Blueprint atom Bulldogs compete at Provincials in Oakville

August 29, 2013 · 0 Comments

The Caledon Blueprint Bulldogs sent their first rep ball hockey team to compete in the Ontario Ball Hockey Federation provincial championships in Oakville July 12 and 13. The Bulldogs lost two games in the highly competitive event before returning to win their third game 2-0.
Submitted photo

The weekend of July 13 saw the Blueprint Hockey send their very first representative ball hockey team to the Ontario Ball Hockey Federation (OBHF) provincial championships in Oakville.
As a brand new team to the OBHF world, the Caledon Blueprint atom Bulldogs knew they were in for a new challenge, playing very experienced teams. They predictably posted losses in their first two games against Guelph and Oakville. By the end of the second game, the team was coming together though, knowing that they would need a win Saturday to move on through the round robin. Facing Georgetown, a team that had beaten the Dogs 8-0 in an earlier contest, the team new their backs were against the wall.
With an inspired effort, the Bulldogs upset the Gladiators 2-0, posting their first ever historic win. And doing so at Provincials was very gratifying.
Recording the shutout was Diego (the wall) D’Alessandro, whose effort gave the team a higher level of confidence each game. D’Alessandro was awarded player of the game honours in the first match, and it was well deserved, as he stopped some 45 shots on goal.
Leading the team was captain Coby Garbutt, who along with linemates Justin Eccleston and Shane Davis-Thrower, started producing some much-needed offence. Their efforts produced player of the game recognition for Eccleston and Davis-Thrower. Garbutt was considered by all to be the team MVP for the tourney.
The brother line of assistant captain Liam Mclaughlin, Conner Mclaughlin and center Nicholas Riolo also found their scoring groove late in the tourney, with Riolo scoring both goals in the team’s first win, netting him the player of the game honours.
The sandpaper line of Dante Crescenzi, Tyler Soulis and center Grady Macarthur provided the grit that is always needed for any successful team.
The Bulldog defence was held in high regard at the tournament, and for good reason. The team ended up in third place for goals against and did so with an entire under-aged roster of 2000-born players. Considering the Dogs’ amazing performance in the first year, look for only great things from this team in the future.
Linemates Adamo Crescenzi and GianLuca (Loyd) Mongillo made it very uncomfortable for the opposition around their net, they also managed to contribute in the offensive zone as well and again their work ethic and contribution would not go unnoticed by the coach’s.
No one from the other team wanted to go into the corners against Nicholas Solimena or assistant captain Kianna Hudson. Their toughness provided the team some time to transition the ball out of their own end and provided seemless passing to inspire the team for many scoring opportunities. Solimena was awarded a player of the game recognition for his efforts also, and it was well-deserved.
Recent defensive converts Lucas Hillert and Liam McMullin had the coaches wondering what had taken them so long to make the change. Both players made the change seamlessly. Hillert’s assist on one of the goals against Georgetown was crucial for the victory and proved the Dogs would not lie down and go winless in their first ever Provincials, eliminating Georgetown from the tournament and advancing the under-aged group to the semifinals in their first ever attempt.
Team utility man Kyle Dessa proved he could play at any position. As a role player, Dessa was called upon to push the play forward, or shut the play down defensively and did it with a typical Dogs’ determination.
The coaching staff, including Americo Mongillo, Ian Macarthur, Sheldon Dessa, Todd Garbutt and Drew Thrower, were extremely proud of their team, and excited for the team’s future.
The Caledon Blueprint atom Bulldogs would like to thank Blueprint Hockey for bringing ball hockey to the Caledon area.
The Caledon Bulldogs are the rep division of the local ball hockey league. This year, the U-15 team has been invited to participate at Nationals as Team Ontario, which is a huge honour and the are looking forward to the challenge as the tournament takes place Aug. 1 to 4 in Oakville.
Those who are interested in the ball hockey program can come out and watch Champs Day for Ball Hockey July 31 at Caledon East Arena. Pro Hockey Life will be there, sponsoring the night, along with the new Brampton Beast of the CHL Professional Hockey League.
BluePrint Hockey offers year-round ice hockey camps along with the famous 3-on-3 Ice Hockey League and now House League and Rep Ball Hockey.
To register for next year’s league and for more information at www.blueprinthockey.com