OFSAA caps Hawks season

By Darren Lum

Published Nov. 15 2016

The Red Hawks have nothing to be ashamed about playing on the highest stage for Ontario’s high school field hockey said head coach Steve Smith.
“Sometimes it’s about the experience” he said. “They can build on that. For some of them this has been a couple years they have gone to OFSAA but I think for them they had their eyes opened by the talent that’s actually out there in Ontario.”
He reminded his team they were among the best 16 teams in Ontario.
“They can’t take that away from them” he said.
The team entered the tournament as the 13th seed and was in pool D with fourth seed Dr. Frank Hayden Secondary School and fifth seed Clarkson Secondary School.
They played games on Thursday Nov. 3 and 4.
The Hawks lost their first game 2-nil to Hayden who eventually went on to win bronze. Haliburton then followed up with another narrow 2-nil loss to fifth seed Clarkson Secondary School.
“They had their chances. It was 0-0 going into the second half. They had a couple of short-corners and couldn’t capitalize and the team they played that was fourth was really frustrated with our defence. Their coach was losing it … and the second game it was the same thing against the fifth place team. The girls had their chances. It could have been easily 2-2” he said.
Giving up a combined four goals to the fourth and fifth ranked teams in the province was proof how well the team performed he said.
Although the OFSAA website said the Hawks lost 5-nil in their last game against Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School the team actually responded with three goals in the second half to lose 5-3.
“That’s an OFSAA rule. Once you get down by five goals they stop the score. They don’t keep the score after five goals. That’s because about six years ago one team was blown out by 19-0” he said.
Smith said it was a team goal to score at the all-provincials which didn’t happen last year.
Just getting to OFSAA was well earned.
The field hockey team finished the Kawartha High School Field Hockey League undefeated in four games and then earned its all-provincial berth with a dramatic comeback COSSA (Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics) final win erasing two-goal deficit to beat perennial rival North Hastings High School Huskies 3-2.
Eight players he said are expected to graduate and leave the team including goalies Sonya Flatman and Gillian King. Flatman hinted to Smith she may return for a fifth year if  she doesn’t earn an all-provincial berth in wrestling.
Although veterans such as Kenndal Marsden and Jamie Little are moving on the defensive corps that was so effective this season is returning and can only improve with another season and long run into the post-season. Such players like defenders Emily Klose Mia Quigley and Alicia Villamere are returning.
“Defensively minus the goaltender we’re doing all right” he said.
Until the season starts there are a lot of question marks entering rebuilding year but he’s proud of his team.
“The girls have nothing to be ashamed of so it was a good season and I look forward to [next season]” he said.