The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2012 Turning the corner Loyola first non-Toronto team to repeat at Silver Fox By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Running the floor and filling the net, as the Loyola Hawks did so effectively the past few seasons, is a real fun way to play basketball. Apparently, manning up and playing some hard-nosed defence can be enjoyable as well. Despite having nowhere near the offensive firepower that helped Loyola reach the provincial finals the past two years, this year's edition of the Hawks is rounding into form for a run at a fourth straight Halton senior boys title. Last weekend, Loyola became the first non-Toronto team to repeat as champions at the Silver Fox Invitational in Hamilton, winning the 20-team tournament by defending the entire length of the court. Jake Babic led all scorers (27 points) in Saturday's championship game, a 73-62 Hawks victory over Ancaster's Bishop Tonnos Titans, while Rohan Boney added 23 and was named tournament MVP. But Hawks head coach Gary Laurin was just as quick to gush about the performances of Matthew Santos, Simon Marion and Oliver McMayoni. "We're very happy with how our role players played. They gave us everything on the defensive end last weekend," Laurin said. "They worked extremely hard and fought for every inch of that floor." Laurin is the first to admit that his squad lacks the abundance of scoring options it enjoyed in seasons past. Gone are point guard Mike L'Africain (University of Ottawa), sharp-shooter Adam Presutti (McMaster), big man Mike Andrews (Laurentian) and versatile Peter Rusic (Findlay Prep in Las Vegas). But having less weapons doesn't mean the Hawks can't be successful once again. "(The last few years), at some points, we had five guys on the floor that could score 20 points in any given game. This year, we don't have that. We struggle a little bit with that because we're so used to having that diversity in scoring," Laurin said. "But the guys took it on themselves, said we'll do it this way and we'll get it done. (They'll) do whatever (they) can to help this team out." And that willingness to sacrifice offensive stats in favour of unsung defensive work is what makes it fun. "When you have guys playing unselfish basketball, not worrying about scoring and picking it up on the defensive end, it says a lot about those kids," Laurin said. "Not that (previous teams) haven't had heart, because we've always played with a lot of passion, but on the defensive end it can be hard for a lot of kids to pick that up. "It's very rewarding. I don't know if it's better, but it is rewarding." NOTES: Loyola's other wins at the Silver Fox came over West Humber (73-49), Northern Sarnia (63-50) and D'Youville (59-48). Tomi Skoko had 16 points against Humber, Babic scored 19 against Northern Sarnia and Boney had 28 against D'Youville. The Hawks were the sixth seed in the tournament... Approximately half of last year's Loyola squad attended the Silver Fox final to cheer for the Hawks. "It's just a good feeling all the way around when you have those types of bonds and ties," Laurin said... The Hawks, Holy Trinity Titans and St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders are competing in this week's Fred Scione Memorial Catholic Cup, which will determine the Halton representative for the provincial allCatholic championships later this season... The Halton league season shuts down this week for exams. The Hawks and Titans resume action Feb. 7 and then meet each other two days later in the final game of the regular season. "That's always a big game. Do I put a lot of stock in it? Absolutely," said Laurin. LOCAL CLUB HOSTS ANNUAL MEET: Oakville Speed Skating Club member Letissia Taricani goes through a turn during the club's annual Silver Ability Meet Sunday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. Nearly 200 competitors of all ability and age levels participated in the allday event. Results from the meet will appear in an upcoming edition of the Beaver. MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER Appleby student earns U18 hockey gold By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Kristyn Capizzano had watched the scene many times -- Canadian players with gold medals draped around their neck singing O Canada -- wondering if that would ever be her. After helping Canada blank the United States 3-0 in the final of the World Women's Under-18 Hockey Championship earlier this month, Capizzano got to experience it. "Getting that medal is something I've always dreamed of," she said. "Standing on the blueline with my teammate with the national anthem playing, I've never had a better feeling than that -- definitely my favourite hockey moment." And it could be one she gets to experience again. Capizzano was one of just five 1995-born players on the Canadian roster who are eligible to return next year. The Appleby College student turned 17 the same day Canada beat Finland 7-0 to improve to improve to 3-0 at the tournament in the Czech Republic. Three days later, she scored her first international goal in a 7-0 semifinal victory over Sweden. "It was a lot of hard work from my teammates," she said. "My linemate took a shot and I was in the right place at the Kristyn Capizzano right time to put in the rebound." In addition to making her national team debut, See Czech, page 27