Clarington sports briefs for July 3

Knights' stifling defence leads to win over Ajax-Pickering

CLARINGTON -- The second meeting between the Clarington Knights and the Ajax-Pickering Dolphins proved to be the match-up that was expected when the Knights traveled down the 401 to Pickering recently.

That day anything that could go wrong did for the Knights, including losing their starting QB Mike Nicolaou.

This time around head coach Dan Labanowich hoped that with some personnel changes and new schemes, the results would prove more favourable. Under the lights at Clarington Fields on Saturday, the Knights gave the Dolphins all they could handle. The defense, lead by veterans Troy Jowitt, Taylor Somann and Justin Sutton pressured the highly potent Dolphins offense every minute of the game limiting Ajax to only a handful of first downs in a 7-0 Knights victory.

The Knights offense, lead by safety turned quarterback Josh Lee-Jones, controlled the tempo of the game for most of the contest by dominating the time of possession. After Ajax made an early first quarter goal line stand, the Knights found themselves in a position to take the lead after Lee-Jones and the running of Brian Marks and Luc Oakes drove the team deep into Ajax territory.

After Lee-Jones was shaken up on the next play, rookie pivot Branden Labanowich came in to finish the drive for the Knights when he carried the ball over from the two yard line giving the Knights the first and only score of the game.

Defensively, Jowitt was a standout, and the Dolphin quarterbacks were intercepted three times by Kevin Kinahan and Shane Rice.

Offensive standouts for the Knights included the St. Stephens running back pair of Jacob Roy and Conner Vale, who also added the extra point and a punting average of over 35 yards for the evening. Rookie running back Nathaniel Allen also had some big gains, including a 25-yarder.

The victory for the Knights was particularly sweet for the coaching duo of Dave Jowitt and Dan Labanowich because it represented the first victory for the Clarington Tigercats-Durham Knights organization over Ajax-Pickering at any level in the club's history.

The next home game for the Knights will be on Sunday, July 27 at 3 p.m. when they face the Forest City Thunderbirds from London.

Novice 1 Gaels win second straight tourney

CLARINGTON -- The BDO Dunwoody LLP and EJ Equipment Movers Clarington Novice 1 Green Gaels won their second consecutive tournament at the Harry Kazarian Memorial.

The feisty Gaels went 5-0 over the weekend, taking Game 1 by a 5-2 count against Orangeville and Games 2, 3 and by beating Halton Hills (7-2), Whitby 2 (6-0) and Burlington (6-1) to set up the final against Whitby 1.

Both Whitby and Clarington came to play. Despite the intense heat in the arena, the Gaels came out storming and scored immediately after the opening faceoff. However, for reasons unknown, this first goal was disallowed although no penalty or violation was called. Not to be discouraged, the Gaels scored again in the first minute of play to take the early lead. The Gaels added to their lead at the 10-minute mark of the first, but Whitby replied shortly after to keep it close at 2-1.

The Gaels scored two more in the second frame while Whitby added one, making it 4-2 after two periods. The third period saw both teams take four penalties and continue trading goals, with Whitby holding the edge at 2-1 in the third frame. It was a close finish with the Gaels coming out on top 5-4 at the final buzzer. The stellar play of Luke Burghardt (3g,1a) earned him a second straight final game MVP award.

The Gaels again played a solid weekend of lacrosse before the confident goaltending of Brett Poulin and Steven Walsh. All three lines contributed both offensively and defensively to ensure the Harry Kazarian title was brought home to Clarington. The Novice 1 Gaels are: Luke Burghardt, Luke Keenan, Leah Michel, Carson Gallagher, Nicholas Gauvin, Stevie Cote, Tanner Cook, Braedon Munro, Blake Strong, Matthew Hotchkiss, Erik Strahl, Tyler McGregor, Justin Bragg, Carson Lecours and Tyler Farquharson.

Bowmanville Eagles hand out 2007/08 awards

BOWMANVILLE -- The Bowmanville Eagles officially closed the book on the 2007-08 season by handing out their end of the year awards recently. They are as follows: Most Dedicated Player -- Andrew Fracz; Crouch Award for Scholastic Excellence -- John Bull; Rookie of the Year -- Josh Shalla; Top Scorer -- Josh Shalla; Most Sportsmanlike -- Andrew Fracz; Best Defensive Player -- Andrew Fracz; Most Improved -- Dustin Curran; Most Underrated -- Daniel McCarthy; Player Contributing the Most -- Andrew Fracz; Loyalty and Leadership -- Tomek Budziakowski; Best Defenceman -- Michael Gilchrist; MVP of Playoffs -- Dan Clarke.

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