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SingIe-A and addional entry tykes deliver championship sweeps tMthe regular season with a 21-2-1 run and finished first in the round robin (7-0-3) before securing the first-ever championship at the tyke AA Tier 1 level. The Winterhawks clinched the title with a 4-1 win in Bur- lington, jumping ahead and sealing the deal with two third-period goals by Noah Race. Ryan Cunha and William Eggleton scored two minutes apart late in the first - both going top shelf - while Anthony Russell was rock solid between the pipes. Aid- en Cormack assisted on the first two goals. A tyke (lie 4) Milton's A tykes had proven they could secure and main- tain the upper hand on Halton His. But could they corne from behind to prevail? The Winterhawks answered that in championship fash- ion in Acton, ralfying from a 2-0 deficit to edge theThun- der 3-2 and clinch a Tri CountyTier 4 titie sweep. The three-game victory was especially sweet after Hal- ton His had beaten them twice in round-robin play. Ethan Perras turned the tables on the hosts with two goals just 40 seconds apart in the second-period. That set the stage for Zachary Purdie - who assisted on the first two goals - to pot the winner midway through the third period. From there, Lîam Edmonds capped a rock-solid series with some dynamite saves down the stretch to pres erve the narrow iead. Standing out wvith assists on ail three markers was Ro- man Giannuzzi, while also helping set up the winner was Hunter Roy. Strong backchecking and overaîl defence factored heav- ily into the championship-clinching decision. Talent pool deep: rookie E1contribution as weIl, with four goals and four assists for the 5-9 Rock. "its what 1 take pride in, providing en- ergy for my team and helping create chances" O'Connor talked about how«deep the talent pool is in the NLL going into the season opener. Three months later, that's something he has even greater appreciation for. "Pretty much everyone's an ail-star in their own right at this level, so you really can't take a single shift off. Theres no one you can take it easy against. And with many weeks featuring just one game for the NLL's nine teams, O'Connor is quickly Iearning the vital importance of mental preparation. "Having just that one game on some weekends can be good and bad - good because you spend ail week get- ting ready for just that one battle, and it's great if you win. But if you lose you've got that whole next week to think about it and can't wait to play that next game." While noting his first-year Miltonian could stand to add a little strength in- the off-season, Lovel said he's been quite pleased with O'Connor's overaîl progress this year. "He's still a work in progress in terms of learning how to play defence at this level, but he's receptive to the im- portance of getting better in certain areas " O'Connor certainly agrees that theres room for improve- ment, but is feeling good about the initial groundwork he's laying with the Rock. 'Things are going wel and l'm enjoying being able to contribute to this team. There really hasn't been any hic- cups 50 far, and l'm learning a ton!' Steve LeBlanc can be reached at sleblanc@miltoncanadi- anchampîon.com or on Twitter @MitonOnSports. AE*yks(f«6) Payback is neyer as sweet as when. forged on the championship stage. Just ask the additionai entry tyke Winterhawks. Losing two of three round-robin games against Wooi- wich, Milton turned the tables when the titie was on the line - pulling off three low-scoring victories to sweep the Tri County Tier 6 final. Buoyed by a 2-1 overtime win to kick off the best-of- five series - with Colin Day providing the heroics - the Winterhawks neyer looked back and clinched the championship with a 3-1 triumph. Lucas Miliopoulos put Woolwich away with a pair of third-period goals, with the game winner coming while his teamn was shorthanded. Nathan Preyma, Gavin Wil- liams and Adam Gaudet assisted on his clutch goals, while Ben Kuhner set up Tyler Clark for the initial tally. Standing tail between the pipes was Eliiott Dorsett. t Iï, 1- 1 WE GIV YO UNETBL E UPGRADE [FAIR-WAY]