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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 6, 2013 | 26 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" by Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver Staff As Steph Solty left the ice Friday, the Loyola Hawks captain had one question for her coach. "What time is the game on Monday?" The Hawks' third Halton girls' hockey championship was barely 10 minutes old and the team was still celebrating, but the Grade 12 student wanted to know when the Hawks would play Bishop Tonnos for the right to play in the provincial high school championships. The Halton title, Loyola's first since 2009, was the goal coach Dave McNamara set for the team at the beginning of the season. "Obviously these girls have a different agenda," he said. Loyola will play at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations tournament for the first time after shutting out Bishop Tonnos 3-0 in Monday's Golden Horseshoe Athletic Conference final. Solty had good reason for anxiously looking forward to the team's next contest. Just a week earlier, she thought she might have already played her last high school game. She tore ligaments in her ankle a month ago and spent the next two weeks on crutches. She could only watch from the stands as her team Loyola Hawks player Nicole Collaton slaps a shot during Friday's Halton girls' hockey final. | photo by Herb Garbutt tried to make it back to the Halton final. When the Hawks beat Holy Trinity 6-1 in last Thursday's semifinal, Solty made up her opener. So he had to be thrilled to see the this season -- the Hawks allowed only 14 O'Neill sisters team up for a goal just 1:20 goals in 15 league games -- McNamara figmind that she would not miss the final. "This game means everything for us," said into the game with Kristin setting up Bridg- ured the lead was pretty safe. "This team plays with way more confiSolty. "I've been watching every game. There et. "I love playing with her," said Bridget. "We dence than any team I've coached before," he was no way I was not at least dressing for the knew we had to come out and play hard so said. "Because of how mobile our defence is game." Solty did more than dress, she took a regu- to score on our first shift, that gave us a lot and (how) our forwards come back so hard, lar shift on the Hawks blueline as Loyola de- of confidence. We worked as a team. We all they take away time and space. I figured, up looked at each other before the game and we 2-0, we could ride it out." feated Corpus Christi 2-0. Andrea Benac added an insurance marker "This is a big deal for us," said Solty, who all really wanted this." Kristin O'Neill extended the lead to 2-0 in the third. drew an assist on the game winner. "This before the end of the first Loyola will lose six players to graduation whole team is like a family." period when she split the de- next year-- Solty, Benac, Alannah Magareilli, Family did play a key role fence, went in alone and beat Jenna Stoddart, Stephanie Nasato and Niin the win. Solty inherited Corpus Christi goalie Lauren cole Collaton. Most of the losses are on the Loyola's captaincy from EmWebber high on the glove blueline, including Solty, who is headed to ily O'Neill, who is now playside. Queen's University. ing at the University of BritDaniela Paniccia recorded "We should have a good team next year," ish Columbia. O'Neill's two the shutout in the Halton fi- Bridget O'Neill said. younger sisters, Kristin and nal and repeated the feat in Should is the key word. With the Halton Bridget, each had a goal in Monday's GHAC win. Secondary School Athletic Association lookFriday's victory. "Daniela was amazing," ing to ban rep players in girls' high school "I've been watching my sisMcNamara said. "She made hockey next year, it could mean OFSAA will ters for so long," said Kristin O'Neill, a Grade 9 student. Steph Solty saves when we had to have be the last taste of high school hockey for the Loyola Hawks girls' hockey captain them." majority of the Loyola players. "I've always wanted to play Mackenzie Sutherland's "The school team means a lot to us," said on this team." McNamara had stressed the importance of first-period goal was the only one Loyola Kristin O'Neill. "If it does (ban rep players) and this year a good start against a bigger, more physical would need in Monday's win and Kristin Corpus Christi team, which had handed the O'Neill extended the lead to 2-0 in the sec- is the last year, it's a great year to end it off 10-1-2 Hawks their only loss in the season ond. With the team's strong defensive play with." Loyola girls headed to OFSAA hockey Blades, Hornets each trailing first-round series The North York Rangers scored four consecutive thirdperiod goals to defeat the Oakville Blades 5-2 Sunday in Toronto and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff series. Rory Bell and Patrick Chore scored goals for the Blades, both markers coming on the power play. Game 4 of the series was scheduled for last night (Tuesday) at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, a game that began after the Beaver's press deadline. Oakville had evened the series Friday with a 5-4 overtime victory. Jonah Renouf scored the game-winning goal 4:42 into the extra session after the Rangers tied the game with 44 seconds left in regulation. Luke Laidlaw, Jimmy Cusan, Len Fabbri and Bell had the Blades' other goals Friday. Evan Buitenhuis made 38 saves to record the victory in net. The series will continue tonight (Wednesday) with Game 5 in Toronto. If necessary, Game 6 will be played Friday in Oakville, a 7:30 p.m. start at Sixteen Mile. Hornets hope to avoid elimination tomorrow The Oakville intermediate AA Hornets face elimination from the Provincial Women's Hockey League playoffs after losing the first two games of their best-of-five openinground series with the Durham West Lightning last weekend. Oakville, which fell 3-2 Saturday and 3-1 Sunday, hopes to stay alive tomorrow (Thursday) when it hosts its first game of the series, an 8 p.m. faceoff at Joshua's Creek Arenas. The 14th-seeded Hornets appeared poised to steal the series opener after Victoria Medeiros scored twice to stake Oakville to an early 2-0 lead. But the third-seeded Lightning scored twice in a 23-second span to tie the game before the second intermission, then notched the winner with 16 seconds remaining in regulation. Sunday, Durham West jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Andrea Benac's second-period goal pulled the Hornets within one. Durham West added an insurance marker in the third period. The Lightning outshot Oakville 24-14 in Game 1 and 30-24 in Game 2. Both games were played in Ajax. If the Hornets are victorious tomorrow, the series will shift back to Ajax Friday for Game 4. This is a big deal for us. This whole team is like a family.