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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - A15 SPORTS SPORTS EDITOR: STEVE LeBLANC e-mail slebIanc@hatoflsearch.com OFSAA BOUND: At left, Bishop Reding's Erika Minkhorst gets under a shot during ladies doubles play in Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference (GHAC) badminton play at E.C. Drury High School Thursday. Above, Minkhorst (rightl and partner Michelle Serafini won GHAC for the second straight year, beating a duo f rom Iroquois Ridge 15-12, 15-12 n the finals, They're now bound for the provincial champîonshps, slated for next week in Waterloo. Also qualîfyîng for OFSAA for Bishop Reding was the mîxed doubles team of Lee Mathe and Krista Dermott, who fînîshed second and forced their St. Thomas Aquinas opponients to three sets in the finals. Mathe is only the second maie player in BR history to reach the badminton provincials, wîth brother Sean doing so last spring. Novalk re-hired as IceHawks' head coach Returning bench boss eager to start new chapter By Steve LeBlanc then with the Bramnptan Ilapitais - 110W CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF back bebîad the Milton beach. r e 1 "Tbis (Thctrsday's re-hir-iag) secms mare R andy Navak's retura, ta the like a carrectian than aaythtag, noted . A IceHawks seems mare lîke the end Navak, wha served as bead coach of the af a iengthy interruptian titan any- IceHawks througb the sccand baif af the sea- ing else. saa afier parttag ways wiîb the Capitai oer .............. ii a.. s~.howîiowa iavolinga tbe discipline of a Randy Novak OlliciatiN brougat acK as ticadci a , ncw owa%,ers Dean Piett aacd Rab DeViaceatîs Thursday. tihe seasaaied lier 2 Jr. A skippers hiriag came exactiy twa mntbs afier be was ici go by tbcn-owaler Rick lieîaz. At tbe titae iî w'as believed the release stentmed at Ieast ta part fram the fact that tihe icaîn was patsed ta bc sald and aew awners wauid likeiy xvaat ta do) their awa hiring. That assumrptian essentiaily pras'ed ta be a maat point, wîtb the 2004/05 \Vestern Conference Coach of the Year - player. lis a nexs chaî;ter ibat loaks brigbit, aad lin reai cager ta gel sîarted. My initial impression ai the raew awaers is tbat îhey're very prafessianal.' Accar-ding ta pieu, wba's assumned the club president maatde, Novak met ai ai his and DeViacentis' expectatians in îetms af bath an on and offi- ice visian. "He's certainiy the aigbs persan far the job." Not wisbiag ta speculate an wlba'li be the caacing taff cte reumn caach satd, he seumîtig coamesfar con- sideratin anes fhar adcn- sidtan ad bea madecta the ne ittle bwhmae in therhaps intte far e Mera i4 ta rime campth a 1 Ethi6kesWetcamd ['rena. Novak satd ai leasi somne ai the scouttng and recruitîag work bc'd donc duriag bis intitial lcellawks stînt lias been salvaged and that abouît a dozea players [tam the 2006/07 squad are eligibie to rettira. He was quick ta add, hawever, tbat not ail veterans wiil bave an autarnatie spot an tiext seasans teans. "The whole point is ta get better and not be catnplacent, 50 same of these guys are year,- said Novak, referring ta what he saw as averail suh-par conditioning when he firsi tank aver the reigas in December. While the IceHawks' days ai bringtng ta htgh-priced talent and loading up an OHL aver-agers miglit be hehind them, Navak daesn't figure that means their success is ail in the past as well. lie paots ta bis former Capitals. wha under bts des elapmeat-ariented teanure weaî from basement dweilers ta cantenders, as e\idence ihat 'buyiag' players isa't the anc way ta piasper ta lier 2Jr. A hockey FTve always believed that success is a bypraduct of develapmeat, and theres plea- ty of ather top teams that have felt the samne, like Wexfard, Wellington and Si. Mikes," he satd. "The league bas changed and mare and mare teams are shying away [ram that (buy- tng players)." thi