- Well, since the Queen's Golden Gaels are going to play in the Memorial Centre, why not get a guy who's played there a time or two? Former Frontenacs and 67's goalie Brady Morrison, who was very good in the playoffs for the Brian Kilrea's boys last season, has committed to the Gaels. Morrison took classes at the U of O last season and the Gee-Gees had a goalie graduate, so it's a bit of a surprise to see him end up with the "other" GGs.
Gaels goalie Ryan Gibb, who played every minute of every game last season, will apparently get a break now and again.
The Gaels also announced that centre Jon Lawrance, a one-time Brandon Wheat King, and defenceman Marcus Halcro will wear the Tricolour next season. Both played with the Saskatchewan junior league's Nipawin Hawks last winter. Lawrance, 20, was captain in Nipawin last season, where he was second on his team in even-strength scoring (all told, he had 47 points in 58 games while playing for a defensive-minded club.) - The Belleville Intelligencer caught up with a Queen's alumna and former trainer with the Gaels, Erin Casselman, now an athletic therapist living in Ottawa. If memory serves, as a teen Casselman dragged the Ontario Soccer Association before the Ontario Human Rights Commission after she and another teammate on a boys team they had played had all season were arbitrarily barred from playing in the provincial championship.
- Canada is officially in a tight spot at the FIBA U-19 Worlds after a 14-point loss to Spain earlier today.
It's probably going to come down to Wednesday's game vs. Argentina for Canada (1-3), since it will take three wins to get into the quarter-final round. Their opponent tomorrow, Korea, plays up-tempo and doesn't appear to be an obvious pushover, but is giving up more than 100 points per game in this tournament (including 135 to the Aussies today), so defence, uh, might be an issue.
Regina's Kai Williams, who averaged 12 points and 6 boards as a frosh last season at South Dakota State, had his high scoring game for the tournament, 21 points in just 26 minutes. Anyways, cishoops.ca is The Source on this. - Speaking of cishoops.ca, good pickup on former St. Francis Xavier hoops standout Garry Gallimore, an alumnus of Nepean's Woodroffe High,signing with a first division team in Belgium.
Monday, July 16, 2007
CIS CORNER: GAELS POACH A GOALIE
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15 comments:
I wouldn't get too excited about Brady Morrison quite yet. I thought he had a very up and down season for the 67s last year. In fact, I saw goaltending as the weak link on that team last season - they just didn't have the confidence in their goaltending they had when Battachio (who is now at St. FX) played for them. I guess we will now see if perhaps it was a bad 67s team in front of Morrison contributing to the problem, which is entirely possible.
People who follow the Queen's hockey team are plenty excited enough about Ryan Gibb, from what I'm told.
Gibb's terrific, but the team needed offence, not goaltending, after being outscored 3-1 in two playoff games.
Well, Tyler, I checked Lawrance's numbers last season in the SJ, which is the second- or third-best provincial Junior A circuit in the country. He had 47 points in 58 games, but he wore the 'C' and was second on his team in even-strength points.
Just going off the goals-for and goals-against, Nipawin allowed the second-fewest in the league.
Nono - I think Lawrence (with an "e", the Queen's press release spelled it wrong) is a terrific addition - but please remember just how many scoring forwards Queen's lost for this year - it's not just the captain Brad Walford, it's also prolific scorer Jamie Brock, alternate captain Andrew Gilbert, and solid middle-of-the-road forward Sam Colizza - not to mention their best defensive forward in Brian Moore. I don't see one guy making up for all that.
How did Ottawa lose a goaltender they had already on campus?I have not been impressed with Gee Gees men's hockey since the present coaching staff took over.
Morrison took classes at Ottawa last year while playing with the 67's; that in no ways infers what school he might go on to play CIS hockey at. If he decided Queen's was a better fit for him academically, that's his business.
So Tyler, it is Lawrence with two E's? The SJHL website also had it "Lawrance."
Okay Neate, but Morrison is one player. I still have not been impressed with what the present coaching staff have done with Gee Gees hockey since taking over from the Mickey Goulet era.
Well, that's a valid point and to level, I know I haven't observed the program nearly as many years as you have, so you're on firmer ground and the point is valid.
In fairness, though, the bar was set fairly high after Goulet left to go to Europe and top to bottom, CIS hockey is very competitive. The Eastern half of the OUA has two problems that almost never had to rebuild in Trois-Rivieres and McGill, and U of T is usually pretty decent.
two programs. D'oh!
UQTR has long been the Beast of the Far Eastern Division of the OUA. Goulet's teams had to practice in the abominable Minto Arena and play in the dismal Sandy Hill Arena. With newer facilities to offer recruits, GeeGee hockey seems to slipping a bit lately rather than moving upwards as they should.
Actually, the old facilities were a form of psychological warfare. If the prospect of playing the GeeGee team didn't frighten the visitng team, a look at the fscilites would.
Neate - might be either - I just know hockeydb had it Lawrence. Perhaps it is with an "a".
Also - he's not playing for the Gee-Gees because Ottawa already had without question the best 1-2 goaltending duo in Martin Bricault and Jordan Watt.
Watt graduated, actually -- last year was his fifth season (plus two more as a goalie coach when he neeeded to focus on his law school studies).
The third goalie last season was Andrew Hamilton, from Napanee, whom I believe previously played with Pembroke in Central Jr. A.
Meant insofar as any prior attachment to the team.
Still stand by my assertion that there's a worrying lack of scoring potential from a team that desperately needs more of it.
However, if Ryan Gibb can be 2007 Ryan Gibb for all of 07-08, then I doubt it's going to be a nailbiter for the playoff spot in the mideast.
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