The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 19 | Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" According to plan Colorado Avalanche third-round draft pick Spencer Martin feels it all was meant to be by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff The artwork on Spencer Martin's mask includes a reference to Jeremiah 29:11, a Bible verse the 18-year-old found comforting as he headed into his NHL draft year. The Mississauga Steelheads netminder was selected in the third round of last month's NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. | Oakville Beaver file photo Golf enjoyable once again for Jessica Shepley by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff Jessica Shepley watched the ball sail high through the air over the pond that guards the 18th green at the Club at North Halton. As the ball reached its peak of its arc, its fate became painfully obvious. As it splashed into the water, a good 30 yards short of the green, Shepley laughed. "Just a few clubs short," she said as she watched a group of members play the final hole Thursday afternoon in Georgetown. Shepley could afford to laugh. Forty-five minutes earlier she had stood on that same tee box with a three-shot lead in the PGA Women's Championship of Canada. Shepley hit her ball safely on the green and though she ended up with a bogey, it didn't matter. "Hey, who won?" asked a member of the foursome as they arrived at the green. "I did," Shepley said with a big smile, as if the big silver trophy sitting beside her wasn't a dead giveaway. "Do you want to come down here and putt this for me?" asked another member of the group. "You don't want me putting that," Shepley called back. "I three-putted." Jessica Shepley shares a laugh with her caddy at last week's PGA Women's Championship of Canada tournament in Georgetown. Shepley won the tournament with a two-round score of eightunder-par 136. | Herb Garbutt -- Oakville Beaver That was one of the few missteps on her way to a two-stroke victory over Alena Sharp. She fired eight birdies, offset by just one bogey, to break the course record with a 65 on Wednesday. She followed it up with a solid one-under 71 the following day. see Time on p.20 The team logos on the top of the mask of Mississauga Steelheads goalie Spencer Martin are pretty standard fare. His name across the chin, also a classic touch. Where Martin's headware differs is in the details. Written on the side, on a white background in white lettering with faint blue outline, is "JER 29:11", short for Jeremiah 29:11. The 18-yearold Martin picked the Bible passage specifically as he headed into his NHL draft year. "For I know the plans I have for you," the verse reads, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The passage is fitting for where Martin now finds himself. Less than two weeks ago at the NHL Entry Draft, he sat in the stands at the Prudential Centre in Newark, N.J., with dozens of nervous teenagers, waiting to see where his future may take him. For more than four hours, he waited to hear a team call his name. "There's a lot of hype on draft day, but I was pretty calm," he said. Sitting in the fourth row, Martin could see the draft tables, many of them occupied by players he had once watched on TV. By the time the third round began, Martin began to feel tired. Then, two picks later, the Colorado Avalanche made his dream come true. "It was like a shot of energy," he said. "It all happens really fast. You meet all the people from the team and then you're in an interview explaining what just happened 30 seconds ago." Martin went pretty much where he had been predicted to go. The Hockey News ranked him 60th overall; Colorado took him with the 63rd pick. NHL Central Scouting had him pegged as fifth among North American goalies; he was the fifth netminder selected from a North American team. Regardless of whether he'd gone in the first round or the seventh round, Martin says it is now up to him to make the most of the opportunity. "Everyone wants to go first," said the 6-foot-2 netminder, who had a 3.02 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 46 games with Mississauga, "but it's what you do after you're drafted that makes you the player you are. I'm just happy to be going to a team that really wanted me." And being wanted by the likes of Hockey Hall of Famers Patrick Roy, the team's new head coach, and Joe Sakic, the Avs' executive vice-president of hockey operations, is not a bad reflection on your abilities. Martin met with both of them after being selected. "You're looking around (at the draft) seeing all these familiar faces and thinking it would be cool to meet them, but Colorado was another level with Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic." Martin can begin to reward their faith in him at the team's prospect camp, which began Monday in Denver. "It's crazy," he said of being drafted. "I'm still taking it all in." And if he starts to feel a little overwhelmed, he can take a look at the side of his mask for a little reassurance. "I put it on there for my draft year because you can go in so many different directions," Martin said. "It's good for your whole life, though. I just have to trust God and know that Colorado was meant to be." -- Herb Garbutt can be followed on Twitter @Herbgarbutt