Posted by Sudbury Northern Life
It's that time of year once again - when teenagers across
the region begin to finalize their post-secondary plans.
When it comes to the realm of student athletes, there remains a
constant buzz and chatter about who is heading where, and in
some cases, exactly what sport they will pursue beyond their
high school careers.
Case in point - St. Benedict football and soccer star Joey
Martellacci, blessed with the pure athleticism needed to draw
attention from the coaching ranks in both of his primary
sports. In his case, it's the storied gridiron tradition of the
University of Western Ontario Mustangs that won out, as
Martellacci narrowed his choices to Western and Queen's.
An elite student in addition to his physical abilities,
Martellacci noted the course availability and structure of the
bio-med program at UWO remained at, or near, the top of the
list of deciding factors in choosing between the Ontario
institutions.
Although the Mustangs won out in case  number one, the
Golden Gaels got a little revenge on the flip-side, attracting
coveted Lo-Ellen multi-sport star Brett Walter to its
volleyball program. Suiting up with a Kingston-based volleyball
club team for the past few months, Walter has committed to
attending Queen's University come September.
Off to the ranks of the girls hockey scene with a pair of local
players who make the jump State-side in the fall.
Rayside-Balfour product Julie Hebert, coming off a season with
the Aurora Panthers Intermediate team, will join Horizon
graduate Micheline Frappier with the Wayne State Warriors in
Detroit, MI.
Hebert led the Panthers in scoring this past season with 34
points, and was a teammate of Frappier's with the Lady Wolves
Intermediate team back in 2006-07. While Hebert makes her way
southwest of Sudbury, College Notre-Dame defenseman Stephanie
Bonin will be heading closer to the East Coast.
The Sudbury pipeline to Neumann College continues as Bonin
becomes the latest in a string of Lady Wolves' graduates to be
recruited to the Aston (Pennsylvania) Division III school.
Ironically, Bonin joins the Knights just as the team says
goodbye to local products Robyn Armstrong, Jenelle Marier and
Carly Fitzsimmons, all of whom graduate this year.
However, Bonin will be joined by junior goaltender Mel Brunet,
as well as the team's leading scorer, Jessica Schroeder.
The well-known Valley East sniper continues to receive
accolades in her second year at Neumann, recently named to the
2008-2009 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Women's
At-Large Team and appointed as one of the three team captains
for the 2009-2010 campaign.
Still with girls hockey, there are a couple of names to keep in
mind. Goaltender Kayla Brown and defenseman Corie Jacobson are,
in my opinion anyways, the top two up-and-coming Lady Wolves
prospects, with clear potential to draw attention from Division
I NCAA programs.
Brown, a product of the Walden Minor Hockey system, shone as an
underage major bantam with the midget AA Lady Wolves this year,
backstopping the team to a bronze medal performance at
provincials.
Jacobson, on the other hand, is an ultra-skilled, puck-moving
defenseman who will join the midget AA team beginning in
September, also in her major bantam year. Both players are
poised to make a legitimate run at a spot on a provincial level
team, following in the footsteps of Josee Belanger, Rebecca
Johnston, and Tessa Bonhomme, among others.
More on the ice news as at least a couple of major bantam
hockey players head south, one year ahead of their OHL draft
campaign. With the backdrop of a disappointing entry draft for
northern Ontario prospects still fresh in local hockey pundits'
minds, comes the news that blueliner Kyle Franzen and
goaltender Andrew Lefebvre will not be part of the 2009-2010
Sudbury AAA Bantam Wolves hockey team come the fall.
Franzen has accepted an offer to play with the Toronto Jr.
Canadians, the program many Sudburians will quickly associate
with the likes of John McFarland and Ryan McDonough. Moving to
Toronto in the fall and attending classes at Brother André
Catholic High School, Franzen will also enjoy exposure to
well-respected and long-time University of Toronto Blues hockey
coach Paul Titanic, a teacher and coach at Brother André.
Lefebvre, meanwhile, heads off to St. Andrew's College in
Aurora and is expected to suit up with the bantam AAA York
Simcoe Express. He follows a recent trend in the north as North
Bay product Tait Seguin has apparently committed to attending
Notre-Dame College in Wilcox, Sask. - the same program from
which Sudbury Wolves first-rounder Justin Sefton was recently
snagged.
And while many move away from the Nickel City, a pleasant
surprise at Cambrian College as Marymount Academy graduate
Shawna Metcalf returns home to join the Golden Shield
volleyball team in the fall. A veteran of the Northern Chill
Club volleyball system, Metcalf returns to Sudbury after
spending a year at the University of North Florida in
Jacksonville.
Randy Pascal is the voice of Persona 10 Sports and the
founder of SudburySports.com.
