Highlights from a memorable sports year at home and abroad

December 20, 2024 · 0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

January

Polaczek leads Golden Hawks to 4-1 win over Midland Flyers

The Caledon Golden Hawks ushered in 2024 with an emphatic 4-1 win against their North Carruthers Division rival Midland Flyers. Caledon leading scorer Patrick Polaczek tallied a pair of goals—his sixteenth and seventeenth of the PJHL campaign—and Tyler Von Dehn and Liam Noonan scored one goal each to lead the Golden Hawks to their tenth victory in front of 150 fans at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Complex.

February

4 Athletes, 3 Builders, and 1 Team Enshrined at 1st Annual Caledon Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony

180 attendees enjoyed the anecdotes provided by inductees and their families at the First Annual Caledon Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Four athletes, three builders, and one team were enshrined: Bert McCaffrey played seven seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup in 1930 with the Montreal Canadiens. He scored a remarkable twenty goals in five games to lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal in the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. Laurie Graham was Canada’s top female downhill skier in the 1980’s and a three-time Olympian in 1980, 1984, and 1988. Graham captured a bronze medal in the 1982 World Championships, procured six World Cup victories, three national titles, and was the first Canadian to win on home snow at the first World Cup downhill event held at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Bob Knuckey—an elite triathlete—won the Toronto Marathon in 1976 with a finishing time of 2:28 and has won dozens of national and international masters titles in his running career. As a 58-year-old, Knuckey started competing in the triathlon and has captured four Ironman World Championships. Robin Platts is one of the three jockeys to win the King’s Plate a record four times. Platts accrued over 3,200 victories on horseback and competed in over 20,400 races during his 35-year career. Bill Whitbread was a long-time editor and reporter of The Caledon Enterprise. The legendary sports reporter was a tireless community sports advocate and promoted local athletes in his newspaper articles for decades. Conn Smythe bought land for a farm in Caledon in 1951 to breed race horses. Smythe’s stable won the King’s Plate twice and hosted the 1963 World Plowing Championships on his farm in 1963. Gord Everett was a dedicated and remarkable basketball coach who was the Bench Boss of Team Ontario from 2012 to 2019. Everett was recognized as the Ontario Basketball Elite Coach of the Year in 2012. Everett pioneered the Elite OSBA program at Humberview SS. The 2004 Mayfield Secondary School Girls Nordic Ski team captured the Provincial Championship and a host of other honors twenty years ago. The quintet featured Brittany Webster, Julie Porter, Gillian Montgomery, Brittany Barclay, and Robyn Kemp.

March

Bolton’s Matteo Castoro captures silver at the 52nd Annual Knights of Columbus Regional Free Throw Contest

Bolton’s Matteo Castoro came agonizingly close to capturing a gold medal at the 52nd annual Knights of Columbus Regional Free Throw Contest at the Villanova College Athletic Centre in King City. The Grade Five student at St. John Paul II Catholic Elementary School in Bolton was edged in a double tiebreaker by Emmanuel Murillo of St. Clement in Vaughan. Castoro and Murillo were deadlocked after the first round when both made 18 of their 25 foul shot attempts. The Boys 10 Division competitors both made 4 of 5 shots in Tiebreaker #1, but Murillo ran the table in Tiebreaker #2, going 5 for 5 and edging Castoro who went 3/5. The Castoro-Murillo showdown was by far the closest of the fourteen division competitions.

NCAA Stars Zoe Boyd and Kristin Della Rovere enjoying PWHL Rookie Experience in Ottawa

Zoe Boyd and Kristin Della Rovere—childhood best friends who are now professional hockey players for PWHL Ottawa – have travelled together through many of the most significant stages of their young lives. Born and raised in Caledon East, Della Rovere and Boyd played their formative years for the Caledon Hawks. After their afternoon practice at TD Place in Ottawa, the dynamic duo reflected on the fond memories connected to playing rep hockey in Caledon.

May

Banting Marauders dominate opponents to capture the first annual Caledon Cavaliers High School Girls Rugby Tournament at Humberview

The Banting Marauders defeated Nottawasaga Pines Timberwolves 22-5 to capture the First Annual Caledon Cavaliers High School Girls Rugby Tournament in drizzly conditions at Humberview Secondary School. The hometown Humberview Huskies secured the Consolation Championship with a tidy 19-7 victory over the Heart Lake Hurricanes. To secure their berth in the Championship Final, the Marauders steamrolled their opponents with opening round wins of 39-0 over Humberview and 42-0 shutout of Heart Lake. The Timberwolves earned their spot into the Championship in a similar fashion by shutting out Heart Lake and Humberview.

Bolton Brewers open 2024 NDBL season with 16-1 rout of Orillia Majors

The Bolton Brewers opened their 2024 North Dufferin Baseball League regular season with an emphatic 16-1 win over the Orillia Majors. The Brewers erupted for nine runs in the third inning at North Hill Park to create an insurmountable lead versus the visitors. Brett Chater, Ben Sterrit, Josh Hickey, and Aaron Dzib paced the Brewers’ well-balanced offensive attack with 2 hits each. Sterrit and Hickey scored 2 runs each for Bolton as the Brewers belted out 13 hits and drew 7 walks.

June

Caledon Senior Hockey League celebrates fiftieth season of competition and camaraderie

Mike Gasparini, Bill Moyer, and Dave Shoalts are gathered for a hot beverage and chinwag at Tim Hortons in Bolton—just down the hill from the arena that holds most of the Caledon Senior Hockey League’s best on-ice memories. After celebrating Season #50 with over 135 guests at its Annual Banquet at Caesar’s Centre in early May, it’s apparent these CSHL stalwarts are experiencing the lingering effects of a good party and a gathering of kindred souls. Shoalts—the retired, award-winning Globe and Mail sports reporter and author of Hockey Fight in Canada—served as Emcee of the gala event. Gasparini—a CSHL legend who has skated in all fifty of the league’s seasons—offered an ironic, good-natured dig at Shoalts: “Other than the Emcee, it was a great night and it was nicely done. Each guest received a gift, each female guest received a rose, and we had a great prize table.” Moyer, a CHSL regular for thirty-six years and the organization’s Vice President, also praised Shoalts’s mic work on May 3 as well as the joys of league membership: “It was a professional event.”

Hall Wolfpack wins second consecutive ROPSSAA Varsity Baseball championship

A high school baseball dynasty could be on the horizon for the Hall Wolfpack. The Varsity Boys Baseball team cruised to an 11-1 win over St. Paul’s (Mississauga) to capture their second consecutive ROPSSAA championship. With only three graduating players and a returning core rich in talent heading into their Grade 12 year in 2024-25, the prospect of a three-peat is a possibility for the East Caledon powerhouse. Although the Wolfpack trounced St. Paul’s in the title game by ten runs, it was a pair of narrow victories—6-5 over Humberview in the semifinals and 12-9 over Loyola in the quarterfinals— which created their pathway to the championship final.

July

35 teams compete in Caledon FC’s First Annual “Heart of Caledon” Soccer Tournament

Caledon FC’s Executive Director Gabe Borges was busy fielding calls while convening a seven-division, two-day soccer tournament. The amiable administrator took a break, scanned the five verdant fields of the Caledon East Community Complex, and, with a sense of accomplishment, observed that “It’s beautiful to see the park filled with games all day.” Thirty-five soccer teams from across Ontario – Niagara Falls, Aurora, Muskoka, Acton, Collingwood, Burlington, Ottawa, Windsor, Simcoe, Erin Mills, Toronto, Puslinch, and Milton – vied for the host club’s tournament hardware. Borges also noted that six Caledon United FC rep teams competed in the 1st Annual “Heart of Caledon”: “We’ve got a wide range of divisions for our first tournament: U13 Boys and U13 Girls; U14 Boys; U15 Boys and U15 Girls; U16 Boys; and Men’s.

Bolton Brewers capture NDBL pennant with dramatic 12-11 win over Owen Sound Baysox

The Bolton Brewers’ recipe for success has been a simple one this season: use big innings to bludgeon and subdue their opponents. This game in Owen Sound was no exception as the powerhouse Brewers exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning during their regular season finale. Home runs by Chris Fafalios and Jack Larmer, a game-winning hit by player-coach Mike Wallace, and a 156-pitch CG performance by Matteo Struthers helped Bolton secure a 12-11 win over the second-place Baysox and the NDBL pennant.

August

Caledon’s Alysha Newman captures bronze in Paris–Canada’s first Olympic medal in Women’s Pole Vault

Caledon resident Alysha Newman made history in France at the 33rd Olympiad. Newman cleared 4.85 meters to win Canada’s first Olympic medal in the Women’s Pole Vault. The 30-year-old three-time Olympian improved her own national record en-route to a bronze medal in Paris. The veteran Athletics team member—who has donned the Team Canada singlet in Rio (2016), Tokyo (2021), and Paris (2024) – is Canada’s first pole vaulter to win an Olympic medal in the sport in 112 years.

U13AA Caledon Hawks capture Summer League Championship at Scotiabank Pond

with 8-1 drubbing of Pacific Mall Patriots

The Dark Knights Hockey Team—in essence, the U13AA Caledon Hawks—won the Carnevale Hockey Group Summer League championship in Toronto. The team defeated the Pacific Mall Patriots 8-1 to hoist the championship hardware. As Head Coach Jim Schutz explained, “From late-May to August 12th, right from the get go, we outskated teams over the 14-game regular schedule. Our guys were really coachable, we adjusted forechecking strategies, and the players responded well to instruction. Their commitment level was excellent for the entire summer season.” They seized the summer league opportunity to build team spirit and take advantage of extra ice time in Toronto before their Fall season.

September

Caledon’s Roenik Mahal fires two goals

to cue 4-3 comeback victory over the Port Perry Lumberjacks in PJHL action

The Caledon Golden Hawks bounced back from a narrow 4-2 loss in Schomberg by defeating the Lumberjacks 4-3 in Port Perry. Roenik Mahal paced the Golden Hawks’ offence versus Port Perry with two goals. Josiah Dunkley opened the scoring against the Lumberjacks and Anton Smirov closed the scoring by firing the game winner with 62 seconds left to complete Caledon’s comeback victory. In the subsequent game, the Golden Hawks came out flying in Schomberg. Liam Noonan took a pass from Josiah Dunkley and beat Cougars netminder Anthony Paolini 31 seconds into the game to send a shock wave through the Trisan Centre. Dunkley, hot off a preseason hat trick against Midland, put Caledon up 2-0 before five minutes had elapsed.

October

5 athletes, 3 builders, and 1 team slated for

Induction into Caledon Sports Hall of Fame

The Town of Caledon announced that five athletes, three builders, and one team will comprise the Caledon Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. The Induction Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Caledon East Community Complex banquet hall. This year’s list of honorees: Athlete Category: Lisa Bentley – Triathlete; Beverly (McKnight) Holden – Synchronized Swimmer; Zoe MacKinnon – Field Hockey; Keith McCreary – Ice Hockey; Douglas Wood – Pole Vaulter. Builder Category: Angus Doughty – Nordic Skiing Coach/High School Sports Coach; Barrie Shepley – Triathlon Coach; Douglas Wood – Pole Vaulting Coach. Team Category: 1967 Bolton Kinsmen Juvenile ‘C’ Team – Don Casey, Jim Casey, Bill Clements, John Deachman, Jim Farquharson, Eugene Fewster, Perry Ford, Wayne Kirby, Karl Koper, Dale Lemon, John Lostchuck (manager), Chris Markey, Peter Markle (trainer), Bruce Matson, Roy McKay (coach), Harvey Newlove, Ted Praught, and Rob Salvian.

December

‘Tis the Season for giving and, for the second consecutive year, the U15BB Caledon Hawks have exceeded their laudable Food Drive goal. In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, this remarkable rep hockey team raised 1,110 lbs. of non-perishable food donations for Caledon Community Services/The Exchange in Bolton. According to team spokesperson and sponsor coordinator Silvana Robinson, “the team’s goal this year was 1,000 pounds. but they were able to exceed it through hard work and teamwork. Last year, their goal was 500 pounds and they exceeded that by 51 pounds. The team once again came together for the community and set the bar higher because they believed in themselves that they could do better and they did.”