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School spirit, development benefits of high school hockey, players say Continued from page 18 19 · Wednesday, January 23, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com "I'd most likely go back to rep." he HSSAA says its boys' league is thriving despite not having allowed rep players for more than 30 years (it's one of only three leagues in the province that doesn't allow rep players). Oakville Hornets Girls Hockey Association president Mike Turczyniak says the model works for boys because there are four times as many players in the minor hockey system. He says there are not enough house league players to sustain the girls' high school league and without rep players many high school teams will fold, defeating the HSSAA's purpose of creating more opportunities for players. Turczyniak hoped to make a presentation to the HSSAA at its meeting at the end of this month but was told via e-mail Friday, "There is no meeting to accept or deny this proposal. The new rule will be in place as of September 2013. The meeting later this month is unfortunately for only members of the HSSAA." He was offered the chance to share his concerns in writing. Allie Gillies and Kristina Kocsis, both members of Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey team, were also hoping to make a presentation. They started an online petition, have been building support through a Twitter account (@ HaltonLetUsPlay) and a Facebook page, and have been gathering information to show the impact the ban will have. A survey of five schools showed that 93 players tried out, including 71 rep players. Gillies and Kocsis said many teams don't even make cuts, so if more house league players wanted to play high school, all they would have to do is come to tryouts. For example, at Robert Bateman, which ended up not having enough players for a team this year, 11 players tried out -- six rep and five house league. Nelson coach Marc Messier said the boys' high school league is largely populated by players who leave the rep system. He doesn't see players in the upper levels of girls' rep leaving because those players are trying to make PWHL teams or get scholarships, and high school games are not scouted. "I could see the lower levels being where we lose players," said Lindsay Oliver, president of the North Halton Girls Hockey Association, which serves Milton and Georgetown. None of Milton's three high schools had a girls' hockey team this year. And Oliver doesn't see players, even at the lower levels, leaving rep for a high school team with an uncertain future. That would make it increasingly harder to reestablish a team once it folds. T Grade 12s talking about Irish pride. I learned that through hockey." The diversity of ages and hockey backgrounds is another unique aspect of girls' high school. Because girls' hockey teams draw from a smaller pool of players, it is commonplace for Grade 9s to play with Grade 12s. In that way, hockey bridges a gap between first-year and senior students who may otherwise have little or no interaction with one another. "If I didn't play school hockey, I wouldn't know the Grade 9s or 10s on our team," said Gillies. Mentoring their younger teammates can teach players valuable skills. "On my PW(HL) team, I'm one of the youngest players and I'm in my first year," said Nelson goalie Kyra O'Brien, now in her third season with the Flames. "On the high school team I have more of a leadership role." D K ocsis, a defenceman for the Stoney Creek Sabres of the Provincial Women's Hockey League, says if forced to choose, she will play rep. The Grade 11 student says there are many reasons for wanting to play high school as well, including fostering school spirit. "There's a sense of pride," she said. "In Grade 9, I heard the evelopment on the ice is also important, even if many of the players compete at a higher level. O'Brien is enjoying a strong rookie season with the Burlington Barracudas of the PWHL. The 16-year-old goalie has posted a 2.23 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage -- very good numbers for a team that sits in the middle of the pack in the league standings. The Grade 11 student hopes to earn a hockey scholarship and has already been contacted by coaches and visited schools. She's committed to her team, with two practices a week and anywhere from one to three games. O'Brien still manages to find time to play for her high school, in large part because games and practices are right after school. There won't be any scouts in the stands to see her play for Nelson, but she says the benefit of playing for her high school can't be discounted. O'Brien regularly faced players from the PWHL in her first two seasons of high school hockey, helping prepare her for what she would face in her rookie season. "I was playing against girls I looked up to, who were playing on the teams I wanted to play for," she said. "It pushed me to become a better goalie." The ban of rep players will not affect O'Brien's ability to get a scholarship. But the players who come after her will not have the benefit of following a similar development path. Notre Dame coach Paul Leonard said the diversity in hockey backgrounds in girls' hockey benefits players of all skill levels. His team has players ranging from house league to the PWHL, as well as two players who play exclusively high school. "You can have a Grade 9 bantam AA player defending against a Grade 12 (PWHL) player. Where else can they have exposure to that level (of play)? That speeds up their development," he said. "For the high level player, they are able to do things in a high school game that they wouldn't try in a (PWHL) game. It's a win-win situation." he hockey players feel they are being subjected rules that don't apply to athletes in other sports. "Personally, I don't like them taking the rep girls out," said Verwey. "What I don't understand is why don't they take out the rep girls (in other sports)? Why single out hockey?" Blackwell spoke on behalf of the HSSAA, though he doesn't sit on the board. He said the restrictions are in place "when (rep and high school) seasons coincide." However, the girls' volleyball and boys' and girls' soccer seasons also coincide, but there are no restrictions on players in those sports. Blackwell said another factor taken into consideration is the "balance of time for students. There are a lot of games, a lot of practices and they want to see some balance between academics, athletics and social time." O'Brien played both rep and high school last year and had a 90 per cent average in her classes. She said the demands can be taxing at times, but believes the benefits are worth it. "Definitely, I can be overloaded at times and it can be stressful. It's helped me manage my time better, though. It's given me those extra skills that aren't taught in the classroom." In Grade 9, O'Brien backed up Jenna Hague on Nelson's Halton championship team. Hague is now attending Ball State University on a golf scholarship. In her first two years at Nelson, she played high school hockey, had eight to 10 hours of golf practice during the week and played rep hockey. "It was a lot, but it wasn't a problem," Hague said. "I was able to do it," Hague didn't play rep hockey in her final two years of high school as golf became more of a focus, but her case brings up an interesting point. Are high school hockey players unfairly having restrictions put on what they can do outside of school? Next year, a student could play rep hockey and high school volleyball at the same time, though the time commitment would be the same. Halton's ban on rep players is defended by its supporters who say when conflicts arise between rep and high school schedules, players will choose rep, leaving their school team severely shorthanded or even force them to forfeit a game. In girls' hockey, though, players tend to come from a wide variety of teams. Notre Dame, for example, has players from eight different teams with no more than three players on any single team, minimizing the chances of being left without enough players. Gillies, who plays midget A in Burlington, says she has missed only "three or four games" over three seasons because of conflicts with rep. "At Nelson, there probably wasn't a player on the team that didn't have some other commitment, whether it was music or dance or another sport," Hague said. "It almost seems they're really looking for an excuse." T Adults $5, Students/Seniors $2, Kids FREE Any MOHA/Hornet players FREE, All MOHA/Hornets Coaching Staffs FREE, Oakville Blades Alumni FREE Puck Drop 7:30 PM at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex FRIDAY NIGHT OAKVILLE BLADES VS. HAMILTON RED WINGS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 9 IS HOCKEY DAY IN OAKVILLE! COME WATCH THE 3 HIGHEST LEVEL HOCKEY TEAMS IN OAKVILLE PLAY! 3:00 PM OAKVILLE RANGERS MIDGET AAA VS. BURLINGTON EAGLES 5:00 PM OAKVILLE RANGERS MINOR MIDGET AAA VS. SOUTHERN TIER ADMIRALS 7:30 PM OAKVILLE BLADES VS. MILTON ICEHAWKS