Hello sports fans! It's time to lift the lid off the local scene and see how our athletes and teams have been fairing.
I'll start with some interesting hockey stuff first.
The Noelville Hockey Lovers group has made it to the final 10
in the 2007 Kraft Hockeyville search.
Their spirited bid was featured on CBC this past Sunday.
Now, it's up to the viewers to help the Noelville bid make it
to the final five.
The voting phase for the final five ends on Friday, March 9 at
11 am, Eastern Standard Time. Votes will then be tallied and
the five remaining communities will be announced live during
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) on Saturday night.
Remember, every vote counts and one vote could decide if
Noelville moves on.
Voting is easy. Simply log onto hockeyville.cbc.ca. Scroll down
the main page, past the Top 10 communities and click the Vote
Now link. After supplying an email address, your vote will be
registered and go towards helping Noelville take the title.
Noelville is up against some stiff competition. They face
challenges from Plaster Rock, Cornwall, North Bay,
Saint-Hubert, Warner, Rockyford, Smithers, Vernon and
Nanaimo.
There's more than just bragging rights at stake. The winning
bid will receive the Kraft Hockeyville title and trophy to
display. They will also get $50,000 for upgrades to a publicly
owned arena that the winning community endorses, as well as a
special feature on CBC television in the fall. The community
will also host a one-of-a-kind NHL event.
The overall winner will be announced on HNIC on March 17.
Even Greater Sudbury Mayor John Rodriguez has stepped up and is
urging everyone to support the bid. He has asked businesses and
schools to post signs of support and encourages everyone to get
online and cast as many votes as possible.
Good luck Noelville.
Now, it's time to put down the pom-poms and focus on the Great
North Midget League (GNML).
The annual GNML awards were handed out last week, and several
local athletes and one executive shined brightly.
Valley East Cobras forward Alex Fiset was the big winner. Fiset
took home the Most Gentleman Player Award and was named to the
GNML First All-Star team. The 16-year-old was a true force this
season, racking up 27 goals, 57 points and just 44 penalty
minutes in 35 games.
Cobras teammate, defender Elliot Richardson, was also named to
the First All-Star squad after turning in a stellar season on
the blueline as a 15-year-old. Richardson was a rock all year,
posting 11 goals and 38 points in 36 games.
 The six-foot, 170-pound defenceman could be a high pick in the upcoming OHL draft, perhaps going as high as the middle rounds.
Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves GM Bob MacLean got the nod as the
GNML Executive of the Year. MacLean helped piece together a
strong squad as Sudbury piled up a record of 28-7-0-1, good for
second place in the league.
Nickel Capital Wolves forward Mathieu Lecours was named to the
Second All-Star team after scoring 26 goals and 55 points in 30
games. Lecours generated excitement this year as he was
clipping at almost a goal-per-game pace all season.
Now, it's time to turn in the hockey gear for some wrestling
tights.
Twenty-nine local wrestlers earned the right to compete at last
week's OFSAA championships in Brampton and came back with their
heads held high.
Chelmsford's Sheldon Burton and Diana Ford and Macdonald
Cartier wrestler Celeste Rodrigues were the big winners. Burton
won a silver in the 64-kilogram category, while Ford took
bronze in the 54-kg division. Rodrigues took silver in the
64-kg class. Although no local wrestler took gold, which
usually happens at least once each year at the provincial
level, Sudbury has no shame when it comes to it's quality of
wrestling, and the sport is growing locally big time so watch
out next year.
