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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, March 20, 2014 | 32 HALTON TRANSMISSION 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports By Nathan Howes Special to the Oakville Beaver "Connected to your Community" Bronze in hand, Westlake already plotting path to gold Paralympic sledge hockey medal a thank you to his supporters "We played the U.S. six times this year. We beat them three times. They beat us three times. It was a great game and we happened to lose that one. We had our chances and just didn't score," said Westlake, who had two goals and two assists in five games in Sochi. "Once (gold was) out of the question, we still stuck together. You could tell the guys really like each other and that's why we won. "You're heartbroken, but you still got to play a good game the next day. I'm really proud of the way we played. We played a great game and won the bronze, but there's a lot of work to be done," he added. Westlake and linemates Brad Bowden and Billy Bridges struck for three goals in a span of 6:12 in the second period to lead Canada to victory against Norway. The Canadians capitalized in the opening minute of the period when Bowden carried the puck out of the corner and lifted a backhand over the Norwegian goalie. Less than two minutes later Westlake set up Bridges to extend Canada's lead. Bowden rounded out the scoring with a power-play marker. The game pitted Canada against its 2010 opponents in Vancouver, which saw Norway take home the bronze in a 2-1 victory. Failing to reach the podium in Vancouver has elevated Westlake's appreciation for the bronze medal. Although he was shooting for gold, taking home the bronze is the best way to "thank everybody who has helped me get here," Westlake said. "It's a small memento, but it's a big thank you. It's so important to show up for that bronze-medal game. I'm excited to show my grandparents and the people who've helped me get to the games. I can't wait to go home and have some fun." Greg Westlake shows off his Paralympic bronze medal as he returned from Sochi, Russia Tuesday night. The captain of the Canadian sledge hockey team and his teammates defeated Norway 3-0 to claim the bronze Saturday. | photo by Michael Ivanin -- Special to the Oakville Beaver Jones Canada's top male triathlete Oakville's Kyle Jones was named Triathlon Canada's male athlete of the year for the second season in a row. Building off his Olympic debut in London, Jones earned a silver medal at a World Cup race in Edmonton. He also had a fifth-place finish at another World Cup race in Spain. He capped the year by finishing 19th at the world championships. "It was a great year for triathlon in Canada and I'm honoured to be recognized for my contribution to the success we had," said Jones. "The 2014 season is just about to kick off and I'm looking forward to another exciting year on the road to Rio." Also honoured by Triathlon Canada was Oakville's Monica Lau, who earned an award of excellence for sprint distance duathlon in the women's 25-29 age group. The gold medal he had hoped for was out of reach, but Oakville's Greg Westlake wanted to make sure he brought home something to say thank you to those who supported him. The 27-year-old captained the Canadian men's sledge hockey team to bronze after defeating Norway 3-0 Saturday at the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Westlake and his teammates returned Tuesday to a crowd of three dozen donning red and white to welcome them home at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. "It just shows you how much people care. The reception is a great example of why the bronze medal is important. People want to touch the medal. People want to touch something they may never see again in their life," said Westlake. "To so many people, it's pretty cool holding an Olympic bronze medal. That's something you don't get to do every day." Though he just finished playing in Sochi on the weekend, Westlake is already looking ahead with a four-year plan to win gold at the next Paralympics. "I'm thinking of ways we can improve for next year and the next three years. As long as you're captain, you've got to carry a bit of weight on your shoulders and you've got to take a little bit of criticism when you don't win," he said. "I really want to captain a team to a gold medal." However, Westlake is uncertain of his participation at future Paralympics, he said, which motivated him in the bronze-medal game to "play like it was the last game I was ever going to play." "It's definitely a goal of mine to make it to another one. But between injuries and great young players coming up, you don't know if you're going to play two more games or one more game, so you can't take it for granted," said Westlake, who won gold in 2006. "My message to the guys going into the game was, `Let's just play and have some fun. Do what you did that made you love the game.' We went out and just played because we love the game." Canada went 3-0 in the Paralympic round-robin, capped by a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in which Westlake had the game's only goal. After a 3-0 loss to the United States in the semifinals, West- Oakville's Greg Westlake battles with Norway's Knut Andre Nordstoga as they chase a loose lake noted it was difficult for the puck in Saturday's bronze-medal game at the Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. Westlake had team to regroup for the bronzean assist as Canada beat Norway 3-0 to claim the bronze. medal match. | photo by Matthew Monaghan -- Canadian Paralympic Committee