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Numbers down but holiday tournamrent forges ahead By Steve LeBlanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF Milton's holiday hockey bash is a go, bur witl mun with irs towesr participation in recent memory. With the novice, minor atom and minor midger divisions att recenrty cur - after onty one our-of-rown ream had signed up in each age group - next week's 3lst annual GoodLife Fitness Beaver Tournameni witt have tess rhan haîf rhe number of overaît teams coin- pering compared ru tast year. Errst-rime event chaîrman Henry Psenicka, wh os helped out at both the Beavcr and Oprîmrsr rournaments in a minor capaciry, admits the severe decrease in enrotîment may have ro do with the lteness of promorion on rhe OMHA Web site. "I think usuatty we've started advertrsing ir in the sum- mer, but this year we didn't get it on until the fait," he exptained. Canceted in 1999 and 2002 due ru a lack of interesr, the holiday rournamrenr's minor peewee and minor bantam ranks currently sit a minimum four and ihree reams respecrively - with organrizers scrambting ru, find one more entry for the latter division. "We've kind of sruck or necks out with the minor banrams," said Psenicka. "We can mun wiih rhree reams if need be, but are reatly hope iu find ar leasr one more team." The unly age group holding srrong ar the Beaver is the rykes, which dropped jusr stighrty from tasi year's high of 16 teams ru 14. Meanwhite, the six-and- under mire division -crcared lasr y'ear - witl inctude fivc squads. Tbis year's drminished numbers teave sorme asking if a swirch ru jusr onc or two divisions ai the younger agcs is in order. *While nul comlfOrtable 4 coinicnting on the sug- gestion, Psenicka sard that sotîcitîng oldcr rcams bas been increas- ingty dîffîcult it's nul likc we fucus nmorc un gcîîîng the younger ieamns, ii jusi naîurally faIts inîto place thar way" Slted ru run December 27 ru 29 ai Miltron Sports Centre, the Beaver Tournamenr witt run a skiffs comperi- tion on the firsr rwu days and wrap things up with championship play on rhe Friday Perbaps due ru this year's roumnamenr rurrning during the week, votunteer sup- port fa also quire tow rigbt now Anyone able ru help outisf asked ru, catI Psenicka ar (905) 901-3151. The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - A25 IceHawks drop two to Chargers The Milton lceHawks dropped another rung in the Provincial jr. A Hockey League standings after being swepr by the Mississauga Chargers in a home-and-home series over rhe weekend. Milton enrered the weekend tîed for seventh witb rhe Chargers rn rhe West Conference srandings but [cIl to eîghth after rwo losses extended rhe tceHawks' losrng srreak to seven games. Miltron now sporrs anr 8-23-4-I for the season. Despire a promising srarî that saw Milton rake a 2-0 lcad on goals by fouie Sanrelti and David Valtorani, Mississauga carme back with six unanswcred goals over the final 23 minures for a 6-2 victory. Saturday in Mississauga it was the Chargers taking the early lead, going ahead 2-0 in the openrng peniod. Dylan McEachern got Milton back Aithin one in the opening minute of the second but Mîssîssauga extended uts lead ro 4- 1 in the second and 6-1 in the third. Vallorani and Ermnan Ali scored late goals for Milton to make jr 6-3 but the five-goal delicîrt was roo much ru. overcome The wins provided a neasure of revenge for Chargers' coach Jay Anderson. Anderson was named the lceHawks coach in the off-season but fet go belore he even srarted when the team changcd ownership. The lceHawks host Georgetown Friday ar 7:30 p.m. belore taking two weeks off for Chnistmas. from UNBEATEN on page A24 Marcas G~ray. Georgetown is also strung with four of fivc startcrs rcîumning lron last year's rcam thar tosi in the Hation AAAA championshîp) game. The Rebels hiave alwed onty 28 points per game ibis season whrte averagîng 63 on the offensive end. Whîle Georgerown pruvides an earty meas- unng srick for the Royals, nor ru mention north bragging righrs, Reding wvitt oi have ru con- tend with rhe Rebets come ptayoff rime. They also won'r have ru worry abour the Pearson Patriots, the ream thar denied the Royats of a Halton championship each of tbe tasr rwo years. After several years as a AA sehoot, the recenr growrb in Milton bas încreased enrolîment and bumped Bishop Reding inro the AAA classifica- tion (more than 900 students). Reding was a AAA school untîl Christ the King upened in Georgetown in 2002, raking a large portion of the student population. Although Reding wîtIl be une of the smatter AAA schouls - onty exceeding the limir by about 50 students - Royats coach Mark Freeman said bigger doesn'r atways mean betrer. "Ir's bard ru say, the quad A sebools are nor necessarity the best teams. Sometimes ifs rhe double A or triple A schools," hie said. "Ir wilt be interesting ru see. We bave a whote new wback of conrenders." Wednesday's rip-off is an 3:30 p.m. in Georgetown. To locate the retailer closest to you go 10 www.portsbooks.com To order direct cail 1-800-693-7986 40 %OFF IlU Swimwear Reding to put undefeated record on the uine against rival Georgetown