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As hockey season wraps up, the John Diefenbaker Senior School (JDSS) boys hockey team should be immensely proud of their achievements on the ice. For the first time in the school's history, the team earned a spot at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships.
Coached by construction teacher, Glen Hayhurst, the team performed very well against other local teams. Their record in regular season play was 5-1, earning them a spot in the Bluewater Athletic Association semifinals, where they defeated Kincardine 3-2 in double overtime that went to the eighth shooter. JDSS earned a berth in the finals, but lost to St. Mary’s 2-1 in overtime. Despite the loss, they had secured their place in the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) competition, where they defeated St. David 4-2, lost to Paris 4-1, and edged Norwell 3-2 in overtime. In the CWOSSA semifinals against Southwood, JDSS prevailed with a 5-1 victory, thus earning a spot at OFSAA even though they lost their final game against Paris 4-2.
The boys headed into the provincials as the 16th ranked team among 16 teams. They were seated in a pool, which pitted them against Regiopolis, the third ranked team in Ontario. They lost 4-2 in a game where Nolan Brown kept it close with over 40 saves. Their second game against St. Michael's, the fifth seated team, was remarkably close right up to the end, finishing with a 2-1 loss. Austin Farlow scored the lone goal, assisted by Owen Breen. St. Michael's went on to win the OFSAA championship. In their final game against Crestwood, the JDSS team came out hot. Sheldon Driscoll fed Luke Macinnis the puck to score the only goal in the 1-0 game. Liam Clair earned a shutout and Aaron Dukeshire was named the most valuable player. While Coach Hayhurst was with the team all season, Alex McGillivray and Taylor Weber both accompanied the team to OFSAA as assistant coaches.
None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the community. Local business owner, Lisa Driscoll, realized that with a win right before the March break, there would be limited time to raise funds for the team to head to St. Catherines. Lisa was joined by Jack Davis and Melanie Reid to take on fundraising, which included generous donations from 19 businesses and organizations within the community. Their contributions almost covered the cost of the tournament, including the gala banquet and an opportunity for some team bonding in Niagara Falls after competing.
The standards for making it to OFSAA in both team sports and individual sports are very prestigious. Earlier this year, JDSS swimmer, Tristan Bouius, competed in the OFSAA senior boys 50m freestyle and the 100m breaststroke. Mia Bosman also advanced to OFSAA in the open girls 100m breaststroke. Cross-country runners Tristan Bouius, Ashlynn Lantz, Alex Boyko, Lexi Franks, Ava Moric, and Eli Bouius competed at OFSAA this fall as well.
The excitement at JDSS is palpable with many excellent athletes in the building!