INDEPENDENTSPORTS
SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, MAY 14-20, 2006 — PAGE 32
By Bob White For the Independent
F
resh from a Herder win with the Conception Bay North CeeBee Stars, Ian Moores is setting his sights on another hockey title. However, it won’t be on ice — and unlike his recent win as a defenseman with the CeeBees, Moores will try to reach the top this time from a spot on the bench. Moores will be an assistant coach with Canada’s national junior men’s ball hockey team as it travels to Italy next month for the world junior street and ball hockey championship. The tournament begins June 21. Originally, the tournament — hosted by the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation — was to have been hosted by Torino, and games played at the Pinerolo facility, the same arena where Brad Gushue’s rink claimed Olympic gold a few months ago. But now, due to “postOlympic complications,” the city of Aosta has been designated host. Moores, who was assistant coach on the Canadian team for the 2003 world tournament in Slovakia, is looking forward to the trip and hopes Team Canada will improve on its bronze medal finish in Slovakia. “We should have won gold, but came up short,” says the Harbour Grace native. “Hopefully we can get the gold this time around.” Joining Moores on the national team are two fellow Newfoundlanders, Matthew Thomey of Harbour Grace and Deer Lake’s Jake Easton, who played for the Deer Lake Red Wings against Moores in the Herder final. Moores figures Thomey and Easton will be counted on as leaders for Team Canada, and he’s confident both players can make big-time contributions. “For his age group, it’s fair to say that Matthew Thomey is one of the best ball hockey players in the country right now,” Moores says. “And Easton, while he might be smaller, is extremely fast and has great hands.” Thomey just completed his second season at Yale University in Connecticut, where he is on a full hockey scholarship with the Bulldogs. Moores expects Thomey to be in contention to be one of Team Canada’s captains. With seven countries competing in the World Championships, including Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, United
On the
BALL
Ian Moores to coach national ball hockey squad in Italy
States, Italy and Czech Republic, Moores says the competition will be stiff. But Canada is seen as a perennial medal contender. However, because team members come from across the country — from Edmonton to Harbour Grace — practicing as a unit will be difficult. The team will have some opportunity to practice together in Toronto before departing for Italy. “We’ll have a few days in Italy before the tournament starts so that will give us another chance to work on some things,” says Moores. As an avid ball hockey player (he’ll be returning to action this summer after taking off last season with a leg injury), Moores is a big supporter of the game and sits on the provincial executive of Ball Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador as its vice-president. He says this province has turned out its fair share of great ball hockey teams and players over the years, and while it may not be as glamorous as some sports, it has shown growth in many areas of the province. Although the Conception Bay North area has been a traditional hotbed for the sport, the numbers have been on the decline in recent years. But Moores points to healthy leagues in central Newfoundland, Corner Brook and St. John’s. He’s seen interest among youth rise in the past two years, which he says can be traced to the inclusion of ball hockey as a sanctioned sport by the high school sports federation. Moores credits Bay Roberts teacher Fred Simms for his work in getting the sport included in the annual race for championship banners. Moores says having ball hockey at the high school level will allow the sport to have a better transition in terms of retaining players as they change from high school to juniors. “If you look at the seven or eight guys from this province who went to Slovakia in 2003 and the two guys who are going to Italy this year, there are lots of opportunities to take advantage of with ball hockey,” Moores says. “You may not get paid to play like you can in other sports, but there are many great experiences to be had.” And for those young players dreaming of a chance to play for Canada one day, St. John’s is playing host to the 2008 world junior championships. Moores will be a leading contender to serve as the team’s head coach.
Four points to ponder W
ith the way he’s playing this postseason, you gotta figure the Calgary Flames are getting excited about the prospect of Daniel Ryder joining the Flames’ lineup next season. Ryder is having an outstanding playoff with the Peterborough Petes, who at the time of writing were one win away from clinching the Ontario Hockey League championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup final against Canada’s best junior teams. The 74th pick overall by Calgary in the 2005 NHL entry draft, Ryder has scored 14 goals and 14 assists for 28
BOB WHITE
Four-point play points in 14 games. That’s a pretty decent scoring pace, and considering the fate of the Flames in this year’s playoffs, it couldn’t hurt giving Ryder a shot. The younger brother of Montreal’s Michael Ryder, Daniel is seen by some as a better prospect at his age than his big bro. Whatever the case, being able
to produce when the pressure is on is a great way to show the big club what he can do. Like Michael, Daniel has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and while he probably doesn’t have the shooting ability of Michael, Daniel seems to have better vision as a playmaker. And perhaps better speed. ••• To me, the biggest surprise of this year’s playoffs has been the commitment by referees to follow up on the regular season crackdown on infractions. And it’s a pleasant surprise.
No longer are teams able to trap and hook their way to success. No, teams must rely on talent, and in hockey that means speed. As in first to the puck on the fore-check, putting pressure on the opposing defenseman. And also speed in getting the puck quickly out of your own end and down the ice to speedy forwards. The teams that have been good at doing that are still alive, while the others have faltered. It seems some teams have rosters built around the new rules, and while it doesn’t hurt to have great goaltending no matter what style you are playing, the teams that have
adapted best to the new rules have achieved the most success. Just look at Buffalo and Anaheim. Both those teams are getting major contributions from many players, and with the exception of Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne, these teams have no so-called “superstars” leading the way. ••• Sad to report it, but the Harbour Grace Shannons, a new entry in the provincial Challenge Cup soccer circuit, won’t be back, after just one seaSee “Soccer’s greatest,” page 31