Sports with Patrick Townes-Goodbye, for now!
Goodbye, for now!
I heard something recently that said you need two things in life – 1) someone to look up to and 2) something to look forward to. This is true in life and in sport. I am extremely thankful for growing up in such a great community and Township, and I pinch myself every day to remind myself how lucky I have been to have so many people around me to learn from, and to look up to. Throughout my sporting career and my life, there have been many people that have provided me mentorship and I made it my goal to take away something from all the people who I have looked up to over the years.
As I take a break from writing this article, I want to thank those people who I look up to. My family – I am grateful for how involved my immediate family was during my sports career. Dad and Mom did not hesitate making long trips for games and often my sister had to come along. Special thanks to her. These memories will be cherished forever. And thank you to Dad and Mom for editing the article over the past 5 years. Grandparents – There were not too many of my games where I looked up into the stands and my grandparents were not in attendance. With the rate of inflation, I often wonder what the $2 prize after each game would be in today’s standards. Extended Family – As everyone gets older, we all lose people that were very close to us. In addition to grandparents, there was often (if not always) a loyal following of aunts and uncles who attended games. I cherish all these memories and appreciated the guidance over the years. Coaches – I highly recommend to all young athletes and players to listen to your coach. Take something new from every coach you have. Be careful not to criticize. It is often easy to pick out one or two wrong things when, oftentimes, there are a lot of right things going on at the same time. Teammates – I have played on some great teams and had some great mentors. Do not be afraid to be a young player on a team and take your lumps sitting on the bench. It builds character, and makes it all the sweeter when you get to the top. Opponents – Yes, even opponents. Be respectful to your opponent. You will not win every game you play and what goes around comes around. Community members – Elmvale holds a sacred place in my heart. It is made up of volunteers and people who genuinely care about our town and the people within it. I still hear from out of town teams or players how much they like Elmvale and love to hang out with us. I have a lot of people that I look up to. From family members to those of you who know who you are in the community, thank you for being a role model for me.
Now, something to look forward to. The last few summers I have caught myself enjoying coaching and watching sports, more so than playing.
Now with my wife and young son (and young nephews), my time is getting closer to slowing down on playing myself, and leading into a mentor role and a coach. I think it is important to teach respect and life lessons, rather than winning itself. A good team is one who hangs out after the game, win or lose, and reflects together. I am looking forward to seeing my son and the younger generation play more sports, and hopefully I get an opportunity to being the one someone looks up to. Ever since I saw my parents and the other parents party at hockey tournaments, I have looked forward to that day!!
Thank you to Michael Jacobs who let me take over the article and thanks to Deanna Woods and Linda Belcourt for the opportunity to keep writing the article. And thank you to those who have been reading the article. Admittedly, it went through a lull during Covid and it has been hard to dedicate the time needed to put a full article together. I am thankful for the opportunity I was given, and to be honest, you likely have not seen the last article ever from me. Thank you.
2023 Brier
What a finish to this year’s event. Those two games between Canada and Manitoba were the best games that have ever been played on a curling sheet. The strategy was so involved and the respect level for each team was remarkable. You could not leave anyone an inch, and in the case of the Dunstone team, he left Gushue two inches – one in each game. Many people have argued who the best curler of all time is. After this event, there should be no question that the best of all time is Gushue, from top to bottom. His strategy is like no other and he always seems to make the big shots. Who else would you rather have throwing the last rock?
U18 B Elmvale Coyotes Advance to OMHA Championships
It’s been quite the season so far for the Whitfield’s Pharmacy U18 B Elmvale Coyotes Team. They faced some hardships early on in the season by dropping the Hometown Brian English Memorial Tournament and Regional Silver Stick in Midland. However, throughout this early season of adversity, there was one common goal in mind and that was to make it to the OMHA Championship Tournament. The resiliency of this team was shown as the season progressed, ending the regular season with an impressive 12-6-2 record, which ranked #1 in the league. Just before playoffs began the U18 B Coyotes traveled to St Mary’s for the Annual Rock Cup Tournament. This was a perfect time for the team to get into playoff form as the Southwestern Ontario competition was strong. The team ended up prevailing as tournament champions while defeating the #2 ranked ‘B’ team in the province, the Dorchester Dragons 2-0 in the Finals. The perfect momentum boost to start the playoffs!
OMHA playoffs now consist of a six-game round robin format, where teams vie to finish top 4 in their group to advance to a semi-final match. After some eminently intense round robin games, the Coyotes finished second in their group with a 3-1-2 record. Finishing second allowed for home ice advantage in a single game semi-final against number three seed, the pesky Oro Thunder. The winner of this game would not only advance to the league championships but also earn a berth in the OMHA Championship Tournament.
Puck drop for the semi-final game was this past Friday, March 10. Right from puck drop, the fully packed Elmvale arena was lively and excited to cheer on their hometown team. The first period saw some big hits and high energy from both teams, creating scoring chances on both ends. It wasn’t until 46 seconds left in the first period, when Captain Cameron Robertson opened the scoring with a nicely placed wrist shot from the top of the right circle. To start the second period the Coyotes were awarded a power play. That’s when off the breakout, Cameron Robertson placed a beautiful saucer pass on the stick of streaking Benjamin Kelly who didn’t hesitate to put Elmvale up 2-0. The rest of the period brought some exciting playoff hockey, but no change in score. The beginning of the third period didn’t go as planned for Elmvale as Oro quickly jumped back into the game scoring two goals in 22 seconds. Right off the ensuing faceoff, third year defenceman Jaxson Johnston laid a big hit to get the team and crowd back into the game. It was only a few minutes later when Jaxon Pretty scored the game-winning goal on the penalty kill, that caused the crowd to go into a frenzy. With 6 minutes left in the game, Garrett Fay would score a beauty insurance goal off a nice dish from Benjamin Kelly to make it 4-2 Elmvale. The game would end in a 5-2 final thanks to an empty netter scored by Benjamin Kelly (2). Assists would go to Benjamin Kelly (2), Cameron Robertson, Ty Groenewoud, Keenan Crowder and Jake Murphy. Goaltender Brayson Fay was awarded the victory with a stellar game in the crease.
The U18 B Elmvale Coyotes will now take on the winner of Parry Sound and South Muskoka in the league championships from March 19th – March 22nd. In addition, with the semi-final win, the Coyotes will also be competing in the OMHA Championships on March 31st – April 2nd hosted in Barrie. Stay tuned to the Elmvale Minor Hockey website to see the schedule. The team appreciates all the support it can get and is thankful for the fans thus far.
Elmvale Coyotes … A Winning Weekend
Elmvale Coyotes U7 LL #1 Has a Winning Weekend at the Hanover Falcons Canadian Tire Cup Tournament!
Submitted by Jon Popple
Mar. 13, 2023 – On March 11th, 2023, the EMHA Coyotes U7 LL #1 team travelled to Hanover to participate in the Hanover Falcon’s Canadian Tire Cup U7 Tournament. The tournament featured ten U7 teams from across Ontario, with Elmvale competing in Pool A of the Tournament.
In the opening game Elmvale faced the Saugeen Shores Storm, the team hit the ice with lots of energy and quickly opened the scoring creating a large lead early in the game. This game featured a strong goaltending performance by Gunner Ververs who backstopped the team to an opening game win 13-4.
In the second game Elmvale faced the host Hanover Flacon’s, this time Reef Tschop McLaren was between the pipes and turned in the team’s second straight strong goaltending performance. Elmvale again quickly jumped out to an early commanding lead, with goals being scored by Luke Carney, Gunner Ververs, Scott Popple, Austin Perreault, Chase Culbert, Noah Antiquera and Scott Haines. These goals led to the team’s second win of the day 17-6.
The third game featured a dominating performance by Elmvale beating the West Grey Warriors 25-1, with Corbin Ververs, Gunner Ververs, Austin Perreault, Reef Tschop McLaren, Noah Antiquera, Scott Haines and Scott Popple leading the scoring for Elmvale, while goaltending duties were handled by Chase Culbert who only allowed one puck to find the back of the net all game.
In the final game of the tournament, Elmvale faced its toughest opponent the Dorchester Dragons. The Dragon’s quickly opened the scoring and took a 2-0 lead after the first five minutes of the game. However, Elmvale goaltender Scott Haines quickly found his form and made some key saves keeping the game close. The scoring went back and forth with Elmvale seeing goals from Austin Perreault, Chase Culbert, Gunner Ververs and Scott Popple. With two minutes remaining in the game, Elmvale found itself down 12-11, to Dorchester. Elmvale’s four skaters hit the ice for the final shift of the game and with one minutes remaining Scott Popple found the back of the net with a hard shot from the slot, making the game tied 12-12. The play went back and forth and Scott Haines made some big saves to keep the game tied. With under thirty seconds remaining Scott Popple rushed the puck down the right wing and fired a shot that hit the post, Popple was able to gather his own rebound and skate behind the net to score a beautiful wraparound goal with only seconds to play. Elmvale pulled out a gutsy 13-12 win over the Dorchester Dragon’s to claim 1st place in Pool A.
The Elmvale Coyotes U7 Team #1 Players include:
Austin Perreault, Carter Bennett, Chase Culbert, Corbin Ververs, Gunner Ververs, Luke Carney, Noah Antiquera, Reef Tschop McLaren, Scott Haines and Scott Popple
Coaching Staff:
Jon Popple (Head Coach), Kristi Haines (Assistant Coach), Shane Culbert (Assistant Coach), Mark Carney (Trainer), Nathan Tschop McLaren (Trainer), Marcel Perreault (Conditioning Coach) and Tarra Popple (Manager)
U8 Hanover Canadian Tire Jamboree
Submitted by Corinna Draper
Mar, 12, 2023 – Well hockey parents, the 2022/23 hockey season is starting to wind down as we put in our final few days at the rink. The Elmvale U8 Coyotes have had a fantastic year. The LL1 team is an amazing group of talented, hard working, respectful, and goofy (at times) young boys. Our team is comprised of Emmett Coughlin, Wyatt Coughlin, William Draper, Ryker Johnson, Logan Hurdle, Rhys Moreau, Tristan Moreau, Nash Rockey, Able Rowe, Hudson Rowland, and Emerson Weiss. The U8’s were lucky enough to compete in one final tournament in Hanover this weekend. Unfortunately with Logan and Able not able to attend, we were down some key players but still had a fantastic day.
As hockey parents can relate the day started early with an 8:10 am game that meant a VERY early 5 am wake up for the almost 2 hour drive to Hanover. Weather was an improvement on last years white-out drive through the Grey Highlands and the team all made it for our first game vs. Woolwich Wildcats. Woolwich didn’t make it easy on the boys putting up some strong defence and limiting scoring chances. The Coyotes did end up pulling off a 7-5 win with solid scoring from Nash and Wyatt plus a great goal tending performance from Emmett.
After a 3 hour break filled with snacks and shenanigans the boys were back on the ice vs. the home team Hanover Falcons. Hanover came out short on players with only 1 on the bench, looking like a sure win for Elmvale. However this wasn’t the case as Hanover showcased very strong goal scoring making this one a nail-biter. Thanks to outstanding goal tending from Rhys our guys were given a chance to pull of an exciting 8-7 win. We had time for a quick snack and some laps around the gym before the 3rd game vs. Arran Ellerside Ice Dogs.
This game saw some all time high scoring from the Elmvale boys and even some highlight-reel worthy passing plays, pretty exciting to see at this age. Goals were abundant from our tops scorers Nash and Wyatt; plus Val, Emmett, Rhys and Ryker got in on the action too. William almost pulled off a shut out in net only allowing 1 goal and letting the boys walk off with a 16-1 win.
Tired and hungry we had time to kill during another 3 hour break. Thanks to our manager, Chandra Gervaus we had dinner orders in ahead of time (highly recommend doing this!). The boys didn’t have to wait to be served their pizza and chicken nuggets; ultimately saving some restaurant melt downs. Side note: next time we know not to leave the condiments on the table with a bunch of 8 year old boys as there were some shenanigans involving vinegar, ketchup, and pepper! The parents also had the opportunity to enjoy one (or more) much needed cold beverages during this break. After too many servings of ice cream the boys were recharged and back on the ice for the final game at 6:30 pm vs. Beverly Bandits.
The last game saw the boys push trough end of day fatigue to battle a tough opponent. The goals were hard to come by as the Bandits played hard defence and limited our chances. We were lucky to have Val in net who equally limited chances and gave our team the window we needed to win the fourth and final game in this tournament by a score of 3-2. The post game dressing room was a buzz with excitement of being undefeated. Coach Deb handed out the shiny medals to huge smiles, she congratulated each player on a day of hard work and determination.
The LL1 U8 team have been lead all year by some incredible and inspiring coaches; Deborah Coughlin, Chad Moreau and Dave Rockey. As a parent we appreciate your dedication to our children and even more we appreciate the kind words and motivation that gets them through a tough practice or game. Not to mention the extra TLC that’s needed at this age to wipe away occasional tears and ensure the kids are always having fun!
Thanks to the boys, coaches and parents for a great hockey year. I’ve got my Coyotes Hockey Mom sweater all ready for next season.
