The
Eastern Ontario Wild major ban-tam AAA team has advanced
to the provincial championships after sweeping past the
Ottawa Jr. 67s in the Hockey East Ontario (HEO) finals in
four straight games.
The Wild
won the first three games 9-2, 4-0 and 5-1 and then clinched
the title in emphatic fashion with a 10-0 win in Game 4.
After
amassing an impressive 33-2-1 record on their way to winning
the minor bantam championship last year, the Wild totally
dominated the rest of the HEO this past season going undefeated
in 38 games. Even when you include the four losses, they
still managed to compile a 64-4-4 record.
But all
that goes out the window as they prepare to take on the
best bantam teams from across the province in the All Ontario
Championships which are being held in Toronto from April
1-6.
For the
Wild to make it out of the round robin portion of the tournament
and into the playoffs, they will need to continue to get
significant production from the dynamic duo of Cedric Guindon
and David Goyette who both have more than 50 goals and 100
points so far this season � and that doesn't include tournament
action.
In 37
regular season and payoff games, Guindon scored 61 goals
and added 56 assists for a total of 117 points, while Goyette
has 53 goals and 64 assists in 38 games. A third player,
Brayden Bowen, scored 32 goals and added 53 assists in 38
games.
During
the regular season, the Wild scored a total of 247 goals,
135 more than their closet rivals. They also gave up a league
least 43 goals, which is half as many as the next team.
That's a goals for and against record of plus 204, which
works out to more than six goals per game.
The man
responsible for harnessing the players' immense talents
is veteran head coach John Robillard who is retiring once
the season is over after spending the better part of 25
years behind the bench, most of which were spent with the
Gloucester Rangers organization.
The team's
success on the ice this year carried over to the recent
CCHL bantam draft during which every player on the roster
was picked up.
Bowen
and Goyette were selected third and fourth overall by the
Cornwall Colts and the Hawkesbury Hawks respectively, and
Guindon was selected 11th overall by the Rockland Nationals.
The first
Orléans area player to be drafted was defenceman Cedricson
Okitundu who was selected 34th overall by the Navan Grads
in the fourth round.
Fellow
Orléans prospects Chrisitan Berini (21st - Rockland); Nicolas
White (38th - Rockland); Liam Hunter (46th - Navan); and
Ethan Shore (50th - Rockland) were also selected.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
CANADA DAY AT THE LEGION – Canadian Legion Branch 632 on Taylor Creek Road will be hosting a fun-filled day of family-friendly activities with music and food starting at 11 am. FREE FOR EVERYONE 
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.
CUMBERLAND FARMERS MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with 85 local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds! FREE ADMISSION 
STRAY DOG BREWING COMPANY presents Crroked Creek live and in concert in their taproom. From Montreal, Crooked Creek effortlessly blends bluegrass and country music genres. Tickets $15 available at 
