to win Use titte with a 5-0 white- wash of Sudbury's Lockerby Vikings Tuesday evening. This marks the second straight year that a Drury teain - excluding wrcstling bas rescbed OFSAA. The Spartans' senior girls vollyball teani went to Use AA chani- pionsbips last year and caine sway witb Use consolation title. This year's Drury girls hockey teain went 5-2-2 tbrough the regular season, fin- isbing fiftb in Halton's Richardson Division. TMe Spartans went on to edge the Aldersbot Aces 3-2 in first-round play before falling 5-0 ta the Notre Daine Figbting Irish. In other bigb school action, Bisbop Reding and Milton District eacb sent a pair of basketball alI-stars to Use Halton Classic at White Oaks in Oakville Marcb 26. Joey MacSween (senior> and NiaIt Clarke (junior) of BR and Milton District's Danryl Meines (senior) and Dan Von Cube (junior) aIl represented the Richardson Division - wbicb beat the Volpe loop 105-92 in the senior clash and felI 78-72 in junior play. a