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24 Sp Sports SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2012 Aquinas hockey team following f successful f blueprint Can history repeat itself? St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey coach Chris Alderson sure hopes so, though he wouldn't mind a small revision to the previous plot. Three years ago, the Raiders enjoyed their best hockey season ever. Led by former junior A player Josh Ruys, Aquinas came out of nowhere (the Raiders won just one game the previous season) to reach the Halton final, then went on to earn bronze at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) A/AA championships. This season, the Raiders have a lot of that 2008-09 dynamic working for them once again. Defenceman Sam Neeb left junior A hockey this season to play for Aquinas, and the Raiders have yet to taste defeat in league play. Neeb broke a 2-2 tie with 20 seconds left in regulation time Tuesday, lifting Aquinas to a 3-2 win over the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils at Oakville Arena. "We have a very talented team, and the guys are passionate about it and really want it," Alderson said after Tuesday's contest. "They love playing hockey and love working hard. They've jelled this year, just like that '09 team did." Certainly, it takes more than one player to be undefeated through six games. Ryan Figueria and Nick Russo scored goals for the Raiders Tuesday while goaltender Andrew Blake made several difficult third-period stops before Neeb's game-winner. But having a player of junior A caliber -- even one who, like Ruys and Neeb, wasn't getting a lot of playing time in the Ontario Junior Hockey League -- can make a huge difference in a Halton league that does not allow rep players. Ruys scored six goals in the 2009 Halton final, which Aquinas lost 9-8 in overtime to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Matt Page, another ex-junior A player, countered with four goals and three assists that day for the Irish. And Tuesday, it was Neeb -- about as much of a stay-athome type as the Prodigal Son -- controlling much of the play, carrying the puck end to end with ease. "True leadership," Alderson said when asked what the KEY ADDITION: St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders defenceman Sam Neeb carries the puck during Tuesday's Halton boys hockey contest against the Oakville Trafalgar Red Devils at Oakville Arena. Neeb, who quit junior A hockey this season to play for Aquinas, broke a 2-2 tie with 20 seconds left in regulation as the Raiders remained undefeated this season. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER biggest thing is the 18-year-old Neeb brings to the Raiders. "On the ice, the last five minutes of that game, he sort of took over. And he's a guy everyone in that dressing room looks towards." Neeb, who quit the Toronto Jr. Canadiens this season after 11 games, said he left the OJHL to "have fun" in his final year of hockey before university. He didn't expect the Raiders to make a run for the first Halton boys hockey championship in school history. "No, but we're just a hard-working team and keep fighting and fighting, and I guess it pays off," the 18-year-old said. "If our team keeps hustling, working hard and playing the way we've been playing, we've got a great shot at it." And winning the Halton final this time would be the small revision to the 2009 story that Alderson has in mind. "It's motivation," the coach said of the overtime loss to Notre Dame three years ago. "We want to get back to (the final), and the guys work hard for that." NOTES: The Iroquois Ridge Trailblazers actually had more points than the Raiders going into yesterday's (Thursday's) action, owning a 7-1 record through eight games. Aquinas, however, held a game in hand on Ridge See Raiders, page 27 Your 2010 Central-Canadian Champions! VS Friday @ 7:30 Home H ome Game G ame This T his Weekend W eekend Support Your Hometown Team! SIXTEEN MILE SPORTS COMPLEX, 3070 NEYAGAWA BLVD.