Cage teams shine at provincials

Winning a league championship is very prestigious, but ask any area inter-city basketball player what the ultimate aim is, and he or she will say winning a provincial championship.

With that in mind, several Pierrefonds-based Brookwood Bullets and Pointe Claire-based West Island Lakers teams hopped into cars and buses last weekend en route to Collège Édouard-Montpetit, to participate in the Quebec play downs. When all was said and done, five returned home with medals. In an all-West Island girls’ midget AAA final, the Bullets won gold with a relatively easy 55-37 win over the Lakers, who had to settle for silver while the Bullets’ midget AAA boys defeated Superskillz 62-59 in the title game. Meanwhile, the Bullets’ bantam AAA boys and AAA girls captured silver. The boys lost 52-49 to Dawson Community Blues and the girls dropped a 52-40 decision to Séminaire de Trois Rivières in respective championship games.

Dodge Cup provincials set for this weekend

The inter-city Dodge Cup provincial hockey championships begin today in the Richelieu region, with 14 girls’ and boys’ area teams vying for a chance to bring the coveted blue provincial championship banner home. Boys’ teams include the atom BB Lakeshore Lions, peewee AA Dollard des Ormeaux/Versant Ouest Vipers, peewee BB West Island Kings, bantam AA Lakeshore Panthers, Midget AA Lakeshore Panthers, midget espoir Lac St. Louis Tigers, Predators and Royals and junior AA West Island Royals. Girls’ teams include the bantam A Trois/Lacs/Lakeshore Panthers, junior A Lakeshore Panthers, peewee AA Lac St. Louis Selects, bantam AA Lac St. Louis Selects and midget AA Lac St. Louis selects. The double-elimination tournament, which concludes on Sunday, is one of the toughest to win gold at. Since its inception in 1978, only 24 boys’ and three girls’ all-star teams have accomplished that feat, the latest being the Lac St. Louis girls’ peewee all-star squad, which went undefeated last year in the Mauricie region. Club teams have replaced girl’s all-star teams at this year’s tournament.

Speed skaters finish strong

The 2006-07 competitive season concluded recently for the Dollard des Ormeaux Speed Skating Club, and upon reflection, it’s good news all around.

The club placed four athletes on the Lac St. Louis team that competed at the Quebec Winter Games, held last month in Repentigny. Although they did not medal, Dhanji Ali-Khan and Shaun Filiatrault competed in juvenile boys while Kayla Miguez and Krista represented the region in juvenile girls. Meanwhile, over the course of the season, the club hauled in six gold, five silver, six bronze and five iron medals. Highlights also included intermediate-level competitor Ana Pacanins becoming the first athlete ever produced by the club to qualify for the elite level-one category, the top level on the provincial speed-skating stage, and juvenile competitor Shaun Filiatrault moving from level two to level one. Filiatrault also picked up gold at the final Western section competition on March 31 while Jeremy Allen earned bronze in the bantam category at a level-three meet held on April 1.

Area grid players honoured

The Quebec Bantam Football League (QBFL) held its annual banquet recently, and 14 area players heard their names called. Ten were from the Pierrefonds-based North Shore Lions, including Matt Leblanc, Jesse St-James, Richard Elias and Joey Fugliniti, who were named Most Valuable Player in the Bill Allan Division at the quarterback, linebacker, receiver and defensive back positions. Meanwhile, Josh George (running back), Jessy Thompson (linebacker), Ross Olshansky (receiver), Arto Khatchikian (offensive line), Francis Richard (defensive line) and Ben Heazle (defensive line) were named all-stars. Four St. Lazare Stallions earned plaudits, including Adam Bailey, who was named MVP for special teams in the Bill Allan Division and Nicholas Mann (defensive back), Marc-Étienne Sarazin-Côté (wide receiver), and Dominic Lafrance (offensive lineman) were named all-stars.

All of these award winners also receive an automatic nomination for the QBFL Elites all-star team that will begin training for the 2007 Wilson Challenge in the next few months.