The walk between Carter McLlwain’s childhood home in Exeter, Ont., and the local hockey rink was only a few dozen steps, so short he could be through the door in less than 10 minutes.

Like any kid with that kind of access and an abiding passion for the game would, he scurried back and forth several times a day.

At 6 a.m., he’d be on the ice with mom Kathy, one of the world’s elite power-skating coaches, for early-morning sessions that mirrored the drills she’s since taught to blue-chip NHLers like Bo Horvat and Boone Jenner.

Then, it was over to school and back to the rink, home for dinner, and possibly a final trip to the indoor ice pad at South Huron Recreation Centre for an evening practice.

“We were always on the ice whenever we could get on, bugging the Zamboni drivers,” said Carter, 23, a South Huron Minor Hockey product now playing professionally in Abu Dhabi.

“On snow days, $8 ticket ice, we could go on for hours. I don't think, at that age, we understood how grateful we were to be able to have that in a small town, just to hop on whenever we wanted.”

Kathy’s coaching business grew into a juggernaut that works with some of the biggest names in hockey, giving her son the chance to skate with pros and glean what he could from their habits.

At least once, Horvat took Carter aside to offer face-off tips.

At family gatherings, Carter heard stories from uncle Dave, who played nearly a decade in the NHL before finishing his pro career in Germany.

Then, of course, there was the benefit of Kathy’s expertise in one of the most crucial elements of the modern game. He doesn’t take any of it for granted.

“I don't think I realized till I was older how important that was going to be and how much that was going to help me later on in my career,” Carter said, on break from the Abu Dhabi Storms of the Emirates Hockey League.

“I can't thank my mom enough for doing that, starting me off at such a young age, getting a good foundation down and just working on it all the time.”

In minor hockey, Carter lived a version of the small-town Canadian dream.

He played with the same core group of youngsters for several years, sometimes coached by father Mark and joined by brother Jackson, who played in the Ontario Hockey League and is now one of the Exeter (Jr. C) Hawks’ top scorers.

“Great group of guys growing up,” said Carter. “You’d do everything together—go to school, play baseball, hockey. It was pretty special to have that.”

He graduated to the AAA Huron Perth Lakers and Elgin Middlesex Canucks before a point-a-game stint with the U18 London Jr. Knights.

In 2018-19, he helped the Exeter Hawks on a run to the Schmaltz Cup Jr. C championship semi-finals, followed by three Jr. B seasons with the Listowel Cyclones and Komoka Kings.

His final season with Komoka yielded 31 goals and 22 assists (53 points in 46 regular-season games), along with the team’s captaincy.

Then, the uncertainty of life after junior hockey.

Remembering uncle Dave’s enthusiasm for playing overseas, Carter flew to Germany with no contract and worked out with three teams, eventually signing with the pro squad in Krefeld, a port city about 10 kilometres west of the Rhine River.

“I had a great year,” he said. “It got my foot in the door and kind of showed me what what pro is all about. I really enjoyed it; I'm glad I did it, glad I went there. It's maybe somewhere I could see myself going back to in the future, if the opportunity came about.”

It took a few games to adjust to the German league’s faster pace, plus the size and strength of its veteran pros. The language barrier was a complicating factor at times, and the fans were so loud he could barely carry on a conversation with the guy next to him on the bench.

“I just tried to keep it simple—do what I do best, and try not to change too much,” he said. “Once I got settled in, it was good. I really enjoyed it. It was an unbelievable experience.”

When Krefeld folded after the 2022-23 season, Carter weighed his options. An earnest pitch from Dave Rich, a Canadian ex-pat from Ottawa and head coach of the Abu Dhabi Storms, caught his attention.

“He's been here a couple years, and he told me how much he's he's enjoyed it,” said Carter. “I did some research into Abu Dhabi and Dubai and thought: ‘Why not? I’ll give it a go.’ It’s something new. Travel and play hockey—that’s what I wanted to do—so I signed a contract and came over.”

As one of the team’s handful of import players, Carter understood his assignment: Put up good numbers, help the local players, and grow the game. He answered the call, posting 28 goals and 14 assists in only 16 games last season.

This season, he posted 12 goals and five assists in seven games before the holiday break. There’s a chance he’ll play for the UAE national team this summer at a tournament in Australia.

Beyond that, he’s unsure what comes next.

“I want to keep playing and travelling as long as I can,” he said. “You can only do it once, so you might as well keep it going.”

Back in Exeter, younger brother Jackson is part of a high-scoring Hawks team atop the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s West Yeck Division standings.

Kathy continues her work as a skating coach. Mark works as a financial advisor. The local rink is still only a few dozen steps from Main Street.

The trip from here back to Abu Dhabi is eons longer. A flight from Toronto is at least 15.5 hours, and—depending on your budget—sometimes longer than a day.

Still, this version of hockey life is the right kind of grind.

A major theme in Carter’s reflections on it?

Gratitude.

“I’m grateful to be traveling the world and playing the game I love,” he said.“I've met a lot of great people along the way, a lot of friends I'll have forever.”

“It's not always easy,” he added, offering advice to younger players who might also play overseas.

“It's challenging, there'll be some ups and downs, but stay positive, keep moving forward, and enjoy the ride.”

Exeter Hawks goalie Tyler Strain turns away an Aylmer Spitfires shot. Photo courtesy of the team.

As time expired in the second period Friday against the Aylmer Spitfires, the Exeter Hawks were dangerously close to extending a two-game losing skid.

They trailed the Spits 3-1 in front of another huge crowd at the South Huron arena, despite hammering Aylmer with 25 shots through 40 minutes.

Safe to say, whatever they heard in the room at intermission made its mark.

In the third period, the Hawks charged back with three straight goals to grab a 4-3 win in front of a reported crowd of 510 fans.

That, paired with a decisive 5-2 road win over the North Middlesex Stars on Saturday evening vaulted the Hawks out of a Thanksgiving slump and back into first place in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s West Yeck Division.

Spits goalie Riley Legacy deserves a hat-tip, thanks to his 35 saves, and finished as the game’s third star.

Hawks forward Chase Wedlake was the standout performer for Exeter, scoring two goals—including the game-winner with less than five minutes left—and grabbing an assist.

Jackson McLlwain (from Jayce Durand and Jordan Alexander) and Owen Shore (from Wedlake and Carter Bowerman) also scored in the Friday victory.

Aylmer managed just 15 recorded shots on Hawks goalie Tyler Strain, who has otherwise been strong this season, with a 4-1-1 record, 2.49 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

Saturday in North Middlesex, the Hawks dominated for much of the game.

Owen Shore (from Nolan Grubb and Carter Bowerman) and Nate Schiedel (from Brett Harrogate) scored late in the first period to give Exeter a 2-0 lead.

Shore scored again early in the second (from Dylan Bradburn and Jordan Alexander), and the Hawks added two more goals early in the third to lead 5-0 before a late charge from the home team.

Alexander scored at 5:01 to grab his eighth goal of the season (from Bowerman and Shore), and Rourke McEwan scored at 6:20 (from Jimmy Schiedel and Jayce Durand).

North Middlesex got two late goals from Nick Bannister. Hawks goalie Jack Dalrymple was otherwise impeccable.

The second-year netminder from Exeter picked up his fifth win of the season and carries a 2.24 goals against average and .932 save percentage.

The Hawks and Spitfires tangle again this coming Sunday in Aylmer, after a Hawks home game Friday at the South Huron arena.

Puck drop for Friday’s game against the Mount Brydges Bulldogs is set for 8 p.m.

Goderich Flyers drop a close one

Goderich Flyers fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Mitchell Hawks Friday at the Mitchell arena.

They fell into a 3-0 hole early but charged back with three straight goals (Aidan Terpstra, Kingston Powell and Austin Waite) to tie it 3-3 at the end of regulation.

After a scoreless overtime, Powell scored the only Goderich shootout goal; Mitchell had two goals in the shootout (Owen Holloway and Jonathan Tenhag) to grab the win.

Flyers goalie Christian DeJong had 36 saves in the loss.

On the road Sunday, the Flyers fell 7-0 to the Fergus Whalers.

Next up, the Flyers head to Mount Forest for a Friday tilt against the third-place patriots, followed by a Saturday evening battle on the road with the last-place Kincardine Bulldogs.

One up, one down for Wingham Ironmen

You want the deets on Wingham Ironmen forward Tanner Dietz?

We have the deets!

The canny assistant captain from Mitchell, Ont., was all over the score sheet in Friday’s 8-1 win over the last-place Kincardine Bulldogs.

Dietz had seven points (two goals, five assists) in romp that also drew a hat trick (plus one helper) from Micah Kraayenbrink.

Noah Bloemberg and Logan Burnham rounded out the scoring for Wingham; Burnham added two helpers, and Ironmen goalie Kaleb Meyer had 22 saves.

The Ironmen return to action this coming Friday with a home game against Fergus. Puck drop at the North Huron Wescast Community Centre is set for 8 p.m.

Got a story we should cover? Send tips to ben@theparq.ca

Jack Dalrymple’s first full season with the Exeter Hawks landed him the team MVP award, along with Rookie of the Year honours.

The 18-year-old South Huron Minor Hockey product from Exeter was recognized at the Hawks’ end-of-year banquet in May.

He posted a 3.22 goals-against average and an 0.908 save percentage during the regular season and had 17 regular-season wins to go with 15 losses and two overtime losses.

The Jr. C Hawks finished fifth in the Provincial Junior Hockey League West Yeck Division last season. They defeated the Dorchester Dolphins in a seven-game first-round playoff series before bowing out in a sweep to the Thamesford Trojans in the semifinal round.

Jackson McLlwain (Exeter, Ont.) picked up the scoring title with 30 goals and 23 assists during the regular season and nine points (including five goals) in the playoffs.

Andrew Gysbers (Ilderton, Ont.), a mid-season pickup from the Mitchell Hawks, was named Playoff MVP after posting seven goals and five assists during the post-season.

Jack Robinson (Exeter, Ont.) took home the Best Defenceman award, while Chase Wedlake (Exeter, Ont.) received Best Defensive Forward.

Most Improved went to Carter Bowerman (Exeter, Ont.) while the Sportsmanship Award went to Ben Nauta (Listowel, Ont.) and the Hawk Award went to defenceman Connor Aarts (Thorndale, Ont.)

The Hawks are set to begin their main camp July 17 under new head coach Mark Van Dooren, who rejoins the team after guiding the club for the 2017-18 season.

Van Dooren grew up in Seaforth and played for the Jr. B Stratford Cullitons in the mid-’90s, followed by three seasons with his home-town Centennaires in the Jr. D league.

He also played with the Jr. D Kincardine Bulldogs before a lengthy senior hockey career with the Clinton Radars and Sr. A Seaforth Centennaires, who captured the league title in his final year.

Van Dooren’s coaching credits include time with the Jr. B Chatham Maroons (2016-17) and the U18 South Kent Lightning. Last season, he coached the U21 Lucan Irish to a provincial championship.

“Players and fans should be excited, as Mark brings a lot of success and passion to the game and its surroundings,” said the Hawks in a statement on their website.

“He has always kept an eye on this organization and knows the deep tradition of junior hockey success in this town. His expectations are to win a Schmalz Cup!”

A full list of Exeter Hawks training camp dates is available here. Prospects are required to fill out a prospect form prior to attending.

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1.

Hannah Tait was no more than 10 years old at the time, chasing pucks and grinding through minor hockey drills with the South Huron Sabres at her home rink in Exeter.

But the coaches who guided her then will tell you she already had the glint of someone headed for bigger and better things.

In her brightest moments, those coaches would exchange knowing glances and make earnest prophecies disguised as offhanded jokes.

They spoke in the bemused way people in small towns often do in the presence of outliers. They said they’d be cheering for Tait somewhere else, someday — and they meant it.

“We knew she would go on to university sports,” said Krista McCann, who along with Kerri Fulton coached Tait in South Huron Atom and Peewee hockey.

“We knew she would potentially even go higher than that. She was self-driven. Competitive, for sure, but just such a highly respectful athlete — respectful of the people she was competing against. Definite leadership qualities, for sure, at such a young age.”

Tait was a natural athlete, with the kind of motor that eventually separates great young players from good ones. She played with her older sister Martina in the South Huron system and developed an amicable rivalry that sharpened them both.

“There was this respectful competition between the two of them,” said McCann, who still coaches hockey and works as executive director of the South Huron Hospital Foundation.

“Both of them are coaches' dreams. Certain players, you say, are incredibly coachable. That was both of them, and I think Hannah learned a lot of leadership skills from her sister.”

2.

As kids, Tait and Martina were known to spend hours on a backyard rink at their home in Exeter. Their brothers Adam and Charlie — Martina’s twin — played with them.

To their coaches, it seemed like they were constantly building skill.

In time, the four siblings — daughters and sons of Rob and Irene Tait, who still live in Exeter — would establish themselves as some of the best runners Huron County has produced.

They won medals of every colour at the WOSSAA cross country and track and field championships.

Hannah came close to bronze at OFSAA, when she was a student at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School in Clinton. She was the only one to stay with hockey into adulthood.

“I think I knew pretty quick that I was a competitive young girl,” said Tait, who is now captain of the University of Guelph women’s hockey team.

“Whatever I did, I wanted to give it 150 per cent. I loved the social aspect [of hockey], but I wanted to win.”

3.

Like many women of her generation, Tait started in ringette and played on boys hockey teams as well as girls teams.

At age 12 she joined the London Devilettes, an elite junior development program that has produced dozens of NCAA and Canadian university players.

“There were so many girls that would try out,” she said. “We'd get over 100 girls every year, and when I’d make that top ‘AA’ team, that would kind of just be like, ‘OK, you have a shot at this.’

“In Bantam, second year, schools from the States started reaching out. That’s when I was kind of like, ‘OK. You have the potential to really make this happen.’ ”

Clarkson, a powerhouse NCAA school, contacted Tait. So did Brown, Northeastern, Syracuse and the University of Connecticut.

Then, a health condition nearly derailed her career entirely. She doesn’t like to talk about it in detail, but at one point she nearly walked away from hockey for good.

“I kind of flew off the radar of a lot of schools, because I wasn’t really playing for a long time,” she noted. “When I got back into hockey … I kind of stuck more to the Canadian schools.”

4.

Guelph coach Rachel Flanagan had been watching Tait with the Devilettes and noticed a huge jump in her game between Grade 11 and Grade 12.

To Flanagan, it appeared Tait was a late bloomer. Her game hadn’t peaked yet, so there was room to grow.

And her academics were outstanding; Tait averaged better than 90 per cent as a student at St. Anne’s.

“We felt she was going to be a good fit for us from all aspects,” said Flanagan a former OUA All-Star player who coached the Gryphons to their first-ever national championship in 2019.

“We weren't exactly sure how much she would develop in our program, but we were hopeful. And obviously, she's proven that she can play at the highest level.”

As a freshman in 2019-20, Tait had six goals and 10 points in 24 regular-season games on a Guelph team that finished eighth and eked its way into the playoffs.

In the first round, they fell in a hard fought two-game series to the top-seeded University of Toronto. Both games ended in overtime; Guelph punched above its weight.

Tait took a step forward in her sophomore season, scoring four goals and grabbing four assists in just 13 games. The Gryphons made her an alternate captain, and she continued to grind away.

“Her shot really developed after her second year,” said Flanagan. “There was a lot of work that sort of needed to be done there, and she took a lot of initiative that summer to build on that.”

Tait had always been a fantastic skater, but her puck-handling and confidence also improved. She became more attuned to her own strengths and how to leverage them.

“We feel like we could move Hannah up and down our lineup if we need to,” said Flanagan. “She's got the skills to play on a line that's more of a checking line, and she's certainly one of our strongest penalty killers. I would say she's very difficult to play against on special teams.

“And then this year, she’s spent a bit more time on power play. She's not a power play specialist in the way that maybe you would think about it. But she's certainly — because of her speed and ability — she's learned a bit more about how to protect the puck.”

5.

On-ice vision is a product of both nature and nurture.

Tait’s ability to read plays and get tricky passes through traffic is partly innate, something she attributes to quick thinking and being naturally observant.

The rest was developed through good coaching and countless hours of watching and analyzing the game.

“Watching NHL or competitive female hockey at home and seeing what some of the best players do, it can give you inspiration on things to try,” she said.

“And also, chemistry with your linemates, I think, is huge — just knowing where they they're going to be, and that sort of thing.”

Her mission on every shift is to make the right play — feeding a teammate in the right spot, shooting the puck, backchecking like her life depends upon it — because she still wants to win.

And when the situation calls for it, Tait can juke around defenders to create her own scoring opportunities.

“Her confidence to play one-on-one hockey has really grown in the last couple of years,” said Flanagan.

“Before, she would have probably pulled up or waited for help. And now she feels that she's got the ability to take somebody one-on-one, and sometimes one-on-two … she's really sort of figured those things out.”

6.

Leadership ability is also partly learned, and partly innate.

It’s something Tait had in spades from an early age, but she continues to work at it — developing it, like any other skill.

“First and foremost, she's just a great human being, and she has the support of all of her teammates,” said Flanagan. “There's nobody on this team that wavered at all about whether or not she would be a good captain.”

“She goes out of her way to make sure people are OK,” Flanagan added. “And I think she doesn't take the leadership role lightly. I think it keeps her up at night, sometimes, to be honest.

“A good leader spends a lot of time reflecting on the decisions they make, and the way that they care for people. And she definitely has that — almost to a fault, sometimes.

“I think she cares so much that it sometimes affects her personally when she's trying to make a decision that's best for the team. And those are challenging decisions sometimes. I can't say enough about her, as a person.”

7.

Guelph is in the thick of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoff hunt this season — second in the West division and five points back of the first-place Waterloo Warriors.

Tait was on a brief hiatus from the team while competing with Team Canada at the International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games last week in Lake Placid, N.Y.

They won gold, defeating Japan 5-0 in the final.

While she was away, Tait watched the Gryphons on livestreams as they continued to rack up wins.

“I think we’ve set the bar pretty high,” she said. “We had a good first half, but I don’t think that’s reflective of all the potential that we have as a team. We’ve had a lot of injuries and a lot of adversity, and we have a really great group of girls and a really great culture.

“I think that's something that really defines team success later on in the season … I think definitely, the goal is getting to Nationals — and doing well at Nationals.”

8.

It’s never too early to begin thinking about life after hockey, and Tait has been weighing her options.

As she finishes her fourth year of a five-year undergrad co-op program in management economics and finance, Tait has committed to return to the Gryphons next season.

After that, it’s unclear where life will guide her.

Growth in the women’s game means she’ll likely have opportunities to play professionally, either in North America or Europe. But she’s also considering a master’s degree that might allow her to return to competitive track and field.

“I'm not super-set on anything, but I'm also not ruling anything out,” she said.

“She could find herself playing a really good role on a professional team, if that's something she wants to do,” said her Guelph coach, Rachel Flanagan. 

“Whatever she chooses to do when she when she graduates, she will be successful at — I'm sure of it. When she puts her mind to something, she generally succeeds, and always finishes the job she started.”

9.

By her own account, Krista McCann never played at a high level.

She started out in Stephen Minor Hockey, before its amalgamation into the South Huron system, and shifted to coaching with the Sabres at a young age.

Tait was a member of some of her earliest teams, and Tait saw McCann and fellow coach Kerri Fulton as early role models.

Devilettes coach Annette Darby was also an inspiration, and Tait chose to play for Guelph in part because of her respect for Flanagan and assistant coach Katie Mora.

“I think it's really important to try to be a role model for younger people in your community. I've tried to do that a little bit,” said Tait.

“And I think female coaching also goes along a long way in developing the women's game.”

Back in South Huron, it’s Tait who inspires her former coaches. Their knowing glances and earnest jokes have played out as expected.

“It's an inspiration, not only to younger girls in hockey, but also to the rest of us,” said McCann.

“I think it's so important that minor hockey associations like South Huron realize, this is the opportunity we're building for kids.

“For some people it's just a pastime — coming to the rink — but for many, it's way beyond just putting on skates and playing hockey. It's character development, it's human development, it's community development.

“And I know South Huron takes that very seriously. They work hard to give opportunity for players to grow at the highest level they possibly can.”

In F.E. Madill’s final game at the OFSAA ‘A’ senior girls basketball championship Saturday in Kincardine, Raelyn Pennington appeared to leave it all on the floor.

The Mustangs standout had 23 points and lifted her No. 8-seed team from Wingham, Ont., to within a hair’s breadth of victory in their consolation semifinal.

In the end, they fell short with a 53-49 overtime loss to Smithville Catholic. But the Mustangs also solidified their position as one of the top small-school programs in southwestern Ontario.

On Saturday, F.E. Madill jumped out to a quick lead (12-9) in the first quarter and trailed by only one point (26-25) at halftime. Smithville pulled ahead and led 37-30 after the third.

The fourth quarter was a mighty battle, knotted 45-45 at the buzzer, and Smithville simply edged out the Mustangs 8-4 in the extra frame.

Up to this point, the Mustangs hadn’t played in a close playoff game.

They steamrolled their competition at the WOSSAA regional championship on Nov. 16, defeating Lord Dorchester Secondary School 45-18 in the gold medal game.

And while OFSAA competition was notably tougher, they still held their own.

Pennington had 12 points in the team’s OFSAA tournament opener, a 41-31 loss to University of Toronto Schools (a Grades 7 to 12 institution affiliated with U of T) on Nov. 24.

Abigail Peel led the Mustangs with 11 points in a tough 57-42 loss to No. 3 seed Woodland Christian on Nov. 25.

She matched that performance with 11 points in a 39-33 win over No. 11 seed Sainte Trinité Catholic Secondary School, setting up the semifinal nailbiter that ultimately ended their season.

F.E. Madill was also the top ‘A’ school in the 10-team Huron-Perth league, which includes three ‘AA’ schools (Stratford St. Michael, St. Anne’s of Clinton, and Listowel District Secondary School), and one ‘AAA’ school (Stratford District S.S.).

The Mustangs finished with an 8-1 regular-season record, good for second place in Huron-Perth standings. St. Mike’s took first place with a perfect 9-0 record.

Goderich (fourth place, 6-3), South Huron (seventh place, 3-6), St. Anne’s (eighth place, 2-7) and Central Huron (10th place, 1-8) also represented Huron County this season.

In the Huron-Perth playoffs, F.E. Madill scorched South Huron 41-7 and Goderich defeated Mitchell 42-32 in their respective quarterfinals.

Then, Goderich fell 68-22 to St. Mike’s and F.E. Madill defeated Stratford District Secondary School 33-25 in the semis.

In the Huron-Perth championship game, the Mustangs fell 46-33 to St. Mike’s, the eventual ‘AA’ gold medal winner at WOSSAA.

On the junior girls side, only two Huron County teams competed in the five-team Huron-Perth league this season.

The F.E. Madill juniors finished in fourth place with a 3-4 record, followed by fifth-place St. Anne’s, with an 0-7 record.

The junior Mustangs fell 37-25 to St. Mike’s in the first round of Huron-Perth playoffs.

Exeter Hawks stop Aylmer Spitfires in 8-0 romp

Riley Thayer might eventually look back on his five-point night (two goals, three assists) as a highlight of his Jr. C career.

He might also see it as a predictable outcome when the Exeter Hawks — a likely championship contender — ran into the last-place Aylmer Spitfires Friday in Exeter.

Hawks forward Carter Bowerman added two goals and two assists in the victory, while Sam Dupuis, Chadd Langlands, Chaseton Sieling and Jack Robinson scored one goal apiece.

Hawks goalie Thomas Brintnell had a 20-save shutout in his first victory of the season.

Other Jr. C scores:

Nov. 27: Goderich Flyers lose 6-3 to Walkerton Capitals

Nov. 26: Wingham Ironmen defeat Mitchell Hawks (4-1), Goderich Flyers lose to Kincardine Bulldogs (9-3)

Nov. 25: Wingham Ironmen lose to Hanover Barons (1-0)

They needed a win.

Badly.

And after nearly a dozen tries, the Goderich (Jr. C) Flyers finally got one — a 6-3 drubbing of the Wingham Ironmen Sunday at the Goderich Maitland Recreation Centre.

Flyers forward Ethan Pearce scored twice and Jack Stecho had a goal and two assists in the team’s first win of the season.

Goderich goaltender Liam McCarthy made 41 saves and held his own down the stretch, despite falling into a 3-1 hole midway through the second period.

The Flyers (1-11-0-0) remain last in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s seven-team North Pollock Division, well back of the fourth-place Ironmen.

But they have a few bragging rights after mounting a fantastic rally to salvage a game that appeared headed out of control.

Ironmen forward Josh Dales opened the scoring at 11:22 into the first period, with assists from Nate Bloemberg and Turner Mckenzie.

Goderich tied it at 15:19 with a power play goal from Owen Shore (assisted by Stecho and Iain MacIsaac). The game remained knotted at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Then came a pair of Wingham power play goals early in the second period.

Austin Becker scored at 6:06 (from Tayt Bramhill and Matt Tolton), followed by a Kyle Stanbury tally at 9:36 to make it 3-1 Ironmen.

Goderich climbed steadily back into the game from there.

Pearce scored on a power play at 15:35 with assists from Shore and Stecho. Then Jeff Fritzley scored even-strength at 17:38 with assists from Max Dupuis and Brett Harrogate.

It was tied 3-3 after 40 minutes, and in the final frame Goderich pulled away for good.

Pearce scored his second of the game 1:38 into the third period from Cohen Lesouder and Shore, giving the Flyers a 4-3 lead.

Brett Reesor padded the lead at 10:54 on a goal from Dupuis and Cameron McCarthy.

Stecho added an empty-netter at 18:97, with assists to Austin Aldrich and Liam McCarthy.

Ironmen goaltender Will Crump made 27 saves in the loss, and falls to 2-2 on the season. He was also credited with an assist on Stanbury’s second-period goal.

Flyers fall to Mitchell Hawks

It was another story entirely on Saturday, when the Flyers fell 8-1 on the road to the second-place Mitchell Hawks.

Flyers goaltender Thomas Sheldon was pulled at the first intermission, after allowing four goals on 16 shots in the opening period.

Liam McCarthy allowed three goals on 34 shots the rest of the way, as Mitchell outshot the Flyers 51-33 on the night.

Fritzley scored the lone Goderich goal, at 14:50 into the first period, with assists from Stecho and Harrogate.

Ironmen defeat Kincardine Bulldogs

On the road Saturday in Kincardine, the Ironmen got on a roll early and never stopped.

They cruised to a 6-0 victory over the fifth-place Bulldogs, thanks in part to a 22-save shutout from goaltender Garrett Golley.

A spate of power play goals, and one short-handed tally, tell the rest of the story.

Wingham’s Austin Becker opened the scoring on a power play 2:09 into the first period, with assists from Kyle Stanbury and Tayt Bramhill.

Josh Dales made it 2-0 Ironmen with an even-strength tally at 3:14 with assists from Turner Mckenzie and Brandon Bishop.

Then Josh Pham scored a short-handed, unassisted goal for good measure at 15:49.

Wingham led 3-0 at the break.

Bramhill and Stanbury both scored on power plays the second period (at 13:36 and 19:12, respectively), and assisted on each other’s goals.

Wingham led 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Nate Bloemberg scored the game’s final goal with a man-advantage 16:15 into the third period.

Golley improved to a 4-2 record on the season and carries a 2.29 goals against average.

Cents stay perfect with road win

The Seaforth Centenaires defeated the Creemore Coyotes 6-2 on the road Saturday evening.

Seaforth remain the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League’s only unbeaten team, with a 5-0-0-0 record and 10 points, good for first place.

The Petrolia Squires are in second with a 4-2-0-0 record and eight points on the season.

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1. Exeter Hawks outlast Thamesford Trojans rally in 8-5 win

It didn’t take long for the Exeter Hawks to solve Thamesford Trojans goalie Spencer Mace.

In barely more than 12 minutes of play in the first period of their Friday evening tilt in Thamesford, the Hawks dumped five goals on the Trojans starter.

But after Mace was pulled in favour of backup Jacob Harford, the Trojans mounted a steady comeback that peaked in the third period and fell two goals short.

The Hawks escaped with an 8-5 victory and sit fourth in the Provincial Junior (‘C’) Hockey League West Yeck Division with 14 points.

Thamesford is still in first place (17 points), ahead of second-place North Middlesex (16 points) and third-place Dorchester (14 points).

Mace entered the game with a 6-0 record and 2.77 goals against average on the season but couldn’t withstand the Hawks’ first-period barrage.

Exeter forward Jack McDonald scored twice on Mace in the first period, and Mitchell Kenney, Liam O’Shea and Sam Dupuis scored once to give Exeter a 5-0 lead.

Ryan Gibbings added an unassisted goal later in the frame on Harford, and it was 6-0 Hawks at the break.

Thamesford struck back with second-period goals from Curtis Topp and Nathan Marques, but Hawks defenceman Jack Robinson added one of his own.

The Hawks led 7-2 after 40 minutes.

In the third period, the Trojans made a furious attempt to climb back into the game.

They outshot the Hawks 20-10 in the frame and saw goals from Kyle Pizzey, Clayson Goymour and Jonathan Diver, but fell short.

Hawks defenceman Connor Aarts added an empty-netter with 29 seconds left in the game to make it 8-5 Hawks.

McDonald assisted on the goal, giving him three points on the night and 13 points for the season. He has a narrow lead over Dupuis and O’Shea (11 points apiece) in the Hawks scoring race.  

Tim Kerkhoff went the distance in net for Exeter, making 40 saves in his fifth win of the season.

The victory capped a stellar October for the Hawks, with four wins and one overtime loss.

Their first November game is Thursday (Nov. 3) on the road against Petrolia, followed by a Friday, Nov. 4, home game vs. the Lucan Irish.

In other Huron County Jr. C action, the Goderich Flyers face the Mitchell Hawks Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Mitchell Arena.

Wingham Ironmen face the Kincardine Bulldogs Saturday (Oct. 29) at 4:30 p.m. on the road at the Davidson Centre.

This Sunday, Oct. 30, the Flyers host the Ironmen in a 2:30 p.m. game at the Maitland Recreation Centre.

2. Jackson McLlwain scores first OHL goal

On a breakaway deep in the Niagara Ice Dogs zone Oct. 23, Windsor Spitfires rookie forward Jackson McLlwain (Exeter, Ont.) looked to his left.

Half a second later, he shifted and wired a wrist shot past Ice Dogs goalie Owen Flores.

It was the first goal of McLlwain’s young OHL career, and the eventual game-winner.

Afterward, he grinned from ear to ear and held up the puck for a team photographer — who snapped at least one for posterity and one for Instagram.

It’ll have a permanent place in the family collection.

Safe to say uncle Dave, a former NHL veteran from Seaforth, was somewhere smiling too — along with mom Kathy dad Mark, who still live in Canada’s rural white squirrel capital.

3. South Huron Panthers second in Huron-Perth baseball

In the hyper-competitive Huron Perth high school baseball league, South Huron punched above its weight.

But in the Huron-Perth final Friday in Mitchell, the two-time defending league champion Blue Devils — also the defending WOSSAA title holder — punched better.

South Huron fell 6-1 to Mitchell in the Huron-Perth final, per the Mitchell Advocate.1

They finished third in regular-season standings with a 3-2-2 record, behind first-place Mitchell (who went undefeated at 6-0-1) and Central Huron (4-2-1).

South Huron defeated Central Huron in extra innings in their playoff semi-final.

On his first few shifts in the Windsor Spitfires’ home opener against the Sarnia Sting Oct. 1, Jackson McLlwain (Exeter, Ont.) tried to calm his jitters and dive into the flow of the game.

The South Huron Minor Hockey and Huron-Perth Lakers product had been around elite players his entire life, thanks to family connections — his mother Kathy works with blue-chip NHLers as a powerskating coach, and his uncle Dave played over 500 games in the League.

Still, opening night at the WFCU Centre in a Spitfires jersey was an entirely new experience.

“It's definitely a feeling I'll never forget, being out there — definitely a thrill,” said McLlwain, a third-round Spitfires draft pick (53rd overall) in 2020.

“I was a little nervous during warm-ups and first few shifts in the first [period], but definitely — it sets in. I just try and play my game and do what I can out there.”

The game ended in a 2-1 overtime loss, and McLlwain was kept off the score sheet. But Windsor has been arguably the best team in the OHL’s Western Conference since then.

On a team that pushed the Hamilton Bulldogs to seven games in the 2022 OHL Championship Series last season, McLlwain is simply looking for a way to contribute.

“I’d definitely say I'm a playmaker — a power forward that's hard on the forecheck, sets up plays,” he said. “But definitely a big aspect of my game is my skating. I’m fast, good edge work, and I can score goals when I need to.”

At age 19, McLlwain has already mastered the hockey interview talking points. He says all the right things.

But he’s not bluffing or bragging when he points to skating as a trait that sets him apart.

He’s fielded advice from Kathy from the moment he first wore skates as a child, the same guidance she gives to household names like Bo Horvat and Corey Perry.

This past summer, when Kathy put Horvat and Perry through their paces, Jackson skated along with them, trying to glean the habits, technique and mentality he’ll need to climb into the pros.

“It’s definitely special, being able to skate with NHLers and pros all summer long,” he said. “Just to be on the ice with them, definitely it's a great experience, and it shows what it takes to get to the next level.”

This is McLlwain’s first time on the Spitfires’ opening day roster, after spending the bulk of the last two seasons with the Jr. B Komoka Kings.

In Komoka, he primarily skated on a line with his older brother Carter, registering seven goals and 17 assists in 47 regular season games last season. He was also called up for two games with the Spitfires before making the club in training camp this year.

“I try to listen to what my mom has to say, as much as I can,” he said.

“And it just shows how big a jump it is, even from Junior B to the OHL and then the OHL to the NHL — how good these guys are, and how big a commitment it is, trying your best every day and coming to the rink ready to work.”

Carter was team captain with Komoka last season, and a more prolific scorer. He’s since graduated to professional hockey in Germany while Jackson tries to find a role in the OHL.

If Jackson manages to stick in the Spitfires organization, he’ll join Ty Bilcke (Elimville, Ont.) as another South Huron product who helped them find a way to win.

“Just keep moving forward, keep getting better,” he said, rattling off another set of talking points that double as genuine goals for the year ahead.

“Try and get points out there, play my game on the ice, and contribute as much as I can for our team.”

Jackson McLlwain is the son of Kathy and Mark McLlwain of Exeter.

As he navigated the course at St. Thomas Golf and Country Club during the WOSSAA boys golf championship this autumn, Karstin Stuckless tried to stifle every distraction.

He focused so intensely that familiar faces in the crowd didn’t register. His coach at South Huron District High School watched from the gallery, but Stuckless didn’t see him.

“I'm kind of good at blocking everything out and focusing on my game,” said Stuckless, a Grade 12 student at South Huron.

“People have told me, ‘I saw you out there,’ and I didn't even really realize. After WOSSAA my coach told me saw me on a couple holes, and I'm like: ‘I didn't even notice you.’”

His focus paid off. Stuckless tied for bronze and finished just two shots out of first place.

He’d gone within a hair’s breadth of winning a WOSSAA championship. Nobody was more surprised than the athlete himself.

“If you would have asked me a couple years ago I'd be third in all of western Ontario in high school golf, I would have said you're crazy,” he said.  

“I never really expected myself to get to such a good level.”

These kinds of self-deprecating statements are common among high school athletes, who tend to gloss over the mountains of hard work that precede success.

In Stuckless’s case, the results were hard fought.

He golfed six days a week over the summer, playing as many as 27 holes per outing.

Other days he’d play a quick nine and spend hours on the driving range, building muscle memory and trying to smooth the rough edges in his swing.

All that physical work helped his mental game as well, and mental toughness may be one of his most notable evolutions since Grade 9.

“A couple years ago, I would just get so angry with myself on the golf course,” said Stuckless, son of Christian and Janice Stuckless from Exeter.

“And it didn't help. It just led to me hitting worse shots. This past year, it's just been to stay in the moment. Every shot is a new shot, keep your same focus. And even if I play bad, if I try my best — give it 100 per cent on every single shot — I can't really be too angry.”

EnaRae, left, and Karstin Stuckless. (Photo courtesy of Janice Stuckless)

His father Christian was a well-rounded athlete at South Huron in the late 1990s, and is a capable golfer in his own right.

This past summer, Christian won the men’s division championship at Seaforth Golf Club. He and Janice are sparing with advice, but they’ve counseled Karstin to stay focused and composed.

“They kind of like to stay away and let me focus my own,” said Karstin. “But they always have great advice like that for me before events.”

It bears mentioning that Karstin is not the only Stuckless making waves in high school golf.

His younger sister EnaRae, a Grade 10 student, has won the Huron-Perth girls championship two years in a row and finished fourth in the girls tournament at WOSSAA this autumn.

As a Grade 9 student, EnaRae defeated players as many as three years older, and she credits Christian and Karstin for helping with her game.

“If I'm having a bad day on the golf course, they always know how to fix it and figure out what's wrong, and then it all comes together,” said EnaRae, “It's really nice to have that support in the family, with everybody golfing.”

The WOSSAA girls championship was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, and EnaRae may be among the favourites to win next season. An OFSAA berth is also plausible in her junior and senior years. But after high school, she’s not certain how far she’ll take it.

“I definitely see golf in my future,” she said. “I'm just not sure where I'm going to go with that.”

As for Karstin, he hopes to play at the post-secondary level — ideally at Humber College, where he aims to study Professional Golf Management.

“It feels amazing to play so well, and end my high school career on such a high note,” he said. “It's a big confidence booster to end a career like this.”

Lots to cover from a busy weekend in Huron County sports.

Here we go.

Exeter Hawks top Aylmer Spitfires in 7-0 blowout

A three-point outburst from forward Chase Wedlake and a 23-save shutout from goaltender Tim Kerkoff helped the Exeter Hawks to a lopsided win over the Aylmer Spitfires Friday evening.

Wedlake put Exeter on the board 6:18 into the first period on a goal assisted by Mitchell Kenney and Matthew Borland.

The Hawks never looked back.

Exeter forward Ben Nauta scored on a powerplay near the midway point of the opening frame to make it 2-0 (assists from Liam O’Shea and Wedlake), and the Hawks held that lead into the break.

They outshot Aylmer 15-8 in the first period.

Chadd Langlands scored his first goal of the season 1:14 into the second period, assisted by Nick Bedard to make it 3-0 Hawks.

Sam Dupuis padded the lead with another tally at 15:09 (from Wyatt Connelly and O’Shea) and Carter Bowerman scored at 16:51 with assists from Wedlake and Matthew Borland.

The Hawks carried a 5-0 lead into the final frame and struck again early in the third.

Jack McDonald scored his team-leading third goal of the season at 2:14 with an assist from Ryan Gibbings, and Connor Aarts scored his first goal of the year at 11:37.

Cale Johnstone and Ben Nauta assisted on the latter goal.

Kerkhoff, who joined the Hawks in 2021 after two seasons with Aylmer, picked up his first shutout of the season against his former team.

He carries a 2-2 record and 3.14 goals against average for the season.

The Hawks return to action this Friday (Oct. 7) with a home game against the Port Stanley Sailors at the South Huron Recreation Centre.

Game time is 8 p.m.

Wingham Ironmen defeat Goderich Flyers

The Goderich Flyers slipped further into the basement of the PJHL’s North Pollock Division after a pair of weekend losses.

Goderich fell 4-0 on the road vs. the Wingham Ironmen Friday evening, then dropped a 9-2 decision to the Kincardine Bulldogs Saturday at home.

Wingham (2-3-0-0) sits fifth in the seven-team division, one point behind Kincardine and five points behind the first-place Hanover Barons.

Ironmen goaltender Garrett Golley was the Friday game’s First Star, after making 24 saves in a shutout.

He’s one of the league’s top keepers this season with 1.34 GAA and a .947 save percentage.

Wingham’s Noah Wettlaufer opened the scoring Friday at 5:15 in the first period with assists from Austin Becker and Chase Mann.

The Ironmen held a 1-0 lead at the break.

Nate Bloemberg scored at 11:31 in the second period with helpers from Josh Dales and Coleson Fischer, making it 2-0 Ironmen after 40 minutes.

Becker scored at 16:29 in the third period from Turner McKenzie, and Josh Pham solidified the victory with a at 17:49, assisted by Dales.

Goderich goalie Liam McCarthy faced 36 shots and made 34 saves in the loss.

The Ironmen return to action this Friday (Oct. 7), with a home game against the Walkerton Capitals at the North Huron Wescast Community Centre.

Game time is 8 p.m.

Flyers falter in Bulldogs route

Goderich fell into a 2-0 deficit to Kincardine in the game’s first six minutes on Saturday at the Maitland Recreation Centre and couldn’t climb out of it.

After a pair of quick Kincardine goals from Steven Grant and Carter Servais, Flyers defenceman Max Dupuis scored at 6:30 to make it 2-1.

Jake Stecho and Wilder Hoggarth assisted on the Dupuis goal.

The Bulldogs added two more goals from Harrison Muelensteen and Austin Waite later in the frame and entered the break with a 4-1 lead.

In the second period, Kincardine added to the lead with powerplay goals from Jordan Beisel and Kieran Moore, increasing the lead to 6-1.

In the third period, Gavin Gibbons and Carter Servais scored early for Kincardine, and Flyers forward Keegan Greer clapped back with a powerplay goal at 11:17 to make it 8-2.

Jeff Fritzley and Carson Fletcher assisted on the tally.

Kincardine scored again at 13:24 (Gavin Downs, with an assist from Brennan Long) and coasted the rest of the way.

Goderich goalie Liam McCarthy was pulled at 8:23 in the first period after allowing three goals on eight shots. He was credited with the loss.

Thomas Sheldon went the rest of the way in net for the Flyers, allowing six goals on 42 shots.

Goderich will have a chance to bounce back in a Bulldogs rematch this Friday (Oct. 7) on the road in Kincardine.

Then comes a significant test at home Saturday against the first-place Hanover Barons.

Saturday’s game time is 8 p.m. at the Goderich Maitland Recreation Centre.

High school roundup

Senior Boys volleyball (Sept. 29)

Goderich wins 2-0 over F.E. Madill

South Huron defeated 2-0 by Listowel

F.E. Madill wins 2-1 over Central Huron

St. Anne’s wins 2-0 over South Huron

Goderich wins 2-1 over Central Huron

St. Anne’s defeated 2-1 by Listowel

Junior Boys volleyball (Sept. 29)

Goderich wins 2-0 over F.E. Madill

F.E. Madill wins 3-0 over Central Huron

Goderich wins 2-0 over Central Huron

St. Anne’s defeated 2-1 by Listowel

Boys Baseball (Sept. 30)

Central Huron wins 8-7 over St. Anne’s

South Huron wins 6-2 over St. Marys DCVI

Central Huron defeated 4-0 by Mitchell

St. Anne’s defeated 7-2 by Mitchell

South Huron defeated 5-3 by Stratford District Secondary School

Note: This post has been updated to correct a typo in one of the subheads. The Exeter Hawks defeated the Aylmer Spitfires, not the Windsor Spitfires, in Friday’s game. I regret the error and any confusion it may have caused.

There’s lots to cover today.

Let’s get into it.

Senior girls basketball

Goderich remains undefeated and tied for first place in the Huron-Perth high school league after a narrow 35-33 victory over Mitchell on Wednesday.

The Vikings improve to 2-0 for the season and are tied with Stratford St. Michael and Stratford District atop league standings.

Mitchell falls to 1-1 on the season but is just two points back of first place.

On the road in Clinton, South Huron picked up a 26-17 road win over Central Huron.

Both the senior and junior teams from F.E. Madill and St. Anne’s were scheduled for Wednesday games across town at St. Anne’s, but results were unreported at press time.

Field hockey

There’s a tight race atop the Huron-Perth field hockey standings this season.

St. Marys, Goderich and St. Anne’s are neck and neck in the top three positions after an impactful Wednesday schedule that saw the Vikings grab two important victories.

Goderich defeated St. Anne’s in Clinton 1-0, then picked up a 3-0 win over Stratford District Secondary School.

St. Anne’s also defeated Stratford District 4-0 on Wednesday, with two goals from Clara Leduc and singles from Taryn Steinmann and Kaitelynn Langendoen.

Senior boys volleyball

Goderich and Central Huron are both looking to build on their regular-season openers from last week.

The Vikings defeated Mitchell 2-0 and fell 2-0 to Stratford District on Sept. 22, and are set to host F.E. Madill and Central Huron today (Thursday) in Goderich.

Central Huron fell 2-1 to St. Marys last week and faced Stratford St. Mike’s, but results of the latter game are still unreported.

South Huron and St. Anne’s have their season openers today in Listowel, in a triple header that also includes the host team.

Junior boys volleyball

On the junior side, both Goderich and Central Huron are looking to bounce back.

Goderich opened its season on Sept. 22 with a 2-0 win over Mitchell but fell 2-1 to Stratford District.

Central Huron fell in both its season openers, 2-0 to St. Marys and 2-0 to Stratford St. Michael.

St. Anne’s travels to Listowel today for its season opener.

… and now you're up to date.

The powerhouse hockey club that won three consecutive WOAA Senior ‘AA’ championships starting in 2017 announced Wednesday it is taking a leave of absence.

“Our work will continue in the coming months to have the Radars back in WOAA play September 2023,” the team said in a statement.

As it stands, the leave of absence will last for the 2022-23 season.

Clinton was a force in Senior hockey circles thanks to a formidable roster of former OHL draft picks and elite former Junior players, including hometown hero Kurtis Bartliff.

The team also climbed back to the WOAA ‘AA’ Championship Finals last season, losing in five games to the Seaforth Centennaires.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire 2020-21 WOAA season was cancelled, and the 2020 playoffs were stopped in their semi-final round.

As recently as Sept. 23, the Radars were promoting tryouts of the upcoming season on social media. They provided no reason for the leave of absence.

“We would like to thank the team staff, players, volunteers, fans, community and sponsors for their past support,” the team said.

“We truly appreciate everyone's individual and collective contributions over the years.”

The Radars celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2019 and won league championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In a message to sponsors, the team said: “We endeavor to reinvigorate the organization to be worthy of a renewal of your support in the future.”

The club said it will post notices on its website and social media about “upcoming meetings this fall to enable the Clinton Radars’ return to play.”

The Mount Brydges Bulldogs peppered Exeter Hawks goalie Tim Kerkhoff with 37 shots and pulled out a 4-1 win Tuesday evening at the South Huron Recreation Centre.

Jack McDonald (Elora, Ont.) had the lone Exeter goal, on a power play in the first period.

Liam O’Shea (St. Joseph, Ont.) and Sam Dupuis (Bayfield, Ont.) assisted on the Exeter tally, as the Hawks fell to sixth place in the Provincial Junior (‘C’) Hockey League’s West Yeck Division.

The Hawks have shown flashes of promise, but are still trying to find their footing in the season’s early going.

They’ll aim to rebound Friday at home to the seventh-place Aylmer Spitfires.  

Bulldogs strike first

Mount Brydges forward Jack Frazer opened the scoring 4:38 into the first period Tuesday, with an assist from Lucas Balanca.

Exeter’s McDonald tied it 1-1 late in the frame, but the Bulldogs added an unassisted powerplay goal with just 10 seconds left in the second period from Nolan Griffiths to regain the lead.

Bulldogs forward Ben Landers added some insurance midway through the third period, with a powerplay goal assisted by Blake Griffiths.

Bulldogs forward Diego Sabino later scored an empty-netter to ice the victory.

Quinton Duncan made 23 saves in net for Mt. Brydges and nabbed the team’s second win of the season. The Bulldogs improve to 2-2-0-0 and sit fourth in division standings

Both teams reportedly had 26 penalty minutes on nine infractions apiece, and Mt. Brydges was 2/6 on the powerplay while the Hawks went 1/5.

Nolan Griffiths (first), Landers (second) and McDonald (third) were the game’s three stars.

It poured.

But despite those harsh conditions, the South Huron Panthers field hockey team made quick work of Stratford District Golden Bears Monday in the Festival City.

South Huron cruised to a 5-0 win, followed by a 0-0 draw against the determined St. Anne’s Eagles.

St. Anne’s also dropped a 2-1 decision to the Listowel Lightning Monday, and reportedly sits tied with South Huron for second place in the Huron-Perth league, though one game report is still pending.

The Goderich Vikings reportedly sit third but could climb higher by mid-week, when they face St. Anne’s and Stratford District in a triple-header Wednesday in Clinton.

South Huron is idle until Monday, Oct. 3, when they face the Lightning and Golden Bears in Stratford.

Vikings face early test in girls basketball

The Goderich senior girls will have their first major test of the season Wednesday at home against Mitchell.

The Vikings blasted St. Anne’s 50-22 in their season opener on Sept. 21 and will tackle a Mitchell team that drubbed Listowel 57-17 in its opener on Sept. 26.

Meanwhile, F.E. Madill (Wingham) looks to keep rolling Wednesday at St. Anne’s. The Mustangs blasted Central Huron 43-9 in their season opener last week.

South Huron is still smarting from a 73-8 loss to Stratford St. Mike’s on Sept. 21 and will try to regroup Wednesday vs. Central Huron in Clinton.

F.E. Madill and St. Anne’s are the only Huron teams to field a junior girls basketball team this season. They face one another Wednesday in their opener at St Anne’s.

Here’s the pitch …

South Huron’s boys baseball team is off to a solid start.

The Panthers defeated Stratford St. Mike’s 11-4 and tied Central Huron 4-4 in a pair of road games last Friday in Clinton.

South Huron has a 1-1-2 record after tying Mitchell 1-1 and falling 8-4 to Listowel in their home openers Sept. 14 in Exeter.

St. Anne’s hosts Central Huron and Mitchell for a triple-header on Wednesday this week.

South Huron travels to Stratford to face the Golden Bears and Listowel Lightning.

Exeter Hawks look to rebound in Jr. C hockey

It’s a small sample size, but the tale of the Exeter Hawks (1-2-0-1) season to date is one of extremes.

All four starts have been either blowouts or nail-biters

This evening (Tuesday) the Hawks aim to get back in the win column with a home tilt against the Mt. Brydges Bulldogs at the South Huron Recreation Centre.

The Hawks fell 7-1 to the North Middlesex Star in their season opener Sept. 16 at the Hensall Arena and dropped an 8-2 decision to the Dorchester Dolphins Sept. 24.

Between those lopsided results they eked out a 2-1 win over the Lucan Irish on Sept. 17 and tied the Port Stanley Sailors 3-3 in overtime on Sept. 23.

A bright spot has been the play of forward Keagan Lavigne (South Tetagouche, N.B.) and defenseman Liam O’Shea (St. Joseph, Ont.), who lead the team in scoring with two goals and one assist apiece.

Hawks forwards Sam Dupuis (Bayfield) and Jack McDonald (Elora) are right behind with one goal and one assist in the first four regular-season games.

Goderich Flyers seek first win

It’s been a slightly more frustrating start for the Wingham Ironmen (1-3-0-0) and Goderich Flyers (0-3-0-0).

After defeating the Kincardine Bulldogs 1-0 in their opener Sept. 16, the Ironmen have dropped three straight games.

They fell 5-2 to the Mitchell Hawks, 5-3 to the Mount Forest Patriots and 3-2 to the Hanover Barons.

Goderich is still smarting from three consecutive blowouts (7-4 to Mount Forest, 8-1 to Hanover and 7-1 to Mitchell).

They’ll try for their first win of the season this Friday (Sept. 30) against the Ironmen at the North Huron Wescast Community Centre in Wingham.

Matt Tolton (F, Guelph) leads the Ironmen in scoring with two goals and two assists in the first four games of the season.

Riley Kuepfer (F, Listowel) leads the Flyers with one goal and two assists in three games.

1.

His right foot hugged the rubber of an artificial pitcher’s mound inside a long, narrow enclosure that, in addition to a baseball training facility, was also a barn.

And it was not a barn in the colloquial sense — the kind of craggy venue athletes speak about with reverence and distain.

The space literally sheltered farm equipment.

As Dylan Kints hiked his left knee toward his chest and threw a series of 85-mile-an-hour fastballs, a rust-coloured tractor rested on oversized tires three strides away.

It was sometime in 2021, and Kints — a righthanded pitcher from Exeter who graduated from Precious Blood School and South Huron District High School — was filming a recruiting video to scare up attention from college baseball teams in the United States.

After his fastball, Kints threw his 73-mph slider and his 73-mph changeup, each pitch smacking the catcher’s mitt with force. Then the camera moved to Alvin Willert Field in Exeter, where Kints took batting practice and fielded grounders and short-hoppers.

In the video’s final frame, he sprints all-out across the stadium’s well-manicured outfield to showcase his footspeed, which reportedly translates to a 7.1-second 60-yard dash.

“I had talks with maybe four or five schools,” said Kints, speaking on the phone from southern California, where he’s now a relief pitcher with College of the Desert (COD).

“So I had a few offers out of school, but [it was] COD I went deepest with in conversation.”

He signed at COD, a larger-than-average junior college in the city of Palm Desert, about two hours east of Los Angeles, in part for baseball reasons and in part for the experience.

“It was sunny California, close to L.A., close to San Diego,” he said. “This is going to be an experience that I'll never forget.”

As Kints prepares to help the Roadrunners run it back, he is 2,500 miles from home and light years further than most other Exeter players of his generation.

“I want to get a bunch of innings [this season] and be a key guy in the bullpen, someone they can call on whenever,” he said.

“If the starter's in trouble in the third inning, I want to be the guy they can go, 'Hey Kints, you go clean it up. Or: ‘Hey, we need you to lock down a save situation here.'

“Anything. Wherever they need me.”

2.

In a backyard batting cage at the home of his coach David Reid, Kints spent hours hacking away, gritting through the work needed to raise his game to the next level.

He was a key part of the Exeter Peewee team that won a provincial championship under Reid in 2015, and his coach remembers him as a top-three pitcher on a squad with lots of talent.

But within a couple of years, Kints had surpassed many of his peers and was arguably the best pitcher in his age group.

“He did that purely through his own efforts, and it really came from a true love of the game,” said Reid. “That's the genesis of his willingness to work so hard.

“He's arguably worked harder at the game than any player I've ever coached.”

In 2017, Reid and Kints led the Exeter Bantam team to another provincial final, and Kints soon moved to a bigger stage.

He played one season with the Great Lake Canadians, an elite amateur program in the Canadian Premier Baseball League (CPBL) run in part by former Major Leaguers Chris Robinson, Adam Stern and Jamie Romak.

Then came three seasons with the Ontario Nationals, another CPBL team based in St. Marys.

By the end of high school, Kints had developed a fastball that routinely breached 85 mph, with impressive control and an effective slider to keep hitters guessing.

“Dylan always had that desire, and I think his family certainly promoted that,” said Reid.

“But I think also Dylan had goals. He wanted to be able to play ball at the collegiate level, and … sure. That’s a great idea. Everybody likes the idea.

“I think he really knew what he had to do to improve to get there.”

So, Kints found himself in that backyard batting cage, working methodically on his game.

“Even in the years after I coached him, he would have spent more time in that cage than almost any other kid in Exeter together — all of them,” said Reid.

“He’s a very hardworking kid who I enjoyed coaching a great deal.”

3.

At batting practice early in his freshman year at COD, Kints was walking by the cages when a ball flew out and struck him on the ankle, he said.

He was out of commission for about six weeks, “a freak little injury,” that led him to spend the rest of the season as a medical red shirt.

That preserved a year of college eligibility but sidelined him for the school’s 2022 championship run.

“It was kind of tough — and not in a selfish way, but because I wanted to be out there with the guys,” he said.

“It did kind of sting a little bit that I wasn't able to be a part of it, but I'm still very happy for them at the end of the day.”

The team begins its title defence in late January, and the regular season wraps up April 28.

“I think we have a chance to make an even bigger impact than last year,” said Kints. “And we've got to prove that last year wasn't just a fluke.

“A lot of teams know us now, and so we've got to play up to that potential.”

At a school where the definition of a “small town” is usually one with around 40,000 people, there have been a few off-field adjustments required of the kid from rural Ontario.

“But it's definitely been cool,” he said. “[Growing up in Exeter] definitely taught me a lot of individuality, and just being yourself.”

The biggest challenge so far, apart from baseball?

“Just learning how to cook for myself,” he said. “In school, everything's been normal.”

Photo: Philadelphia Flyers

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The athlete formerly known as Cara Gardner stood in her skates, carved the ice at a Philadelphia Flyers Training Center in Vorhees, New Jersey, and shouted instructions at some of the best young hockey players in the world.

All the players were college-aged men, there for the Flyers’ 2022 development camp. And the fact Gardner — whose married name is Morey — was called up from the Ivy League and head coach of the women’s program at Princeton, didn’t seem to matter.

“They were great,” said Morey, who grew up in Hensall, won three OFSAA field hockey championships at South Huron District High School, and played hockey and field hockey as a two-sport star at Brown University.

“I think when I first walked into the facility, early on, they might have been questioning what I was doing there,” she said.

“Once you start skating and teaching, they don't care who you are. It didn't matter to them.”

These are the kinds of statements Morey is required to make, because the questions that precede them are as predictable as they should be unnecessary.

Morey is not merely one of the best college coaches in the game, she is part of a cohort of women leaders blazing a trail in the NHL feeder system.

A generation ago, there was a slim chance she’d be here, but here she is — thoroughly deserving, but also one of the first — and so reporters want to know if the boys bother to listen when she speaks.

“I think it's the same as all athletes,” said Morey, bristling slightly. “They have to know you care about making them better, and you have to know what you're talking about.

“There's no difference between men and women when it comes to those two things, so there's really nothing preventing these next steps [for women coaches], except people being willing to give someone a chance.

“Because they're [the players are] going to respond. If you know what you're talking about, and you truly care about making them better, they don't care.”

Trailblazing aside, the Flyers camp was a fantastic growth opportunity for Morey, who has built a formidable program in her first five years as Princeton’s head coach.

Sharing the ice with NHL-calibre players was illuminating, and gleaning knowledge from other elite coaches was the best kind of brain food for the self-described hockey nerd.

“I think the biggest takeaway for me was that these guys don't end the drill until the puck is in the net, or the goalie covers it,” said Morey, who is married to Sean Morey, a former NFL Pro Bowler who also graduated from Brown.

“Sometimes, when you're at different levels, the drill ends with a shot and they just turn away,” she added. “These guys don't let any drill end with a shot.

“So just the mentality that top performers approach every rep with, was the biggest takeaway for me — and something I want to help our players understand.”

At Princeton, Morey returns to a team she expects to contend for national championships this season, next season and perhaps also the one after that.

High-scoring junior forward Sarah Fillier, a two-time All-America and gold medallist with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championship, is back and on track to match or surpass Princeton’s all-time records for goals and assists.

Sophomore forward Sarah Paul and senior Maggie Connors, both members of the Hockey Canada National Women’s Development Team earlier this year, will provide further ballast to a freshman recruiting class that includes Toronto standout Isabel Wunder.

“The players we have are going to be really fast, aggressive,” said Morey. “It's going to be really hard to get the puck off most of our players …. We’ve got a ton of offensive power this year, but we're always one of the toughest teams to play against. That's kind of our bread and butter.”

In Morey’s tenure as head coach, Princeton has won an Ivy League championship, an ECAC conference tournament title, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals, and is frequently ranked among the top 10 programs in the nation.

Her teams have a 73-43-15 overall record and 52-28-8 in ECAC Hockey, the conference that all Ivy League schools, and several non-Ivy teams, belong to.

(The Ivy League championship is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, and the ECAC tournament is a precursor to the national championship tourney.)

Morey was promoted to head coach after five seasons as an assistant at Princeton and was a mainstay in the Hockey Canada development system for most of the 2010s.

Her playing days ended after two seasons in the National Women’s Hockey League with the Montreal Wingstars and the Brampton Thunder. In her time at Brown (Class of 2001), she was an All-ECAC and All-Ivy League defender despite only two years of elite high school hockey.

Though she started out in the Hensall Minor Hockey system, playing on boys’ teams, Morey transitioned into ringette around age nine.

She did not play competitive, organized women’s hockey until grades 11 and 12 with the London Devilettes. It didn’t matter.

“I had developed great skating skills and vision, and understood the game,” she said. “I was just behind in stickhandling and puck skills … in some ways it helped that I had those other skills because I never over-handled or tried to dangle. I definitely had the athleticism and the skating to do well at that level, so that part wasn't a hard transition.”

As recently as five years ago, Morey said she wouldn’t have wanted to coach in the NHL. But it’s something she’s becoming more open-minded about.

“I think after being at these development camps … these guys are college guys, the same age as what I coach,” said Morey.

“They really are the same as my players — they just want to get better. They want to develop as people as much as they do as hockey players.

“So, it changed my mindset a lot … I’m more open to it, but I still think that the college job might be the best job in hockey.”

As for Morey’s Hensall roots, she remains fiercely proud of her hometown.

“I feel so fortunate that I got to grow up in such a small town where basically we had the freedom to learn our own lessons, but there were always people watching out for you,” she said.

“We had to work for everything we got. It wasn't like we were in an area where everything was easily accessible and handed to you. My parents had to sacrifice a ton. My friends' parents sacrificed a ton.

“All the teachers worked hard to help you get where you were. And so for me, that's my family. Hensall and Exeter and South Huron, that's what made me who I am today.”

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As a freshman relief pitcher for the Okanagan College Coyotes, Brett Reid (Exeter, Ont.) battled the nerves and uncertainty that might be expected of a small-town kid adapting to a new team thousands of kilometres from home.

His nerves settled with time, and by his final season Reid was a two-time national champion and an effective part of the Okanagan starting rotation, with a laudable 3.45 career ERA.

But the Exeter Minor Ball product tried to never forget the anxiety of those early days.

“I tried to leave my mark on the program as not only a pitcher, but also a leader,” said Reid, an Exeter Public School and South Huron District High School grad.

“It was important to me [to mentor younger players], because it's easy to forget that you were in that kid's shoes … I'd rather be an older player that takes a kid under his wing and explains how to do things the right way.”

Reid is one of the best players to emerge from Exeter in the last two decades, though he graduated to the London Badgers AAA team at age 11 and later played for the Great Lakes Canadians — an elite amateur program that has produced multiple Major League draft picks. 

He was part of a top-seeded Okanagan team that won back-to-back national championships at the Canadian College World Series in 2022 and 2021.

Okanagan is affiliated with the University of British Columbia (UBC), so Reid was able to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science from UBC while playing for the college team.

He’s also pitched for the Kitchener Panthers of the Inter-County Baseball League this summer, and plans join the Wilfrid Laurier University varsity team later this year, while working toward a master’s degree in applied politics.

“It's definitely going to be a bit of an adjustment coming to a new program as an older player,” said Reid, 23, whose parents David Reid and Cheryl Masson are both partners in the Little, Masson and Reid law firm in Exeter.

“But my goal is to hopefully be a starting pitcher, and one of the main contributors — and while doing that, still have that positive impact on younger players, talking gameplan with younger players and doing all the sorts of things I did out in B.C.”

Though Reid spent five years at university in British Columbia, the baseball season was cancelled during two of those years, leaving him two remaining years of eligibility.

This will likely be his final season at the post-secondary level, and after finishing his master’s Reid said he hopes to work in policy analysis with a focus on community development and housing initiatives.

He also plans to write the LSATs and apply to law school.

As he enters a new phase in his career, Reid acknowledged the role Exeter played in his development as a pitcher and as a person.

“Every Exeter team I played for had really talented players,” he said. “I met some of my best friends — that are still my best friends, for life — through Exeter baseball.

“We would walk to the field, take ground balls and do those sorts of things that I don't think you can really do in a big city. There was probably less team bonding with those city teams than the type of groups that I played with, with my friends in Exeter.”

Thousands of kilometres from here, in the carefully manicured fields of B.C.’s lower mainland,

Reid’s fluence as a mentor may still be felt.

“In college baseball, you never want to go through a rebuild,” said Reid. “You always want to be a competitive program, especially at Okanagan. We established ourselves as one of the best teams year in, year out.

“So obviously, as a senior player, you're looking at the program, thinking — who's going to take the next step, who's going to jump into the graduating players' shoes … so even though we're gone, the program remains strong.

“We can look back on that and [know] Okanagan College is a powerhouse for years.”