Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Sharks fall short against Essex 2-1
By Greg Coulter WHEATLEY — The Wheatley Omstead Sharks prepared for the upcoming playoffs rounding out the schedule with a grueling regular season schedule windup. Wednesday, with a 1-0 lead entering the third against Essex, they were posed to pull off an upset only to fall short with a 2-1 loss. Shots were even with Ethan Carlone in net and Dallas Anderson getting the lone marker in the first period. Despite missing their top three scorers Friday in Dresden, the Sharks pummeled the opposition goalie with 45 shots. Dresden responded with timely shooting and the 3-3 match was sent to overtime.
While holding the opposition to no shots in overtime, Mason Gow notched the winner two minutes in. Brett Thomas potted two powerplay goals with Matt Carvalho rounding out the scoring. Jackson Ford stood tall in the net as Dresden tried to mount some offensive pressure late in the game. Superbowl Sunday the Sharks hosted Mooretown. They opened the scoring the first minute and jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead with three goals in a 1.04-minute span midway through the first. They killed off a five-minute penalty in the second period, and whenever the opposition tried to claw back the Sharks bit right back with ferocity, closing out the game
with three markers in the third en route to an impressive 9-4 victory. Ford was again solid in net, and the scoring was distributed throughout the roster amassing 23 points on the night. Shannon Olson and Liam Sinasac potted two, with singles going to Carvalho, Caetano, St. Pierre, D. Anderson and Matt Thomas. Coach Carnavaele praised the effort of all the players with thanks to call-ups and a shutdown effort by the defence. “The goaltending has been instrumental in our recent success as we head down the stretch and prepare for the playoffs,” he said. Play resumes Wednesday at home against Wallaceburg.
The Southpoint Stars U13 girls defeated the Kitchener Lady Rangers to bring home gold at the London Devilettes 31st Annual Tournament Feb. 4-6. Team members, in no particular order, are: Chloe Taylor, Taylor Lefaive, Natalie Edwards, Payton Insley, Isla Thiele, Ava Carreiro, Alexa Thiele, Marla Amaral, Grace Bedard, Selina Gualtieri, Zoey Williams. Coaching staff: Chris Taylor, Whit Thiele, Karen Burgess, Mike Williams, Taylor Insley. Photo submitted
U13 Stars win gold at London tournament LEAMINGTON — The U13 Southpoint Stars girls took part in the London Devilettes 31st Annual Tournament held February 4-6, coming away with gold medals. The Stars kicked off the tournament Friday afternoon against London Dark Blue and dominated throughout the entire game, scoring four goals in the first period, three goals in the second, and five goals in the third period, resulting in a solid 13-0 victory. Chloe Taylor earned the shutout and the plethora of goals came from Ava Carreiro, Grace Bedard, Zoey Williams and Alexa Thiele. Friday evening the Stars took on London Sky Blue where Marla Amaral scored first for the Stars and London quickly retaliated. Late in the second period, the Stars defence of Taylor Lefaive, Isla Thiele, Natalie Edwards and Payton Insley stepped it up and held back London as Ava Carreiro popped four goals in
the net to give the Stars a 5-3 victory. Saturday morning the Stars took to the ice against London Black and dominated again with goals from Selina Gualtieri, Ava Carreiro, Alexa Thiele and Grace Bedard for a 7-1 win. Later that evening they faced off against London Yellow where Ava Carreiro scored halfway into the first period; however, a few minutes later London tied it up. The Stars pushed forward with their strong offensive plays and landed one goal in the second and two more in the third all from Ava Carreiro to defeat London for the win 4-1. With four wins behind them, the Stars advanced to the semi-final game early Sunday morning against the Mount Forrest Rams. It was a close matchup and Chloe Taylor stood fierce between the pipes making some key saves. Finally, with five minutes left in the first period, Ava Carreiro
scored to get the Stars on the scoreboard. Midway through the second period the Stars rallied together as the Rams ran out of steam and the Stars walked away with a 6-1 victory. Goals were from Marla Amaral, Ava Carreiro and Alexa Thiele. In the championship game, the Stars faced off against the Kitchener Lady Rangers. The Stars dominated the entire game. Grace Bedard starting off the scoring with a goal in the first period. Ava Carreiro and Taylor Lefaive scored three goals in the second period, and Ava Carreiro landed four more in the third period. The Lady Rangers were able to squeak one by Chloe Taylor with 20 seconds left in the period, but it just wasn’t enough. The Stars walked away with a 8-1 victory to take home the gold. The team is coached by Chris Taylor, Whit Thiele, Karen Burgess, Mike Williams and Taylor Insley.
Southpoint Sun - 19
The U15 Southpoint Stars in a recent photo taken at Wheatley Arena. Back row, from left: Grace Ondracka, Meridith Coulter, Sadie Helgerman, Jacqueline DesRosiers, Jocalin Hastings, Megan Derbyshire, Evelyn Albano, Adriana West, Jaclyn Weston, Cassie Isberg. Front row, from left: Addison Minello, Lily Seal, Elizabeth Arthrell, Brynn Bellmore, Sidney Kelly, Chelsey Benoit and Emily Owen. Team staff (not pictured) are coaches Marc Arthrell, Jack Weston, Craig Owen and Michael Seal, manager Nikki Bellmore and trainers Misty Ondracka and Anna West. Photo submitted
U15 Stars ranked #15 in province LEAMINGTON — The Southpoint Stars U15 hockey team currently sits in first place in the Southwest ‘A’ Division of the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association, while being ranked #15 in Ontario. The Stars are just wrapping up their regular season and are poised to take on the Chatham-Kent Crush in a two-game playdown to see who moves on to the provincial championships April 8-10. “Being new to Southpoint, we really didn’t know what to expect,” says head coach Marc Arthrell. “But the association has been extremely accommodating to us.” The girls have had a successful month so far, with their most recent wins being over Chatham-Kent and Bluewater. They are battling Bluewater for that first place position in the standings. Even with one of the youngest rosters in the province, the Stars have excelled and are competing very well against
teams with more experienced rosters. According to Arthrell, they are planning a jump to AA hockey next season. “We’re very excited about icing an AA team, which is the top tier of hockey in the province,” he said. “We’ve set our goal to be among the top 10 teams in the province next year.” With the Winter Olympics on the world’s stage right now, the Stars are peaking at just the right time as Canadian hockey fans turn their attention to what the Canadian women’s team is doing. The OWHA is widely recognized as the best girls’ hockey league in North America and Arthrell is eager to see what his team can do. “Being a top-10 team in that league is quite an accomplishment for a small association like Southpoint,” he says. On Saturday, Feb. 12 the Stars skated to a 4-1 win over the London Devilettes U15A Majors. The locals prevailed
in a very physical game, led by Emily Owen who potted a goal and added two assists. Adriana West scored twice, with the other goal going to Jacqueline DesRosiers. Grace Ondracka got the win in goal. On Sunday, Feb. 13 the locals hosted the London Devilettes U15 Minors and came away with a big shutout victory by a 3-0 count. They remain undefeated at home. Brynn Bellmore led the way with two goals, while Megan Derbyshire contributed the single. Cassie Isberg recorded the shutout. The Stars host Chatham-Kent Crush in Wheatley at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 for game one of their playdowns. A trip to the provincials is on the line. They will follow that up at Forest Glade Arena on Sunday, Feb 20 as they host Chatham-Kent at 2 p.m. “We’d love to have you come out and cheer us on,” says Arthrell.
Essex-Southpoint U10 back in action LEAMINGTON — The Essex Southpoint U10 team dove right into OMHA playdowns facing off against Erie North Shore Storm on Saturday, Feb. 5 and the Riverside Rangers on Sunday, Feb. 6. Zander “Cookie” Cook started off the game against Erie with a goal in the first 30 seconds, followed by Christian Rutgers two minutes later. The Capitals contin-
ued their strong presence into the second period, scoring three more goals. Conner Blain tipped in Jordyn Lefaive’s shot to finish the second period up 5-0. Final score was 5-1. Sunday’s game against Riverside kept the fans on the edge of their seats. The Capitals came out strong in the first period, scoring three goals from Brody “Churchie” Church, Eddie Zeiba and
Christian Rutgers. The teams swapped goals back and forth throughout the second and third periods, but ultimately the Capitals held on for a 5-3 win. The U10 team finished the first weekend of Playdowns up 2-0 and ranked #1 in the province. They will finish Playdowns in a few weeks and then head to the SilverStick Finals in Newmarket over March Break.
