DOUBLE TROUBLE: Jelena Sarajlic, left, and Catherine Bell have provided the one-two punch for the Rams’ senior girls volleyball team. After finishing the season with a 4-3 record, the girls found themselves qualifying for AAAA City finals.

Rams turn season around just in time for the TDSSAA playoffs

A tournament victory in early February was the turning point for Etobicoke Rams senior girls volleyball.

On the bubble for most of their season, Rams co-captains Catherine Bell at power and middle Jelena Sarajlic say a gold at the Victory Volleyball Tournament boosted the 9-girl roster’s confidence.

“We hadn’t really won any medals before that and we hadn’t actually even gotten that many victories but at the tournament — we did lose to one team who didn’t end up being in the finals,” Sarajlic said.

The turnaround is exemplary of Etobicoke’s coaching staff and their dedication to volleyball.

Head coach Kelly Currie has taken four teams to city finals in four years. Though he jokes about not wanting the curse of Marv Levy affixed to his efforts, he’s hoping this year the girls can dethrone a club-heavy Oliver Mowat squad.

With the addition of Toronto Aces coach Dean Impossimato to the coaching staff, there is hope the Rams can travel the 401 to OFSAA, being held in three cities this year: Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

“He’s definitely helped us on our skill,” Sarajlic said of Impossimato. “There are a couple of girls who don’t practise regularly so he’s been able to make them definitely up to their best potential.”

Their battle en route to provincials will be taken one set at a time.

“Our whole focus these past two weeks has been one game,” Currie said. “You just throw it all out there on the court.

“If you play good defensively you can run with anybody,” he added. “I think the Mowat team we see, they’re good.”

Mowat, coached by Melvin Lowe, has plenty of talent from Leaside and Durham Attack.

The two weaknesses Sarajlic and Bell will be working are cohesion and overcoming the lack of height on the roster.

“What we would improve on is staying positive,” Sarajlic said. “The girls were sometimes not positive through their losses.

“We’ve been able to keep everyone together and wanting to participate.”

Staying positive keeps the Rams’ confidence up, so the ladies aren’t interested in selling themselves short.

“In volleyball, if you don’t have a lot of height, it’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as you can play defence really well,” Bell said. “As long as you can maintain your attack on the ball after setting up your pass and a set.”

Traditionally a libero with her club team Etobicoke Titans, Bell likes her new post at power.

“For the past two or three years on my club team I’ve been playing libero, which means I am constantly in the backcourt just passing and not serving or at the net,” she said. “Throughout the school season I have been playing power and I would really say that my attacks at the net have really improved since I’ve been at the net.”

After this season, the two captains will dig in their heels on the courts of university. Sarajlic hopes to go to University of Toronto for kinesiology and concurrent education, while her high school and club teammate Bell hopes to venture off Kingston-way for Queen’s business.

But for the time being, Sir Oliver Mowat’s defeat, and a trip to the provincials is the team’s aim.

“Over the past three years we’ve built a fairly successful program here, probably one of the stronger, top 10 in the city,” Currie said. “The senior team was in the (city) finals last year and we’re there again this year.”

PACE CAR: Richview’s Chevy Brown avoids Martingrove defender Emanuel Owootoah during West Region semi-final action, Feb. 13.

Any team that can come back from a 20-point deficit against Martingrove Bears is good.

Those were the thoughts shared post game by Richview forward T.J. Rutty. The tall man for the Saints took long draughts of air as he looked at the hardwood at Martingrove CI, Feb. 13.

After playing 32 minutes in a game that saw the Saints rebound from a 46-26 shortfall at the half, Rutty was in need of all available oxygen.

Even though the Red and Black outscored their bearish rivals 38-26 in the second half, it wasn’t enough as the team lost to Martingrove 72-64.

“We had them in the third, we just kept fighting and fighting, brought (the score) down to five but we just have to continue,” he said. “The coach drew up amazing plays for us but we just have to have the effort and the intensity.”

Rutty’s coach, Ray Tone, acknowledged his charges late comeback but said he observed a lack of structure.

“We had four or five offensive trips in a row where we just did things we normally don’t do,” Tone said. “We always tell the kids, ‘Think and play. Think and play’, and if they can think and play, they can do anything.

“We’re as athletic as anybody but we weren’t thinking and playing.”

Rutty chipped in 21 points for his Saints, but the depth of Martingrove, featuring Connor Gilmore, Gabe Soicher, Sukhpreet Singh and Emanuel Owootoah, made it too much to overcome.

Bears coach Shawn Gray made no changes to the game plan he’s had all year.

“We just put it on the floor, went with what got us to this point and that’s how we’re going to go for the rest of the season because we continue to get better and do a good job with it,” he said. “The boys were just excited because the boys hadn’t practised in a while, and I’m glad they got out of the gates real good for us.”

Though Owootoah led all Bears scorers with 21, Gilmore flexed his dunking muscles on two momentum-changing jams that electrified the fans.

Also, David Anderson came off the bench driving the paint, setting up shots and on-target bombs from the perimeter.

But with the bull rush, there comes a bear market. In this case the lack net gain at the charity stripe.

And Gray admitted the team won’t have time to remedy their ailment.

“We won’t have time to work on it, we just have to work with what we’ve got, but lord have mercy,” he said, with a laugh. “I’ve never seen that in so long in our team, when down the stretch we would’ve won the game by 20 points.”

What the Saints will have to work on is their stamina while grappling with a short bench.

“Tomorrow at Richview, we just have to know what we’ve got to fix, and the thing is we know what we have to fix, it’s just keeping it,” Rutty said. “You have to stay in front of your man, box out — simple things, but it’s just executing it under the influence of fatigue.”

“When you’re tired and exhausted your brain says run, your legs, not so much,” he added. “It’s just being an athlete — when your number’s called you’ve got to perform.”

Whatever Tone said to his troops worked, as the Saints went on to beat West Humber 63-48 in a challenge match, and went on to claim the AAA title hammering Georges Vanier Vikings 86-51, Feb. 16.

But actors’ jobs are to portray different people. So even if I’m not partial to an actor I’ll watch a film they’re in.

This list is based on actors who I like in more than just three films. What went on, or goes on in their personal lives has no bearing on this Top 25.

It’s the body of an actor’s work that I appreciate, and that’s why the following folks are considered my Top 25 favourite actors. Return to puffingod.com next week for my Top 25 Actresses.

25.		Who: Peter Lorre Born: June 26, 1904, Rózsahegy, Hungary, Austria-Hungary Favourite movies: Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Arsenic and Old Lace Favourite quote: “We got a hot stiff on our hands!” – Arsenic and Old Lace
24.		Who: Cary Grant Born: Jan. 18, 1904, Horfield, Bristol, England Favourite movies: Arsenic and Old Lace, North By Northwest, Bringing Up Baby Favourite quote: “Look I probably should have told you this before but you see, well, insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.” – Arsenic and Old Lace
23.		Who: Sean William Scott Born: Oct. 3 1976, Cottage Grove, Minnesota Favourite movies: Evolution, The Rundown, The Dukes of Hazzard Favourite quote: “Ka Ka! Tukki Tukki!” – Evolution
22.		Who: Arnold Schwarzenegger Born: July 30, 1947, Thal, Styria, Austria Favourite movies: Kindergarten Cop, True Lies, Predator Favourite quote: “Oh, come on stop whining! You kids are soft. You lack discipline. Well, I’ve got news for you. You are mine now. You belong to me.” – Kindergarten Cop
21.		Who: Steve Guttenberg Born: Aug. 24, 1958, Brooklyn, New York Favourite movies: Police Academy, High Spirits, Three Men and a Baby Favourite quote: “How can something so small create so much of something so disgusting?” – Three Men and a Baby
20.		Who: Harrison Ford Born: July 13, 1942, Chicago, Illinois Favourite movies: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Raiders of the Lost Ark, What Lies Beneath Favourite quote: “No ticket.” – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
19.		Who: Jeff Bridges Born: Dec. 4, 1949, Los Angeles, California Favourite movies: The Big Lebowski, Blown Away, The Fisher King Favourite quote: “That rug really tied the room together.” – The Big Lebowski
18.		Who: Mel Gibson Born: Jan. 3, 1956, Peekskill, New York Favourite movies: Lethal Weapon, Payback, Maverick Favourite quote: “Well here at Air America, what is considered psychotic behavior anywhere else is just company policy.” – Air America
17.		Who: Kevin Spacey Born: July 26, 1959, South Orange, New Jersey Favourite movies: L.A. Confidential, The Ref, Seven Favourite quote: “That is Lana Turner” – L.A. Confidential
16.		Who: Robert Mitchum Born: Aug. 16, 1917, Bridgeport, Connecticut Favourite movies: Cape Fear, The Big Sleep, Scrooged Favourite quote: “I got something planned for your wife and kid that they ain’t never gonna forget. They ain’t never gonna forget it and neither will you, Counselor! Never!” – Cape Fear
15.		Who: Jason Statham Born: Sept. 12, 1967, London, England Favourite movies: The Transporter, Crank, Snatch Favourite quote: “Next time, I’ll deflate all your balls, friend.” – The Expendables
14.		Who: Matthew McConaughey Born: Nov. 6, 1969, Uvalde, Texas Favourite movies: Dazed and Confused, A Time To Kill, Sahara Favourite quote: “The older you get, the more rules they are going to try and get you to follow. You just gotta keep on livin’, man. L-I-V-I-N.” – Dazed and Confused
13.		Who: Jimmy Stewart Born: May 20, 1908, Indiana, Pennsylvania Favourite movies: Rear Window, Harvey, It’s a Wonderful Life Favourite quote: “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.” – It’s A Wonderful Life
12.		Who: Kurt Russell Born: March 17, 1951, Springfield, Massachusetts Favourite movies: Big Trouble in Little China, Backdraft, Tombstone Favourite quote: “Give my regards to King Tut, asshole.” – Stargate
11.		Who: Clive Owen Born: Oct. 3, 1964, Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, England Favourite movies: Sin City, The International, Inside Man Favourite quote: “Fact is, all lies, all evil deeds, they stink. You can cover them up for a while, but they don’t go away.” – Inside Man
10.		Who: Clint Eastwood Born: May 31, 1930, San Francisco, California Favourite movies: Dirty Harry, Any Which Way You Can, Every Which Way But Loose Favourite quote: “I know what you’re thinking. ‘Did he fire six shots or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?” – Dirty Harry
9.		Who: Nicolas Cage Born: Jan. 7, 1964, Long Beach, California Favourite movies: Con Air, The Rock, Lord of War Favourite quote: “Got my first chemistry set when I was seven, blew my eyebrows off, we never saw the cat again, been into it ever since.” – The Rock
8.		Who: Vince Vaughn Born: March 28, 1970, Minneapolis, Minnesota Favourite movies: The Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Favourite quote: “Here’s what’s gonna happen, Tonto. Kimosabe’s gonna have some flavor … I like to recharge my batteries and shut down the engines and get myself back to neutral. When the meal’s over with, I will talk to you. I don’t want to get into what happened last night, cause it’s only gonna make me mad …” – The Wedding Crashers
7.		Who: Bill Murray Born: Sept. 21, 1950, Wilmette, Illinois Favourite movies: Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, The Man Who Knew Too Little Favourite quote: “She’s not my girlfriend. I find her interesting because she’s a client and because she sleeps above her covers – four-feet above her covers. She barks, she drools, she claws!” – Ghostbusters
6.		Who: Liam Neeson Born: June 7, 1952, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland Favourite movies: Taken, High Spirits, Batman Begins Favourite quote: “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” – Taken
5.		Who: Gregory Peck Born: April 5, 1916, La Jolla, California Favourite movie: Spellbound, To Kill a Mockingbird, Cape Fear Favourite quote: “Well, I reckon because mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat people’s gardens, don’t nest in the corncrib, they don’t do one thing but just sing their hearts out for us.” – To Kill a Mockingbird
4.		Who: Tom Selleck Born: Jan. 29, 1945, Detroit, Michigan Favourite movies: Quigley Down Under, Runaway, Three Men and a Baby Favourite quote: “The little insect was just waiting for that diaper to fall off.” – Three Men and a Baby
3.		Who: John Cusack Born: June 28, 1966, Evanston, Illinois Favourite movies: High Fidelity, 1408, Pushing Tin Favourite quote: “Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do’s and don’ts. First of all you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.” – High Fidelity
2.		Who: Denzel Washington Born: Dec. 28, 1954, Mount Vernon, New York Favourite movies: Man on Fire, Inside Man, Fallen Favourite quote: “Forgiveness is between them and God. It’s my job to arrange the meeting.” – Man on Fire
1.		Who: Humphrey Bogart Born: Dec. 25, 1899, New York, New York Favourite movies: Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep Favourite quote: “And I’m not crazy about yours. I didn’t ask to see you. I don’t mind if you don’t like my manners, I don’t like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings. I don’t mind your ritzing me or drinking your lunch out of a bottle. But don’t waste your time trying to cross-examine me.” – The Big Sleep(1946)

BRIAN BAKER, Sports Editor

Toronto Today picks up two nominations for OCNA’s Better Newspaper Awards

It’s the first time Town Crier Group of Newspapers has picked up a nomination in the Columnist of the Year category at the OCNA’s Better Newspaper Competition Awards.

On Feb. 14, it was announced sister publication Toronto Today was picked for Columnist of the Year (my Game Fixer column) and Surfer’s Selection.

Three of my columns were submitted for “Context is the message”, “Fight the power” and “Respect is due volunteers”. Judges for the award look at a body of work rather than just one story.

Vaughan Today picked up two nominations in the Arts and Entertainment category for Shawn Star’s “A song rising out of tragedy” as well as Surfer’s Selection.

Town Crier snagged three nods, two in the Health and Wellness category for Sharon Ko’s “Time for that talk” and Alima Hotakie for “Living life in the raw – one bite at a time”, along with Business category tip-of-the-hat for colleague Josh Freeman’s Leaside Today piece, “Laird’s new vibe”.

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, April 27.

ON HER MARK: Richelle Ramirez, with the help of her brother Ryan and friend Grace Hill, trained hard and has earned a trip to OFSAA for the past three years in cross-country. She finished 50th out of 246 racers in Ottawa.

Cross country athlete motivated by brother and teammate

Richelle Ramirez did not expect to be a contender.

But it was a cross-country tryout in grade 3 that led her on the path of OFSAA and leader for Notre Dame’s cross country team.

“At those tryouts I finished doing all the laps before all the guys and girls in my age group,” she said. “It made me feel pretty happy.”

With a little help from her brother Ryan, she trained hard and finished in the top 10 at Citys in her grade 8 year.

Now she’s running on both the cross and track teams.

Her coach Dawn Pearson lauds the grade 11’s determination as a well of inspiration for the junior team members.

“She’s not like a standout in the sense that some people on a team are gregarious,” she said. “She’s pretty quiet and she’s a very focused individual.”

Helping Ramirez is University of Toronto track trainer Terry Radchenko.

“She’ll bring that expertise to the club and I’ll get her to do the warm-up and give other people tips,” Pearson said. “She sets a goal for herself and work hard for it.”

Another source of motivation for Ramirez is a good friend she met in her freshman year, Grace Hill.

“When I went to Notre Dame and joined the team I thought I would be the fastest person there, but I actually met one of the other competitors from elementary school and she was faster than me,” she said. “She encouraged me to run faster.”

As for why Ramirez runs the country mile and also goes the distance in the 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre track events, she said it’s all about being zen.

“It’s kind of relaxing for me to run long distances even though it sounds pretty hard to do,” she said. “I enjoy running long distances and since I’m pretty good at it, I learn to like it.”

She’s got one more year of high school cross-country left, but Ramirez is starting to think about university.

Though there are some trials and trepidation.

“I’m still confused with what I’m going to do, but I plan to continue my running,” she said. “Because I’m in grade 11, and next year I’ll be in grade 12, I find it difficult to find time to train consistently because if I miss out I won’t get any better with my times.

“It’s basically homework and school pushing my running out of the way.”

HOCKEY IS HOME: Catharine MacKeigan eats, sleeps and breathes sports, especially hockey. The Malvern Black Knight captain has grown up with three brothers who have also suited up for the school’s hockey team.

Jocular leader was once a shy grade 9

A toe-drag, deke and top shelf.

It was with one swift motion that Malvern’s Catharine MacKeigan beat a stunned Etobicoke Rams goalkeep in a January varsity girls hockey match.

Canada’s game has been attached to MacKeigan’s schedule like a DNA strand in her family’s blood.

“We always had a backyard skating rink when I was growing up, so I’d always be playing on that with my brothers,” she said. “I have a younger brother, who goes to Malvern actually, and two older brothers.”

Nine years after strapping on the skates at age four, and countless hours spent with her three brothers Jeff, Danny and Mike, she entered high school where she joined the Black Knights on the ice.

The 18-year-old has stretched her athletic abilities into other arenas like field hockey and rugby, and has grown into a natural leader, according to her field hockey and rugby coach Lesley Gage.

“For all of the teams she’s on she acts as a liaison between the coaches and the players,” she said. “Catharine’s the one that if I need anything or the word spread on changes, I email her and then everyone knows.”

It wasn’t always like that though. MacKeigan’s shyness in grade 9 only gave her enough motivation to try out for hockey. But with encouragement she broke out of her own armour and donned Black Knights’ field hockey and rugby gear in later years.

“I was thinking about it a lot today, my attitude as a grade 9 — the immaturity,” she said. “I grew up a lot and I feel I became a better leader.

“Being able to encourage girls has definitely improved but I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t play any of the sports I have.”

It’s an attitude she’s obtained from Malvern alumna Danielle Underwood and Emily Pitre.

“They’re definitely some role models I look up to when I play,” she said.

But ice hockey is her dominant sport, where her on-ice speed as a winger has won many a game for Malvern.

Down 3-1 in their last regular season game against Lawrence Park, the Black Knights mounted a comeback.

And with eight seconds on the clock, “Keigan” as Gage refers to her standout player, scored the game winner.

“I know she plays a pivotal role fostering the relationships with the new kids,” Gage said. “We have a lot of varsity teams, which is great because it gives the senior kids an opportunity to take on the leadership role.”

That championing of confidence is also an attribute that helps MacKeigan co-captain the school’s Peer Leader Group of 70 members. Her partner in crime is Dylan Ciccarelli.

On top of the leagues she plays out of the school, including Balmy Beach Rugby and Leaside Wildcats, MacKeigan consistently makes the school’s honour roll.

MacKeigan admits time management is what she’s learned, and will need in university. At present she’s applied to St. Francis Xavier, Bishop’s, Western and Guelph.

It will be a tough sell whether she plays ice hockey or rugby though.

Still, MacKeigan says she doesn’t regret getting into sports.

“I would have to say playing sports at Malvern was the best decision I have ever made,” she said. “I made a lot of friends and it’s opened a lot of doors for me for sure.”

It’s been a high turnover in the girls athletics department at Malvern, and the loss of MacKeigan and field hockey teammate Abi Moody won’t go unnoticed.

“It will be a huge void and not only because of (MacKeigan’s) steely nerves in net (field hockey) and her aggression — the motivation that she brings to the team,” Gage said. “She’s a bit of a joker and she knows when to be focused and intense.

“She also knows when the team needs some comic relief whether it be to pick some kids up, lift their spirits.”

WELCOME TO HAIG STATE: Calin Crainic and Treston McCogg have been a big part of Earl Haig’s 5-2 season.

Home of the Carp sets its sights on North title

“We always aim high.”

Those words are spoken by one of Earl Haig’s more vocal leaders on the senior boys basketball team, Calin Crainic.

He’s talking North Region title. The team hasn’t been able to shoot past the first round of playoffs the past few years, but there’s optimism in the grade 12’s voice.

“You’ve got to at least try it,” he added, in a moment of repose after shooting hoops in the midst of the school’s exam week.

Haig State has had its fair share of backcourt violations during the season, with two key members of the starting line-up unavailable, injuries and the departure of Machel Pottinger who transferred to Central Tech in pursuit of electrical trade classes.

Coach Eric James admits it’s been tough.

“It’s been a tumultuous season with its ups and downs but overall I’ve got a good group of kids, as usual, and they’ve worked their butts off,” he said.

The two who have chipped in play production have been Crainic, younger brother of alumnus Valentin, and Treston McCogg.

“We’ve had high hopes this year, and we thought we’d have a good season with our three main players,” McCogg said. “We were 4-0 and after some players started getting kicked off the team, some for academic disciplinary reasons, we started going down.”

Partners in crime, Crainic and McCogg differ in contributions and M.O.s.

“End-to-end Calin’s probably one of the quickest forwards just running in a straight line,” James said. “He’s willing to bust his butt getting down the floor and rebound the basketball.

“Defensively, he’s not as big as his brother but he’s willing to go rebound the basketball,” he added. “He’s our most cerebral player.”

McCogg, a versatile Stephen Jackson-style player, can play the power or small forward roles on top of his traditional shooting guard tag.

“What Treston brings is a lot of athleticism, first of all,” James said. “He’s probably our most aggressive player with the ball and on the defensive end.

“Treston has a hunger for the game and really wants to do well,” he added. “He might not always make the smartest play but his effort is tremendous when he’s out there.”

Unfortunately McCogg is sidelined with an injury. A blow to the team, considering his input has doubled since the 2011 season.

“He’s not where we want him to be yet, but it’s encouraging to see, especially academically,” James said. “For the most part he’s done a really good job.”

For McCogg, he’ll use his trials as his motivation through the post-season.

“It was a tough season for me this year,” he said.

With a first-round playoff against Downsview — a traditionally tough adversary — James is taking it one game at a time.

“If you asked me at the beginning of the year, I would have said we definitely have a shot,” James said. “For me right now it would be winning a playoff game.”

Crainic looks to shoot past that, and rally his teammates in the process.

“We’re kind of pushing ourselves in practice a lot harder,” he said. “We’re not just making silly mistakes anymore. If we do, we’re not going to do it twice.

“We’ve just got to teach our team how to attack more often because if we have five players who are key components and you lose three of them you’ve got to find other players who are able to score.”

KEEPING UP HIS SPIRIT: Troy Crema overcame a virus that caused an enlarged spleen and looks to pursue an NCAA Division I career post high school.

Centre Troy Crema ready for NCAA scouts

Wake up. Go to school. Do a little light training. Grab a plate of pasta in meat sauce. Arrive at the arena an hour-and-a-half before the first face-off for dry land training.

That’s the schedule on game day for Crescent School’s Troy Crema. The 16-year-old centre is a key figure in his Coyotes’ first place position in CISAA Division II hockey.

“Troy’s in grade 11, and it’s very rare we have a player of that nature in grade 9 or 10 on the varsity team,” Crescent coach Mike Leatch said. “He not only excelled but he was dominant in grade 9 and 10.”

Crema averages three points per game, and his ability is attracting the eye of some Ivy League suitors. Harvard, Yale and Princeton have come calling for the straight-A student.

“I had a guy drive seven or eight hours just to come watch me play one game,” he said. “For them to do that it shows they really care.
“All three of those schools would be a dream to go to, academically,” Crema said.

The ultimate goal for Crema is akin to any child lacing up the skates in Canada: NHL.

Those big leagues dreams are about 50 percent accomplished.

“I’m just playing junior hockey right now and there’s a couple more stages like NCAA hockey,” said Crema who plays club hockey for the Brampton Capitals.

Crema’s path is not without its challenges though.

During his OHL draft year he contracted a virus that enlarged his spleen. The ailment set him back, as Saginaw Spirit took him 297th overall.

“He had some spleen issues and he was off to a little bit of a slow start last year,” Leatch said. “By Christmas he was back to himself and working hard in training.”

Leatch has known Crema since he started classes at Crescent in grade 3. What has stood out the most was his consistent work ethic.

“What impresses me the most is he works hard at both ends of the ice,” he said. “I’ve never seen a hockey player like that before and I’ve been coaching for 14 years.

“He’s a really complete player.”

Crema, who dons the A for the Coyotes, refers to himself as a playmaker who likes to score. For him, finesse players like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are his idols, but Sidney Crosby is his favourite.

And when it comes to his team’s pursuit for OFSAA, they hope to face their East rival, St. Mike’s.

Crema has no concerns with the outcome of the CISAA Division II title.

“Overall we’re a pretty great team,” he said. “We haven’t had too many challenges, maybe putting in a constant effort but that’s about it.

“(OFSAA) is our team’s goal.”

GETTING THE JUMP ON OPPONENTS: York Mills’ power Asli Ersozoglu has been a big contributor to the Titans senior girls volleyball team. The squad is a perfect 8-0 through regular season play and look to represent the North at Citys.

Asli Ersozoglu assists in Titans’ perfect record

Playing volleyball for fun at York Mills CI took some getting used to for Asli Ersozoglu.

Travelling to Toronto from Istanbul, Turkey, Ersozoglu gave up a future professional career with Eczacibasi Sports Club to pursue an academic career in Canada.

“It was necessary for me to finish high school here so it’s easier going to a Canadian university,” the grade 11 student said.

Volleyball runs deep in her veins.

Ersozoglu’s mother Petek played professionally and got her daughter involved in 2005 when she was in grade 4.

“What I like is it’s a sport where you can be creative,” Asli Ersozoglu said. “It’s not like a sport to me, it’s a lifestyle.”

The family moved to Canada during the summer months, which meant no high school sports and very few club teams were having tryouts.

“Before I moved to Canada a year ago, I started mailing to clubs,” she said. “And the Diamonds were the only club practising in summer, so while the other clubs told me to come to their tryouts in September, the Diamonds invited me to their summer practice.”

Once high school’s winter sports season started, senior girls co-coaches Steven Kung and Imants Koskins welcomed their new edition to a squad that ended up going 8-0 during the regular season.

Kung recalls the first time he witnessed Ersozoglu’s prowess.

“I remember during one lunchtime there was some sort of volleyball drop-in,” he said. “All the kids were just wearing jeans and I saw her pass a few balls, and then walked to the gym office and asked the teacher, ‘Who’s that?’ and they said, ‘I think it’s a new girl from Turkey’.”

“I said, ‘It looks like she’s got some mad skill’,” he added. “I saw from day one that her form was pretty money.”

That mad skill, as Kung puts it, helped York Mills out of a jam during their 2012 campaign.

“It was our first regular season game against Don Mills. We went to three sets and I think we were down 12-3 and Asli went up to serve,” he said. “I looked at my assistant coach (Koskins) and I said, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be great if Asli served up the rest of the game’.

“We started laughing, and the next thing we know Asli served up the rest of the match and we won 15-12,” he added. “She went back and just served bomb aces and the girls converted.”

With 14 girls on the roster, helmed by captain and club player Maddie Glover, the Titans look to claim the North Region, and anything else would be “gravy on top”.

Ersozoglu’s love of volleyball, both inspired by her mom and Gizem Güresen of the Turkish national women’s team, was also what helped her bond with classmates.

“It’s a really neat school,” she said. “At my old school everyone was from Turkey but in this school … everyone’s from a different country,” she said. “I didn’t really feel different from other people.”

“Before the school team tryout, I had maybe two or three friends,” she added. “But after theschool team, the school became more familiar to me.”

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: Barons blueliner Claire Russell says she loves playing for her school and will miss the tight hockey community at Oakwood.FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: Barons blueliner Claire Russell says she loves playing for her school and will miss the tight hockey community at Oakwood.

Girls hockey team shoots for Tier 2 title

Sometimes when there’s a winning tradition with the basketball teams other sports get put on ice.

But that’s okay for the Oakwood Barons senior girls hockey team because that’s their milieu.

For the past six years, coach Lisa Palozzi has been doing her best to gather up Barons to take to the arenas, and this year, with the squad second only to Silverthorn Spartans, there’s a good shot at a Tier 2 title.

Part of that reason is the two rep players who are a presence both on and off the ice: defenceman Claire Russell and netminder Maggie Prince.

“Claire’s the first girl to pick up the puck, last girl to leave the ice, she’s the one who is going to play and she runs out to the game and runs back to the school to do more stuff,” Palozzi said of her captain, who spends her off-time bluelining for Leaside Wildcats.

As for Maggie, who represents Toronto Red Wings outside of school, she’s stalwart in net, albeit with a few chinks in the armour.

“She was actually picked to play on the boys hockey team to be their number one, and I had to strongly refuse,” Palozzi said. “I think sometimes it’s hard for her because there’s very little action for her or she sees a different type of puck from what she’s used to.

“She’s probably used to a lot of slapshots, a lot of traffic in front of her net.”

Just before a Friday afternoon practice, Russell shared the highlights of her four years as an Oakwooder. Her partner in crime, Prince, was unfortunately absent, out with a cold.

“It works well to have Maggie as the goalie because we get to work closely with each other,” she said. “I try to get her assists as much as possible so I’ll pass the puck back to her because it gets kind of boring back there sometimes.”

Though the girls hockey may not be in the limelight, it’s okay for Russell. Coming from a family where everyone plays, from brother Sam to dad Alex and mom Andrea Lennox, Russell hones the parts of her game that go untapped during Leaside games.

“It’s really funny, in rep I have zero goals. It’s the joke of my team,” she said. “I hit bars, and posts. I ring iron all of the time but I’m leading in our school’s goals.

“It’s really cool to have the school hockey because I can work on the things I can’t usually do in rep hockey.”

Palozzi sees it in her Brian Leetch-esque blueliner.

“She seems to always have a smile on her face when she rushes the puck,” she said. “She basically has the same move: she dekes into their zone, goes all the way around their net, puts the puck on her strong side and puts it in.”

Still, Palozzi says there is one obstacle to overcome if the team wants the Tier 2 title, especially after a recent 3-1 loss to the Forest Hill Falcons.

“I’m kind of glad that we lost to Forest Hill,” she said. “(The girls) were getting mad at themselves and they realized they need to put a bit more effort into it.

“They’re not going to win just based on the inability of the other team, you have to start winning because of your own abilities.”

Russell is aware of that and hopes to bring home some hardware before she heads east to St. Francis Xavier University in September.

And there’s no lack of faith for Russell, as there are many from within the Oakwood community rooting for them.

“We have a lot of our supply teachers who used to work here, like our old teach Mr. Muystra who used to teach (drafting), and now he loves the girls hockey,” she said. “It’s really cool to see who’s really into hockey around the school.”