Two teams join Niagara Falls sports wall
Two teams will be honoured when the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame hosts its induction ceremony this Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Gale Centre.
Being inducted along with individuals, Shelley Gautier (paracycling athlete), Poppy Gilliam (soccer athlete) and Tim Topping (baseball builder), are the 1981 Niagara Falls Kiwanis Club under-13 boys soccer squad and the 2001-02 Niagara Falls Thunder midget AAA hockey team.
The soccer team, made up of Philip Parlatore, John Maiden, Dean Karachi, Paul Howie, Mustafa Sahin, Rocky Vacca, Mauro Ciampa, Peter Mazzone, Robert Desson, Tom Bernardi, Steve Palmer, Wade Fabian, Frank Roperti, Bill Prestia, John Ventresca and Jack Villella, and coached by Antonio Pingue and Tony Ventresca (trainer) emerged from 87 teams from across the province to win the Ontario Cup.
It was the first time a Niagara Falls team won an Ontario Cup in the under-13 age group. It was an impressive feat for a small soccer centre competing against teams from much larger areas, including the GTA.
A testament to the player and coaching development by Niagara Falls Boys Soccer Club was that an under-eight team won an Ontario Cup on the same day and under-10 and under-16 teams lost in the finals.
The team’s season included winning the league and playoff championships as well as several invitational and international soccer tournaments.
The team might have added a national title to its resume but the Canadian title for its age group was cancelled in 1981. That season, Niagara Falls defeated a number of teams across Canada that ended up winning their provincial championships.
The Niagara Falls Thunder team, made up of Francis Dugas, Rick Miller, Jonathan Baglieri, Jonathan Pietrangelo, Justin Gigone, Stephen Lazich, Devin Sartor, David Doig, Mike Stewart, Adam Lukanchoff, Anthony Medico, Bruce Broughton, Adam Garrett, Doug McGowan, Adam Gennings, Josh Mack, Brandon Young, Ryan Gabel and Jarrod Shugg, and coached by John Pietrangelo (head coach), Tony Baglieri (assistant coach) and Tom Bernardi (trainer), won an Ontario Minor Hockey Association championship.
The Thunder didn’t look like an OMHA champion in the regular season, finishing in sixth place in its division, but it hit its stride in the playoffs. After winning the deciding fifth games of series in St. Catharines and Halton the team moved on to the OMHA championships in Peterborough. The Thunder posted a 2-1-1 record to earn a berth in the final versus the Quinte Red Devils, who went undefeated in the round-robin. Niagara Falls scored an early goal and preserved a 1-0 victory on the strength of hot goaltending and solid defensive play.
The OMHA title advanced the team to the Air Canada Cup National Championship regional tournament. Competing against other Ontario Hockey Federation league champions in Timmins, Niagara Falls finished with a 2-4 record and narrowly missed out on a spot in the bronze medal game.
