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Sarnia Legionnaires 2009 - 2010
sponsored by:
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Team Canada Under 20
Hockey
by Dan
McCaffery
special to
Bob Williams (Legionnaires General
Manager), Jess Drydak, Tom Knight
(Legionnaires President)
Sarnia Legionnaire
scoring sensation
Jesse Drydak is
going to play for
his country this
spring.
The speedy
right-winger has
been selected to
suit up for Team
Canada in the Under
20 hockey tournament
set to take place in
Sweden later this
month.
Drydak is the only
member of the
Western Ontario
Hockey Conference
(and one of only two
athletes from the
entire Greater
Ontario Hockey
League) chosen for
the Canadian team.
The rest of the
squad, which will be
coached by former
NHL superstar Dale
Hawerchuck, will
consist of Jr. 'A'
skaters.
Drydak said the
honour took him
completely by
surprise.
"I knew nothing
about this at all,
he said. I was
playing road hockey
when Bobby
(Legionnaire general
manager Bob
Williamson) called
and told me I'd been
selected.
Asked about
Hawerchuck, he said,
It's a pretty
awesome experience
to be able to play
for him.
In fact, Hawerchuck
scored 518 NHL goals
during a career that
include more than
1,100 big league
games. More than
that, he was on the
ice when Wayne
Gretzky scored the
famous goal that won
the 1987 Canada Cup.
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Drydak,
who
turns 19
in July,
has just
completed
a
breakout
season
with the
Legionnaires.
After
collecting
17 goals
and 32
points
in his
rookie
year, he
led the
team in
scoring
this
past
winter
with 32
goals
and 63
points.
In the
playoffs,
he found
the back
of the
net three times
and
added
seven
assists
for 10
points
in just
seven
games.
The
Petrolia
native,
who
lives in
Camlachie,
gave
credit
to
Legionnaire
coach
Jeff
Perry
for much
of his
success.
I had a
lot of
confidence
going
into the
year,
he said.
I
wanted
to be a
'go-to'
guy and
I had a
coach
like
Jeff
Perry,
who
pushes
you to
your
absolute
limits.
He
really
helped
me
become
that
player. |
Williamson said the
Legionnaires will
hold a 'welcome home
celebration' for
Drydak at the Sarnia
Arena on Friday,
April 23 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $5 and
are available from
any executive member
or by calling
519-336-8464. All
proceeds will go
toward offsetting
the cost of sending
Drydak to Europe.
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The Legionnaires
will hold their
annual early
bird season
ticket sale on
Saturday, May 1
at the Royal
Canadian Legion
on Front Street
from 2 p.m. to 6
p.m. Team
president Tom
Knight said
prices have been
frozen at last
year's level,
meaning a season
ticket holder
will see 25
games for a
scant $3.96 per
contest. The
economy in
Sarnia-Lambton
is still
fragile, Knight
said. We think
it's important
to hold the
price at less
than $4 a
ticket. The
first 100 fans
to purchase
season tickets
will receive a
prize.
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The club will
start games next
season at 7
p.m., a half
hour earlier
than has been
the traditional
starting time.
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The Legionnaires
will stage a
'Hockey Day in
Sarnia' event in
2011 on the same
day as the
annual 'Hockey
Day in Canada'
celebrations.
The club is in
the planning
stages on this
event more
information will
be released in
the future.
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Williamson also
announced the
Legionnaires
will hold their
annual mini-camp
at the Germain
Park Arena on
Saturday, May 8
from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. More than
80 players are
expected to
attend, with
invitations
having gone out
to midget, AAA,
Jr. 'C' and Jr.
'D' players from
across the
region.
Developing local
talent is what
the Legionnaires
are all about,
Williamson said.
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When the St.
Thomas Stars
made it to the
Western Jr. 'B'
hockey finals
this spring they
broke a record
that had been
held by the
Legionnaires for
nearly half a
century. St.
Thomas, which
finished in
seventh place
during the
regular
schedule, became
the lowest
ranked team ever
to make it to
the finals.
Prior to that,
the 1962
Legionnaires
held the
distinction,
having made it
to the
championship
round after
finishing in
sixth place.
Interestingly,
the original
Legionnaires
made it to the
league finals
nine times
during the 14
years that they
operated as a
Jr. 'B' team
(from the
1954/55 season
until the
1967/68
campaign). They
won the
championship in
1957, 1958,
1959, 1966 and
1968 and lost
the final in
1955, 1961, 1962
and 1967. The
modern
Legionnaires
have also made
it to the
Western final,
where they won
the 2009
championship.
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