Monday, December 7, 2009

COLLEGE BOREAL TOPS DECEMBER POWER RATINGS

The College Boreal Vipers sit atop the Extramural Hockey Power Ratings (EHPR) thanks to a perfect 4-0 record an an impressive tournament win in the Canadore Panther Extramural Hockey Tournament in early November.  The defending Challenge Cup champs are currently on a 10 game winning streak going back to last season and have  already secured as spot in the 2010 Challenge Cup.

The Power Ratings use a combination of tournament results, game results and strength of schedule to rate all extramural hockey teams.  These Power Ratings are used to determine wild card entries into the Challenge Cup and seeding positions of those teams that qualify.  Teams who win a tournament get an automatic invite to the Challenge Cup.   Wild card entries are then determined by the highest rated non-winners, with teams having to compete in at least two tournaments to be eligible.    

All extramural hockey team contacts have been sent a detailed copy of the Power Ratings.  For more information, feel free to contact EHPR administrator  Sterling Ivany at sivany@georgianc.on.ca

The December Top Ten are as follows:

1. College Boreal
2. Humber (North)
3. St. Lawrence (Cornwall)
4. Humber (Lakeshore)
5. Georgian (Orillia)
6. U of T Scarborough # 1
7. Sir Sandford Fleming (Lindsay)
8. Canadore
9. Mohawk
10. Seneca (Newnham)

HAWKS SOAR TO VICTORY AT HUMBER TOURNEY


The Humber-North Hawks became the second team to qualify for an invitation to the 2010 Challenge Cup with a hard fought victory over Sir Sandford Fleming Lindsay in the final of the Humber Extramural Hockey Tourney November 26-27 in Toronto.  The road to the final for both teams was paved with a little luck, but neither is complaining - especially Humber North.

Humber started the tourney well with a 6-3 win over St. Lawrence Kingston but seemed headed for disaster after a 5-2 loss to unheralded Seneca-Markham.  However, the stars aligned for the Hawks as Seneca-Markham lost to St. Lawrence, setting the stage for a winner-take-all showdown between Humber North and undefeated Cambrian to see who would win their pool.   Humber-North prevailed 5-2 to win the pool and head to the semi-finals.

There, the Hawks defeated last year's Challenge Cup finalists U of T Scarborough #1 4-1 before squaring off with Fleming in the final.

Sir Sandford fought tooth and nail to get the playoffs, winning its first two games before taking on Mohawk with a semi-final berth on the line.  Regulation time left the teams tied at 1-1, with Fleming winning a shootout to take the pool.  In the semi-finals against upstart Humber-Lakeshore, Fleming faced another shootout ater regulation and won again 3-2.

Defence was the name of the game in the final, with Humber North's lone goal being all that they would need in a 1-0 victory.


The next extramural hockey tournament is the St. Lawrence-Brockville tourney on January 15, 2010.  There may still be spots available.  Contact Janelle at JMacPherson-Kenney@SL.On.Ca for more information.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

VIPERS DEADLY AT CANADORE TOURNEY



The defending Challenge Cup champion College Boreal Vipers secured the chance to defend their title  by winning the Canadore Panthers Invitational and earning an automatic invite to the 2010 Challenge Cup hosted by Durham College in March. The Vipers went 4-0 in the tournament, defeating St. Lawrence Cornwall 4-1in the final.  

The Vipers toughest game  was against Georgian-Barrie in round robin play. Barrie, the top seed at the 2009 Challenge Cup,  led 2-0 midway through the third when Boreal pulled within one. A huge giveaway with under 3 minutes to play allowed Boreal to tie the game. This forced Barrie to pull their goalie in an effort to go for the win and have a shot at the quarterfinals, which gave Boreal a late empty netter, a 3-2 win and a bye to the semi-finals.  There, the Vipers defeated Georgian-Orillia 5-2 before defeating Cornwall in the final.

With the win, the Vipers have punched their ticket to Oshawa and sit atop the Extramural Hockey Power Ratings.  The squad has won 10 games in a row going back to the "B" championship round in the Georgian Shootout last March.    

The Challenge Cup is a end of year invitational tournament endorsed by the OCAA's Ontario College Committee on Campus Recreation (OCCCR) that features champions from OCCCR tournaments throughout the province and wild card entries based on the Extramural Hockey Power Ratings.