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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports S Y N C H R O G A L A 25 | Friday, December 4, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Richard Bell tourney will include Finns and Danes, but no Russians after all Recent unrest in the Middle East has even impacted the Minor Oaks Hockey Association's annual Christmas hockey tournament. A Russian minor atom AAA team had to pull out of this month's Richard Bell Memorial Tournament, according to organizer Dana Harvey, because their flight would have included a stopover in Turkey. Russia has restricted travel of its citizens to Turkey in response to a dispute between the neighbouring nations regarding the recent shooting down of a Russian warplane. "We were so looking forward to the Russian team coming," said Harvey. Other than that, it's pretty much business as usual for the Bell competition, held from Dec. 27-30 each year since 1993. One hundred and forty-four minor-age-group teams make up this year's field, one down from last year, and there will once again be an overseas flavour as clubs from Finland and Denmark participate. The largest division, as it was last year, will be minor peewee AAA, with 18 teams registered. Minor atom AAA is also strong, featuring 12 squads. "I'm not trying to disparage any other levels, because they're all important, but when you get strong AAA divisions, it's a bit of an attraction," Harvey said. The two minor peewee AAA teams from Finland -- Jokerit Yellow and Jokerit Red -- will billet with Oakville Rangers teams (minor peewee AAA and AA). The Finns will also face their billets in exhibition games before the tournament begins. Denmark's Frederikshavn will play in the 15-team minor midget A division, where it's been pooled with Oakville Rangers Blue. This year marks the conclusion of the Richard Bell Memorial Tournament's five-year fundraising commitment to the new Oakville hospital, which opens Sunday, Dec. 13. The tournament has raised $135,000 towards its $150,000 goal in the first four years. "We will meet (that goal) this year, and we're very, very proud of that," Harvey said, noting the tournament will be recognized for its contributions with a sign on a door in an emergency treatment unit at the hospital. "We're certainly grateful to all the teams who have come, and the support of Minor Oaks hockey and of all the families and players who were part of that whole initiative. Seeing what that hospital looks like is pretty impressive." Anyone interested in volunteering their assistance with the tournament -- particularly high school students, who will be credited with volunteer hours -- is asked to contact Harvey by email at danaharvey0111@ gmail.com. The full Richard Bell Memorial Tournament schedule can be viewed online at http://moha.ca/Tournaments/2467/Schedule. -- Jon Kuiperij Members of the Oakville Edge novice team perform during Sunday's Skate Oakville gala of synchronized skating at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. For an online photo gallery from the event, visit bit.ly/1LRdjXN. | photo by Justin Greaves -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Strong finish earns Webb consolation crown at OFSAA volleyball The Garth Webb Chargers won their final five games to claim the consolation championship at last week's Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations boys' volleyball AA championships in Kenora. regular season, and qualified for OFSAA with a 3-1 win over Hamilton's St. Mary in the Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference AA final. Blue Devils striker named League1 MVP Oakville Blue Devils central striker Filipe Vilela has been named League1 Ontario men's soccer most valuable player for the 2015 season. Vilela scored a combined total of 21 goals in league and League Cup play, leading the first-year Blue Devils squad to the League1 Ontario championship. "Filipe imposed himself on the league from the first game. It took him two or three games before he started his goal-scoring campaign, but his work rate, movement and ability to bring others into the game was evident from the start," said Blue Devils head coach Duncan Wilde. "He led our front line all season long, attracting special defensive tactics from our opposition, which created space for our other players to exploit." In the Inter-Provincial Cup, which pitted Oakville against Quebec champions CS Mont-Royal Outermont Griffons, Vilela drew attention of two, and at times three, defenders. His movement off the ball led to more openings for fellow forwards Tyler Wason and Khody Ellis, and Vilela drew two assists in Oakville's 3-1 victory in the first leg of the series. Local medallists at Millenium Cup taekwondo Morningstar Taekwon-Do black-stripe competitors Gyory Vanyo and Giovanni Sautto each won gold in both pattern and sparring at the annual Millenium Cup Friendship Tournament in Brampton recently. Other Morningstar students to win events were Rachel Stonebanks, Sarah Muelli and Joshua Jang (pattern), and Jacob McFarlane, Bianca Vanyo and Amy Williams (sparring). Silver medals were earned by Brenden McFarlane (two), Jacob McFarlane, Bianca Vanyo, Faith Williams (two), Karley Janula, Oscar Sautto and Jang. Olivia Zabudsky, Cassandra Janula, Ryan Stonebanks and Nakul Jain each earned a pair of bronze medals. Karley Janula also finished third in an event. -- For a group photo of the Morningstar Taekwon-Do competitors at the Millenium Cup, visit bit.ly/21ykjEk Sports Briefs After losing its first two matches to No. 5 seed Kingston CVI and No. 2 St. Catharines' Eden, sixth-seeded Webb dropped just two sets in its next five games. The Chargers completed round-robin play with a 25-23, 25-20 win over Mississauga's Applewood Heights and a 25-21, 25-13 victory over Windsor's St. Joseph's, then defeated New Liskard's Timiskaming (25-16, 18-25, 2518, 25-13), Toronto's Birchmount (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17) and Orleans' ESC Beatrice-Desloges (25-22, 25-15, 25-22) in the consolation playoffs. The Chargers also won a set in each of their two losses, making them the only nonundefeated team in round-robin play to win a set in all of their games. Webb was the top AA team in Halton league play this year, going 10-2 during the