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Thursday, May 2, 2013 • 17
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Jeff St. Pierre going camping with Erie Otters DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
Port Perry’s Jeff St. Pierre will spend this upcoming weekend swimming with otters. However, he will be far from the shores of Lake Scugog. Instead, the 17-yearold will be on the shores of Lake Erie in Western Pennsylvania, taking part in the Erie Otters Prospect Camp from Friday, May 3 until Sunday, May 5. St. Pierre’s road to the OHL began when his season with the Major Midget Central Ontario Wolves ended in March, and his agent started working the phones in the hopes of securing him a tryout. “After the season ended, and I started looking towards next season, I mentioned to my agent that I was looking to skate with an OHL team this summer,” St. Pierre told The Standard. While his agent did make contact with several teams in the loop, the offer from Erie came as a shock to St. Pierre. “I was shocked when Erie contacted me with the invite, since they were one of the few teams that weren’t contacted by my agent,” St. Pierre explained. The opportunity to showcase his skills before one of the teams in the top junior hockey circuit in the world has the 6’3”, 200-lb. centre counting down the days to this weekend. “This is a great opportunity for me, and it was great to be able to receive the offer, since the Otters obviously have an interest since I wasn’t drafted last year, and typically that’s who they invite to these types of camps - players they’ve drafted and are in their systems,” said St. Pierre. Aside from the camp, St. Pierre also noted that he is excited to reconnect with a former teammate at the event, phenom Connor McDavid, who this past season was named OHL Rookie of the Year as an underage player. St. Pierre and McDavid previously played together on a summer hockey team based out of Brampton five years ago. His journey to the cusp of the OHL began at Scugog Arena when he was just five-years-old. “I started out playing Timbits hockey in Port Perry, with Dave Dickson as my first head coach. Actually, Dave would end up coaching me almost every year
up until Atom, and a lot of the groundwork was laid for my career at Scugog Arena,” added St. Pierre. In his Major PeeWee year, St. Pierre made the jump to the ‘AAA’ ranks with the Central Ontario Wolves, where he has continued to play - save for a one-year interlude when he suited up for the Port Perry Predators in his Major Bantam season. In 2012, St. Pierre suited up for the Varsity hockey team at Port Perry HS, and played a major role as the Rebels advanced to the Tier 2 LOSSA Championship. St. Pierre’s talents aren’t limited to the ice, and for the past 10 summers, he has served as the pitcher for the Lake Scugog Lumberjacks fastball team. Last year, St. Pierre earned tournament MVP honours as the Lumberjacks captured an Eastern Canadian Championship in New Brunswick. According to St. Pierre, his summers spent on the diamond have helped to mold him into the player he has grown into on the ice. “I feel like playing ball has definitely helped me become a better overall athlete,” St. Pierre explained. “It also really helps when it comes to dealing with high-pressure situations since I’m used to being in the spotlight on the mound pitching to protect a lead. The ball team also helps keep a connection to Port Perry, which is really important to me.” The Grade 11 student at Port Perry High School is eying a career in law enforcement eventually, and noted that he tries to stay well-rounded, counting biology as his favourite subject. “It’s fascinating to study how things work at their basic level, and gives me a better appreciation for the world around me,” St. Pierre commented. This weekend, the world around St. Pierre will be filled with other players hungry for a potential roster spot with the Otters, and he will be hoping to continue doing what he does best on the ice. “I try and mold my game after Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins,” St. Pierre explained. “I’ve always tried to play a roughand-tumble game with a scoring touch, and I try and be a leader in the dressing room and on the ice as best I can. “My goal has always been to play at the highest level possible, and never be satisfied with the status quo and try to push myself to become the best player possible.”
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Port Perry’s Jeff S. Pierre will be heading to Erie, Pennsylvania this weekend to take part in the Erie Otters Prospect Camp. The 17-year-old hopes to parlay the experience into an invite to training camp with the Ontaro Hockey League club in the fall, after spending the past two seasons in the ‘AAA’ DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard ranks with the Central Ontario Wolves.
Tigers open rugby season with 58-0 win DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
The 2013 LOSSA senior boys rugby season got off to a roaring start for the twotime defending champs from Uxbridge SS last week. In their first league game of the season, the Tigers made the trek to Ajax to square off against J. Clarke Richardson on Thursday, April 25. The offence came early and often for Uxbridge as the senior boys ran away with the contest, eventually winning by a score of 58-0. The Tigers looked to continue their winning ways on Tuesday, April 30 in Whitby when they met up with Father Leo Austin CHS (after The Standard’s press deadline). Meanwhile, across Lakeridge Rd., the Port Perry HS Rebels are looking for their first win of the 2013 campaign following a 15-12 loss to Maxwell Heights
in Oshawa on Friday, April 26. The Senior Rebel Boys were back in action on Tuesday, April 30 as they took on O’Neill in Port Perry’s home opener. The Junior Rebel Boys had little trouble taming the Maxwell Heights Mustangs as they rolled to a 59-0 victory in their season opener. Uxbridge’s Junior Boys were also triumphant in their season opener as they walloped Richardson by a final tally of 31-5 as they began the defence of their 2012 LOSSA Championship. The Midget Tigers gave Uxbridge a clean sweep of Richardson with a 27-10 victory to open the season. The Midget Rebels, were tested at times, but emerged with a 17-14 victory over Maxwell Heights as Port Perry HS looks to repeat as LOSSA Midget Rugby champions this season.
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