Feb. 12 local sports: Girls all-star hoops; Welland Tigers hockey; Brock athletes of week; CEBL news
St. Catharines resident Gokhan Bozyigit, a member of the swim team, was named Brock University’s male athlete of the week.
ALL-STAR GAMES GO WEDNESDAY
Niagara’s best girls high school basketball players will be showing off their skills Wednesday at the 2018 Niagara Region Girls All-Star Games.
The 11-20 best players from Zone 4 and Zone 3 will play at 7 p.m. followed by the top 10 players from each zone squaring off at 8:15 p.m. Both games will be played at St. Catharines with an admission of $2 for students and $4 for adults. All proceeds are donated to Gillian’s Place.
TIGER NOVICES ADVANCE
The Welland Mike Knapp Ford Tigers novice A hockey team advanced to the OMHA quarter-finals by going 5-1 in qualifying action.
Welland advances to play the Glanbrook Rangers.
In qualifying action, the Tigers beat Glanbrook 7-0, lost 4-3 to New Hamburg, defeated St. Catharines 8-1, blanked Stoney Creek 8-0, quadrupled Niagara Falls 8-2 and defeated Grimsby 7-3.
Scoring for the Tigers versus Glanbrook were Ethan Rousseau (2), Mackenzie Welychka, Brody Channon, Ryan Rousseau, Dylan Wood and Liam Seguin. Jackson Macleod notched the shutout.
Netting goals versus New Hamburg were Seguin (2) and Welychka.
Potting goals versus St. Catharines were Seguin (3), Welychka (2), Ryan Rousseau (2) and Ethan Rousseau.
Scoring versus Stoney Creek were Ethan Rousseau (2), Welychka, Wood, Noah Rousseau, Seguin, Jordan Hotham and Sebastien Boucher. Brady Matte picked up the shutout.
Recording goals versus Niagara Falls were Seguin (3), Ethan Rousseau, Blake Hudak, Boucher and Ryan Rousseau.
Scoring for Welland versus Grimsby were Seguin (2), Ethan Rousseau (2), Welychka, Ryan Rousseau and Hotham.
ATOMS ADVANCE TO OMHA QUARTER-FINALS
The Welland Niagara Street Pharmacy/Gene’s Skate Sharpening Tigers major atom A hockey team advanced to the OMHA quarter-finals with a 5-4 overtime victory over Stoney Creek.
Tanner Cutler netted a hat trick in the game’s final 25 minutes to tie the game and Townes Bestward would deposit his second of the game in overtime to win it for Welland.
The Tigers will now move on to face Erie-North Shore with their six-point series beginning Friday night in Welland at 7. Game 2 is scheduled for 12:40 pm Saturday in Welland before the series shifts to Harrow next weekend for games on Friday and Saturday.
WELLAND PEEWEES ELIMINATED
The Welland Telus Tigers major peewee A hockey team lost a pair of overtime games to Stoney Creek in the championship round of the Niagara District OMHA preliminary series and were eliminated from the OMHA playdowns.
In the deciding game, a 4-3 loss, Mitchell Tomaino scored twice for Welland and Quinten Hemauer once.
While Welland is eliminated from contention for an OMHA championship, it returns to play for the Niagara District playoff A championship competing against Grimsby, Glanbrook, Garden City and Lincoln.
BROCK’S TOP ATHLETES
A pair of local athletes were named Brock University’s male and female athlete of the week.
Thorold native Darby Taylor, a member of the women’s volleyball team, and St. Catharines resident Gokhan Bozyigit, a member of the men’s swim team, were both honoured.
Taylor, a fourth-year sport management student, collected a total of 28 kills on 52 attempts with only three errors for a .442 hitting efficiency. The outside hitter helped Brock win its seventh consecutive game and clinch a playoff spot. Taylor registered 18 kills and three blocks versus York and 11 kills, a service ace and three blocks against Nipissing.
Bozyigit, a third-year physical education student from Turkey who now calls St. Catharines home, captured two medals at the Ontario University Athletics’ championship at Brock. He won a silver in the 1,500-metre freestyle and a bronze in the 400-metre freestyle.
CEBL AND U SPORTS PARTNER
The Canadian Elite Basketball League and U SPORT have announced a partnership that will provide competitive developmental opportunities for Canadian university men’s basketball players.
Student/athletes will be allowed to sign a CEBL developmental contract that offers them a platform to further help grow their talents in the summer months. They will be drafted as part of a league-wide entry draft scheduled for mid-March.
“Partnering with U SPORTS to help grow the rising stars of basketball in this country really excites us,” said CEBL CEO Mike Morreale.
