Three members of the North Island College Wrestling Program travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan to compete in the 2009 Junior/Senior National Wrestling Championships. North Island College students Travis Carey and Harry Campbell competed in the Junior (Under 21) Division while their college coach and Port Alberni’s favorite wrestler Travis Cross competed in the Senior National Championships.
The tournament began on Friday morning with the Junior National Division. Wrestler Travis Carey competed in the 74 kilogram Junior Division. Competing in his first national tournament and in his first year of the age division Carey showed that he will be a serious contender at next year’s tournament. He dropped a couple of close one point decisions to competitors from Ontario. Alberni Wrestling and NIC coach James Messenger had this to say about his young charge, “Travis has been the hardest working wrestler in our program all year long. He has only been training and competing in the sport for two years. Most wrestlers at Nationals have a minimum of 6 years of wrestling under their belt. Travis’ hard work and dedication have allowed him to develop and make up for his relative lack of experience in competitions at this level. In the past year he has really matured as a competitor. I am really excited about returning to the Junior National Championships with him next year.”
Travis Carey’s dedication to the sport also showed in his decision to compete in the Greco Roman Junior National Championships on Sunday. Greco Roman wrestling allows wrestlers only to attack or grab opponents upper bodies. You do not see the leg attacks or shots which are common to freestyle wrestling. While it is an Olympic sport very few teams train and compete in this style in Canada. Travis Carey has never wrestled or trained in Greco Roman. However, he decided to try it out and finished fourth in his round robin pool for his efforts.
Also wrestling in the Junior Division on Friday was wrestler Harry Campbell. Unfortunately Campbell was prevented from training over the last two weeks due to a serious muscle pull in his neck. Campbell fought through his injury to compete in the 60 kilogram division. Luck was not on Campbell’s side as he drew the silver and bronze medalists in his first two matches. Despite wrestling very tough, Harry was unable to take a win. He finished with some great experience and he will have that to help him when he returns next year to NIC.
The highlight for the group from Alberni came on Saturday in the Senior Division when 2008 Olympian Travis Cross won his fourth straight national title at 84 kilograms. After taking some time off after the Olympics Cross has been training hard over the last few months in preparation for Nationals. Since Christmas, Travis has travelled to Cuba, Colorado, and the National Training Center in Vancouver to get ready for this tournament. His efforts to prepare paid off as he steam rolled the competition. He beat Danny Brown from the Guelph Wrestling Club in two straight rounds in the gold medal final. “Travis was only scored on once this whole tournament. He looked focused and was in control of his opponents the whole time. He moved really well and scored when he needed to. He once again made it clear to everyone that he should continue to represent Canada on the world stage,” commented Coach James Messenger. Travis’ win qualifies him to once again compete at the World Wrestling Championships which take place in Denmark this summer.
The conclusion of the Junior National Championships officially wraps up a great year of growth for the North Island College Wrestling Team. NIC wrestlers will enjoy a couple weeks of rest and then begin in strength and conditioning training to prepare for the next season. Cross will likely take a few days off before he begins training for the World Championships.
While these Alberni wrestlers will be enjoying some down time a group of six wrestlers from ADSS are training hard to prepare for the Cadet/Juvenile Championships in Fredericton April 1 – 5. If you are interested in helping support this group of wrestlers you are encouraged to contact Coach James Messenger 724-5693 for more information.
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Before Banner (Stacey McCulloch photo)
Back l-r Darrin Oscienny, Jeff Dagg, Myles Fitzgerald, Carson McCulloch, Aaron Lambert, Luciano Somerville, Boden Wangler, Catlin McLeod, Sheldon Trees, Eddie Dyson; Front l-r Bryan Read, Troy Rata, Dustin Diemert, Keenan McConnell, Andre Savard, Kody Isherwood, Leo Fitzgerald, Travis Coghill. (missing Ryan Campbell, Matt Larose).
MIDGET BULLDOGS 3RD AT B.C. CHAMPIONSHIP
The AVMHA Midget A Bulldogs overcame numerous challenges to finish in 3rd place at the B.C. Tier 2 Championships last Wednesday (March 18) at Bear Mountain Arena. Their perseverance and discipline in the face of adversity also earned the team the Most Sportsmanlike Trophy. Head Coach Brent Demerais said “The coaching staff is really proud of the boys. We had a great season and got to our goal (winning the Vancouver Island Championship).”
Coach Dave McConnell said “The boys played really well at the BCs even with the injuries and flu that they had to contend with.” Nine Alberni players were off the bench at one time or another during the championship, but no one sat out unless they were medically unable to continue.
The Bulldogs drew the toughest opponents for their first two games. They opened against Penticton Vees on Sunday morning. Penticton scored off a two on one rush in the first minute. Less than a minute later Darrin Oscienny carried the puck through the defence for Catlin MacLeod to even it up. Midway through the period MacLeod drove to the net and scored again on a backhand shot. Sheldon Trees and Oscienny picked up assists. Two minutes later, Trees rang one off the post during a power play, but it did not go in. As the period wound down Penticton tied it up again. The only goal in the second period went to the Vees, who also scored first in the third to go up 4-2. With eight minutes left, the Bulldogs’ Bryan Read on penalty kill cleared the puck along the glass to centre where Myles Fitzgerald tipped it ahead for Leo Fitzgerald to get behind the defence and score short handed. Penticton got it back with a power play goal a minute later. With under three minutes left, hard work earned Alberni another goal. Carson McCulloch knocked in a rebound from Jeff Dagg’s shot to make it 5-4. Read picked up the second assist. A power play goal in the closing minutes gave Penticton the 6-4 win.
Penticton won every game on their way to the championship. However, Alberni scored more goals against Penticton than any other team and gave them their closest game of the tournament. Matt Larose stood on his head in goal to keep the Penticton sharp shooters at bay.
On Monday morning Alberni faced off with Port Moody. What an intense game! There was no score until the Panthers tucked one in midway through the second period. The Bulldogs evened the count on a power play with 3:35 left in the second. Oscienny passed across the crease for L. Fitzgerald to finish. The Panthers slipped another one in with 33 seconds left in the period. At 10:21 of the third the Bulldogs on power play tied it again. Luciano Somerville passed to MacLeod to put it across the crease to Oscienny to hit open net on the glove side. This one should have been a 2-2 tie, but Port Moody managed to score with only 21 seconds left, and went on to second place. Eddie Dyson was sharp in goal to keep it close.
Monday evening Alberni played their second game of the day against host team Juan de Fuca. This was a contest of speed and skill against size. It was all Bulldogs in the early going as they scored three unanswered goals. The first came mid way through the first period when Oscienny set up L. Fitzgerald short handed. The next, late in the second was Troy Rata from the point to MacLeod and then to L. Fitzgerald again. Then MacLeod combined with Myles Fitzgerald to set up Leo for the hat trick early in the third. Throughout the game, the larger Grizzlies were finishing all their checks, sometimes after the puck had been moved on. This continued until the referee cautioned both benches after another late hit. But the damage had been done. Sheldon Trees left with a shoulder injury that started in the previous game, Kody Isherwood with a bruised knee and Aaron Lambert with bruised ribs. Juan de Fuca was able to score three times to steal a tie with only seconds left on the clock.
Next up on Tuesday morning were Ridge Meadows Rustlers. A five on three power play gave the Bulldogs a chance to get on the board first. Good puck movement by Dustin Diemert and Lambert set up a shot from the point by Boden Wangler that went in top corner. The Rustlers got one back before Somerville and Dagg combined to set up another goal by McCulloch and end the first ahead 2-1. In the second period hard work around the net paid off with a power play goal for Dagg. L. Fitzgerald and Andre Savard assisted. In the middle of the period, Ridge Meadows scored short handed, but Dagg got it back for Alberni. His second goal assisted by M. Fitzgerald and Savard made it 4-2. MacLeod scored with assists from M. Fitzgerald and Wangler on a power play to open the third period. The Alberni bench was getting short by the end of the game with Isherwood, Lambert, MacLeod, Rata, and Trees all out. Defencemen Keenan McConnell, Read, Wangler and Travis Coghill all stepped up to keep Alberni in the game. The Rustlers scored twice, but the remaining Bulldogs held on for the 5-4 win.
On Wednesday afternoon the battered Bulldogs returned to face Quesnel Thunder, the biggest team in the championship. At an average 6’2“ and 190 pounds, they towered over the Bulldogs who average 153 pounds. In spite of injuries, Isherwood and Rata were back in the line up for Alberni. It was end to end with no score until the middle of the second period. Jeff Dagg was outstanding in this game and set Carson McCulloch up for the first goal on a power play at 10:25. Late in the period, M. Fitzgerald passed to Dustin Diemert who jumped around a check and sniped the top left corner from a sharp angle. L. Fitzgerald left the game after being speared in the second period but returned in the third to get even on the score board. Working with Dagg and M. Fitzgerald he made it 3-0. By the end of the third, with McConnell out, the short handed Bulldogs were fighting fatigue from five physical games. Quesnel capitalized with two quick goals. Then with three and a half minutes left Alberni had to kill off a double penalty. Quesnel pulled their goalie for almost two minutes of six on three advantage. The Bulldogs successfully defended, but after the penalties were over Quesnel managed a tying goal with a minute left. Although the result was disappointing the tie was enough to clinch third place for Alberni and fourth for Quesnel.
Coach McConnell said “We got unreal goaltending. The goaltenders played great in all the games.”
“Our guys were in better condition than the other teams,” said Demerais. “We had a good year and should be even better next year, as most of this year’s players are eligible to return…. The coaching staff wish every success to the older ‘91 players who will be moving on, and thank them for their contribution this year.”
The successful season would not have been possible without a lot of support. The team says thanks to Head Coach Demerais and Coaches McConnell and Bryce Abbot. Thanks also to sponsors GDM Boom & Sort and Rain Coast Erosion Control, and to Quality Foods and Safeway for providing oranges between periods through the season. Demerais and the other coaching staff really want to acknowledge the behind the scenes support of team managers Janet Fitzgerald and Russell Dyson, as well as trainers Dave and Jill Sherwood and Safety Person Sonia Somerville, and all the parents who have been there throughout the season. The team thanks the other friends and family who came out to cheer them on to the Vancouver Island Championship and at the BCs. A special nod to AVMHA President, Al McCulloch, who has jumped in wherever he was needed all season. The Midget A Bulldogs will be recognized for their achievement by Port Alberni City Council at its April 14th meeting.
Congrats to Travis and the Midget Dogs!
Hammer
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