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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 26, 2014 | 18 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com league so to rebound and get a silver medal at OFSAA, it's something Oakville Beaver staff this team should be proud of." Teams in Appleby College's posi"We just tried to play our best tion could have grown frustrated and go as far as we could," said and disillusioned months ago. Appleby captain Ben Sisokin. "We With the losses mounting in did better than everyone thought league play, it had to be difficult to we would and even better than we entertain any thoughts of a cham- thought we would. It's tough now, pionship. But just a month after but I think tonight or tomorrow concluding an 0-13-2 Conference we'll realize what we did. I think of Independent Schools Athletic we had a great tournament." Association season, the Blue Dogs Appleby went 5-1-2, outscoring found themselves its opponents 20-6 just one win away prior to the final. from capturing the Overcoming what school's second Sisokin said was a provincial high shaky start -- the school hockey title. Blue Dogs needed Appleby would two third-period have to settle for silgoals to win each ver, though. Three of their two games first-period goals by on the opening London South CI day -- Appleby Appleby College put the Blue Dogs in came back strong OFSAA silver medalists an early hole from on the second day which they could and carried its moMishel Abudi not escape. London mentum into the Jake Barrafato added a goal early playoff rounds, alJulien Davies in the third and put lowing only three Dan Devlin two more into an goals in its next Nicholas Gambaratto empty net to win four games with Johnathan Giordanno 6-0 and take the goalies Mishel Avery Gobbo Ontario Federation Abudi and Avery Tommy Hoogaars Chris Luongo of School Athletic Gobbo each postConor MacIntyre Associations (OFing a shutout. Morgan Macdonald SAA) A/AA boys' "We just trusted Marcus Miller hockey title. each other and our Matthew Mustard "It's a lot better coach," Sisokin Evan Patterson feeling winning a said. "He' s been Zachary Ribau bronze than losaround and done Brendan Saarloos ing a gold," said this a lot, so we Ben Sisokin Appleby College trusted what he Alex Steuart coach Dan Polizwas telling us." Anthony Tarasca Andrew Tarasca iani. "But I think It was knowing Matthew Thompson when we look back the strength of the Johnathon Watkin at the process, we CISAA league that Coach Dan Poliziani had a season full of kept Appleby from Asst coach Cam Lindsay losing in a strong getting discourBy Herb Garbutt Trying season has silver lining for Appleby College Sports "Connected to your Community" Appleby College's Marcus Miller is turned away at close range by London South goalie Michael Lindner in Friday's OFSAA boys' A/AA hockey final at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The Blue Dogs went into the tournament as the eighth seed but went undefeated until the final. They couldn't solve Lindner, falling 6-0. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver aged earlier in the season. Consider that St. Michael's won the OFSAA AAA/AAAA tournament (2-0 over St. Mary's CSS), and it finished fifth in the CISAA. "It wasn't the year we were hoping for (in league play) but no one quit," said Andrew Tarasca, who shared the tournament lead with eight goals, including a pair in the semifinal win. "It was a tough year with only five returning players and it was a big challenge for us." Appleby faced another tough test in the final against the tournament's top seed. London South, which allowed only four goals in the entire tournament, struck quickly. It scored just 1:25 into the game and though Appleby outshot London 11-8 in the period, it trailed 3-0 at the end of the first. "I thought we sustained a lot of the play, we just didn't get the puck to the net," Poliziani said. "We gave them a couple of early goals and then we had to start tak- ing chances. If it's a 1-0 after the first, it's a different game." "I would have liked for our seniors to go out with a win," he added. Appleby will lose six players, including Abudi, who had a 1.78 goals-against average in five games, Jonathan Watkin, who had a teambest six assists, as well as Sisokin, Matthew Mustard, Marcus Miller and Chris Luongo. For those returning, the OFSAA silver may just be the beginning. Smrke, Spadotto win CIS title with McGill The McGill Martlets edged the Montreal Carabins 4-3 in double overtime to win the Canadian university women's hockey championship. McGill led 3-1 in the third period but Montreal scored twice in the final nine minutes of regulation to tie the game. The Martlets got the winner on a power play 37 seconds into the second overtime, exacting a measure of revenge on Montreal, which had beaten McGill 2-1 in the Quebec championship. McGill opened the national tournament with a 4-1 win over Laurier and then defeated Moncton 8-2. The McGill squad included Oakville goalie Brittany Smrke and defenceman Nicole Spadotto. Smrke, an Abbey Park grad who won a national under-18 title with Ontario Blue two years ago, played 10 games for McGill, going 5-0-0 with a 2.72 goals-against average and one shutout. Spadotto, a St. Mildred's-Lightbourn school grad, had two assists in 11 games. Lindsay, Blues sixth at CIS curling championships Oakville's Jack Lindsay and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues went 2-5 to finish sixth at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) men's curling championship in Regina. Toronto opened with a narrow 8-7 loss to Laurier, then came back to down Regina 7-6 with a steal of one in the final end. After losses to Memorial and Manitoba on Day 2, Toronto earned a split on the third day with a 10-6 win over Regina. The Blues lost their final game to St. Mary's. The White Oaks grad helped U of T win its first Ontario University Athletics title since 2001 with an 8-1 win over Laurier. Toronto led 2-1 before scoring four in the fifth end and then stole two in the sixth to take a commanding lead. U of T won two close playoff matches to reach the final, edging Waterloo 6-5 in the quarter-finals and then beating Brock 7-6 in the semifinal. Lindsay, who plays vice on the Toronto rink, won an Ontario Curling Association bantam title in 2010 and played at the Ontario Winter Games.