niagara sports magazine - nov

INAUGURAL ISSUE

HOMETOWN LEADERNIAGARA’S ALEX FRIESEN

NIAGARA’S PREMIER SPORTS MAGAZINE

MIKE & JESSICA KEMP ATHLETIC TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

SABRINA D’ANGELOSOUTH CAROLINA FRESHMAN

ROCKY DIPIETROLAKESHORE CATHOLIC

AND MORE ...

Always so good for so little®

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NIAGARA SPORTS MAGAZINE - 1st EDITION

NIAGARA SPORTS MAGAZINE - 3 - 1st EDITION

TABLE OF CONTENTSFeaturesAlex Friesen ........................... 4-5,7-8Mike and Jessica Kemp......... 10-11, 15Sabrina D’Angelo......................... 16-17Rocky DiPietro ............................ 19-22

Niagara Trivia ................................... 8Niagara Q & A................................... 9 Ryan Strome Poster..................... 12-13Niagara’s Top Performers................ 18 Inside the Numbers .......................... 23

ALEX FRIESEN MIKE & JESSICA KEMP SABRINA D’ANGELO ROCKY DIPIETRONIAGARA ICEDOGS KEMP FINANCIAL SOUTH CAROLINA LAKESHORE CATHOLIC

ADVERTISERSSwiss Chalet................................... IFC Kemp Financial ................................. 3 Midas ................................................ 6 Josten’s, Wally Barrow ...................... 6Jim Bradley, MPP............................... 8 Steelmark Business Services............ 9First Ontario Credit Union ................. 14John Bear ......................................... 14Domino’s Pizza ................................ 23Joel Smith Photography.................... BC

ABOUT NSMShawn Whiteley

Publisher / Business Manager

Dr. Lorne J. Adams, Editor

Paul Dwyer, Advertising Sales Rep.

Jeff Adams, Advertising Sales Rep.

Bram Cotton, Sales / Distribution

Shawn McCart, Sales / Distribution

Contributing WritersRod Mawhood

Joseph CassidyAngus Gillespie

Contributing PhotographersJoel Smith PhotographySouth Carolina Athletics

Niagara University Athletics

Established in 2011, Niagara Sports Magazine is a free monthly, family-oriented publication, distributed throughout the Niagara Region. We at NSM cover a wide variety of sports highlighted by great local and regional sports stories. We aim to establish ourselves as the preeminent sports magazine in the Niagara Region.

A TOTAL FINANCIAL SECURITY PLANJessica Kemp B.A., M.B.A. Mike Kemp B.B.A.President / Financial Advisor Financial Security Advisor905-682-2651 ext. 311 905-682-2651 ext. [email protected] [email protected]

www.kempfinancialgroup.com



FROM BACKYARD RINK tO CENTRE STAGEBy Rod Mawhood______________________________________

Many kids dream about a life in hockey, the great Canadian past time. However, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Alex Friesen does, indeed, live the dream.

Ever since he can remember, hockey has been a part of his life. The now 20-year old Niagara IceDog centreman vividly remembers when he first picked up a hockey stick. “I always remember my dad making an ice rink in the backyard for me and my brother,” said Friesen who made his organized hockey debut in the Niagara-on-the-Lake system, before making the move to AAA hockey in Niagara Falls when he was 12 years old.

“We had a great team in the Falls. I played with Justin Shugg (Carolina Hurricanes draft pick) Taylor Beck (Nashville Predators draft pick), Johnson Andrews (former Niagara IceDog) and a number of other guys that are playing locally now in the Jr. B loop.”

It was from playing in Niagara Falls that Friesen quickly learned that hockey was more than a sport. It quickly became a way of life.

Friesen’s midget numbers spoke for themselves, 45 goals, 67 assists, and 66 penalty minutes in just 69 games played.

That production had many predicting that he could go anywhere in the first three rounds of the Ontario Hockey League priority draft.

The wait was short. On May 5, 2007, Friesen was drafted in the second round, 35th overall, by the then Mississauga IceDogs. Later that spring, the team moved to Niagara.

“I was in total shock. I was following the draft on-line, and (Dave Brown) called me right after it came up on the screen. I really didn’t know what to expect, or

NIAGARA ICEDOGS ALEX FRIESEN

where I was going. I think my parents really liked it too because my brother went away, and I was staying close to home so I think they liked that aspect of it.”

That’s right. Alex wasn’t the only Friesen to make it to the Ontario Hockey League. His older brother Gary was drafted in the third round, 52nd overall by the Oshawa Generals in 2003. Gary Friesen played a total of three OHL seasons with the Generals and Sudbury Wolves before moving on to play with the Brock Badgers.

“My family wasn’t too familiar with the whole OHL before, and I remember going to almost all of his (Gary’s) games. I really got a taste of the OHL, and what to expect, and I think that definitely helped me,” explained Alex Friesen.

Alex’s first year in the OHL, with the Niagara IceDogs, was definitely a learning experience. The former minor hockey star was a healthy scratch on many nights and finished with just five goals and 14 points in 46 games – a far cry from his midget numbers.

“It was definitely a big jump from midget, and I was frustrated at times, but I got through it.”

And get through it he did - with flying colours.

Photo: Joel Smith Photography

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Friesen’s numbers and ice-time continued to soar in his second and third years in the league. In 2008, his NHL draft year, he had 11 goals and 33 points, then added 23 goals and 37 helpers during the 2009-2010 campaign.60 points isn’t overly impressive at the OHL level. But what was, and continues to be, is Friesen’s work ethic, and one of the most underrated statistics in hockey – faceoffs.

On any given night Friesen can play forward, or on the point or on the powerplay. He kills penalties, lays thunderous body checks, and is relied upon for key faceoffs in the defensive zone and during the most important times of a hockey game.

That didn’t go unnoticed by NHL scouts and Friesen was about to take another step forward in his hockey career.

He was drafted to the National Hockey League in the 6th round (172nd overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in 2010. That’s a long way from playing on his Dad’s backyard rink.

“It was awesome. Getting drafted in my second year of eligibility was something special,” a smiling Friesen said. “Going to an NHL camp really opens your eyes to see what it takes to get to the next level, how hard some of these guys work, and the commitment that’s involved to make the next step.”

After his first NHL camp in the summer of 2010, Vancouver returned Friesen to Niagara where he had a career-high with the IceDogs scoring 26 goals and 66 points in just 60 games.

Those numbers guaranteed Friesen would be back at the Canucks Training Camp this year. His hard work, both on and off the ice over the summer, paid off once again as Friesen played in his first

NHL game, albeit exhibition, against the Calgary Flames.

Friesen’s mom, dad, aunt and grandfather even flew out for the occasion.

“It’s something I’ll never forget. Stepping onto the ice, and everyone there. It really surprised me how supportive and how nice everyone involved with the team was. They really want you to do well. It really reflects well on the organization.”

After a few days at main camp in Vancouver, Friesen was sent to the Canucks American Hockey League affiliate Chicago Wolves, where he played in three games registering an assist.

It was in Chicago that Friesen quickly learned about the business side of hockey once again. The Canucks brass wanted him to stay in Chicago and play upwards of 25 games without signing him to an entry level NHL contract.

After much contemplation and talks with his agent and family, Alex decided it was

best for his hockey career to return to Niagara, to a team that many predict has a chance to advance to the Memorial Cup this season.

“My first camp went well, my second camp went a little better, and I’m hoping

to carry that through with a another great year with the IceDogs into my third camp to make an even bigger impression and sign and stick to at least the AHL.”

Friesen’s supporters certainly have the pedigrees to assess and dissect his game. His main contact in Vancouver is former NHLer Dave Gagner, who is now the Canucks Director of Player Development, while his personal skating coach has local hockey connections. Hamilton, Ontario native Ryan Lounsbury is the former assistant coach with the Brock Badgers Men’s Hockey team. Throw in another former NHLer in Craig MacTavish and Friesen has the resources to

improve and develop his game.

“Vancouver always talks about their team speed, and they want their game to be played

at a high-level. That’s why I worked with Ryan Lounsbury – to improve my skating. Craig MacTavish (Head Coach in Chicago) really harped on adding pieces of your game to make you a complete player, so that’s what I want to keep doing. I win faceoffs; I have to keep doing that. I need to keep playing two-way hockey, I can’t just make it as a one-way player.”

While many 20 year-olds are worried about part-time jobs, their girlfriends, or what bar they’re going to on Friday night, Friesen spends most of his days at the gym.

“Training never really stops. If you’re not training almost every day you’re a step behind. Even throughout the year, I think you’re spending a lot more time at the gym than at the rink,” said Friesen who also somehow finds the time to take a psychology course at Brock University.


AT THE 2010 NHL ENTRY DRAFT, FRIESEN WAS SELECTED IN THE 6th ROUND (172nd OVERALL) by vancouver



Jim Bradley, MPPSt. Catharines

Good luck with the Inaugural Edition of the Niagara Sports Magazine!

Constituency Office:

2 Secord Drive, Unit 2St. Catharines, ON L2N 1K8

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1. How many NHL Draft picks are on the 2011-12 Niagara Ice Dogs roster?

2. How many NCAA Division I transfers does the Brock men’s basketball team have this season?

3. What Niagara Generals atom player was named the COMFL Championship Game Most Valuable Player in their 21-12 victory over Burlington?

4. How many career points did Jessica and Mike Kemp combine for in their university basketball careers at Niagara U. and Brock?

NIAGARA SPORTS TRIVIA

What makes Friesen even more impressive is his professionalism and humbleness.

“I don’t think too many people get this opportunity. It’s awesome. It’s my fifth year (with the IceDogs) and I love playing in the Niagara Region. To get my friends and family out to watch and support me every night is something I’ll never forget, and definitely helps a lot. To know that so many people support you, it definitely makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable.”

Just over four years after being drafted to the OHL, and 17 months after being selected by Vancouver in the NHL entry draft, Friesen is the first to admit that hockey is more than a sport. It’s now his job.

“For sure, it’s a business. And you have to remember that. It’s a job. It’s all about money, not just about hockey anymore. You know that, and you just have to stay focused.”

And if Friesen continues on his current path that “whole experience” will indeed take him to the next level.

Notes: Alex’s sister Julia also has athletic genes. She’s currently on an academic scholarship, and playing varsity soccer with the St. Lawrence University Saints in Canton, New York. Friesen’s father is a guidance/co-operative education teacher at Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines, while his mother Lucy is Chief Marketing Officer at Pillitteri Estate Wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake.


To advertise in Niagara Sports Magazine contact

Paul Dwyer, Sales Representative [email protected]



.

Coaching Awards2008 OUA Men’s Coach of the Year2011 CURC Men’s Coach of the Year

What was it like to win the CURC Men’s 8 for the first time since 2003?

Our guys really worked hard this season and came together at the right time to win one of the more coveted gold medals in Canadian Rowing.

I think being able to connect with the alumni that were in the boat in 2003, and having some of them in attendance at the CURCs was great. Having our current student-athletes connect back to the past history and success of our rowing program is something special. Brock Rowing has a “rich tradition of excellence.”

What was it like to be named the 2011 CURC Men’s Coach of the Year?

It was real nice to win this special coaching award. It definitely means that I am in the right place in my coaching career. Having the opportunity to learn and develop from coaches like Paul Beidling and Mike Purcer has been great for my overall coaching development.

What are your future goals?

I will finish off my Master’s Degree in Sport Management from Brock University in 2012. I really enjoy the research process; so whether or not it is in professional coaching or academics, all the things I have learned will carry through in either career.

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By Shawn WhiteleyNiagara Sports Magazine_____________________________

In the business of athletics and the working world not many can say they have excelled in both before the age of 30.

Local siblings Mike and Jessica Kemp, who grew up in Niagara Falls, had what it took to be successful right from a young age. They were provided with positive role models from their parents Rick and Anne, both successful business and community members in the Niagara Region for the past 35 years.

In addition, Rick’s brother Darrell played college baseball at Niagara University and played in the Anaheim Angels minor

league system. He has also been a role model growing up and has been part of the family business for 25 years.

“My role model and mentor both growing up and in life today are both my mom and dad,” said Jessica. “They have been successful people and business professionals whom I have always looked up to.”

“In my personal and business life today my role models are my mom and dad,” said Mike. “Growing up playing baseball it was my uncle who I looked up to. It was just the way he went about the game that I admired and how hard he worked to make it to the level he made it to as a professional player.”

Jessica and Mike both were standout high school and university athletes

taking different paths to their athletic success. Today they are both successful business professionals with Kemp Financial Group, a company owned by their family.

“We didn’t know any different growing up in an athletic family,” said Jessica. “Everything was shaped around sporting events, competition, team comradery and always trying to get better. We were very fortunate to have that background because we wouldn’t be where we are today without that.”

Jessica is currently the President and Financial Advisor at Kemp Financial Group and Mike is a Financial Advisor.

“We always wanted to get involved in the family business,” said Jessica.

“What we have set up here for us and the great opportunity that we have is something special,” said Mike. “Coming out of school, we needed to find our own way first before we

ATHLETIC To BUSINESS SUCCESSFORMER STANDOUT ATHLETES MIKE AND JESSICA KEMP BUILDING COMPANY PORTFOLIo

started realizing this is something we should be getting involved with sooner than later.”

Jessica, one of the top women’s basketball players to come out of the Niagara Region, enjoyed a stellar basketball career right from high school through the professional ranks.

She attended A.N. Myer High School, being named Female Athlete of the Year in 2000, before going on to play four seasons with NCAA Division I



Mike and Jessica Kemp, one of the all-time ATHLETIC brother-sister combinations to come out of Niagara Region.

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Niagara University Purple Eagles from 2000-2004. With Niagara University she played in 113 career games, finishing with 1157 points (10.2 ppg) and 628 rebounds (5.6 rpg) which ranks sixth all-time.

She was also named the Purple Eagles Rookie of the Year in 2000, and received both the Coaches Award and Defensive Player of the Year Award as a senior in 2004.

Following her senior year she went on to play professionally in Holland for the Katwijk Grasshoppers Division I basketball team.

In 2007, Jessica was inducted into the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame.

Much like his older sister, Mike excelled in high school sports at A.N Myer before being offered a full baseball scholarship at George Mason University in Virginia, which he attended from 2003 to 2005.

After he experienced some arm

problems, he returned home and became a two-sport athlete at Brock University. He played baseball for one season and basketball for three.

In his one season with the Brock baseball team in 2005, Mike batted .295 (26-for-88) with six doubles, six homeruns, 15 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 23 runs scored.

As a member of the Brock basketball team Mike’s athleticism made an immediate impact. In three seasons from 2005 to 2008, Mike recorded 1480 career points (14.1 ppg) and 437 career rebounds (4.2 rpg). He also collected 224 assists and 149 steals in 105 career games. In the Brock career record books, he ranks fifth all-time in career steals with 149 and sixth all-time in career three-pointers made with 227.

Mike closed out his university career on a high note, capturing a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Basketball National Championship in Ottawa in 2008. The victory was made more memorable as he was able to raise the trophy with life-long friends Brad Rootes, Dusty Bianchin, Scott Murray and Rohan Steen, all of who

played minor basketball together.

This was a special moment in these five players careers, an opportunity that many athletes don’t get to experience. In the championship game, Kemp was unstoppable. He finished with a game high 23 points including a career best six three-pointers.

A year later (2009), Kemp joined his sister as a member of the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame alongside teammates Rootes and Bianchin.

“It was great growing up in an athletic family because I always looked to get to the same level or beyond of what my sister and my uncle did,” said Mike.

Success can come in many different ways, but these two young business professionals believe sport is the most important thing in life to be involved in, right from an early age.

“If it wasn’t for basketball I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today in the

business that I am in,” said Jessica. “I tell the girls that I coach how important it is to be part of a team, to be active, to be competitive and to have the drive to win. If you don’t have that when you are young, you won’t have it growing up.”

“Sports in general are a huge benefit to anything that you are going to do in life,” explained Mike. “Whether you are good enough and played at the levels we played at or you didn’t, you should be involved in sports in a team atmosphere at every stage of your life. It keeps you away from things you shouldn’t be doing.”

“Without our sports, we wouldn’t be where we are today 100% because it has kept us out of trouble, showed us the right way and keeps us competitive in anything that we do.”

Both Jessica and Mike have worked hard for what they have accomplished in both sport and business. With high future goals in mind, both will continue to build the family business.

Photo: Brock Athletics

Photo: Niagara University Athletics



BY JOSEPH CASSIDYNiagara Sports Magazine_____________________________ After Sabrina D’Angelo’s freshman season playing goalkeeper in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, it’s probably safe to say that the 18-year-old Welland native is displaying all the characteristics of a rising star.

Not only did D’Angelo help backstop the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to a 15-6 regular season record. As the starting keeper she posted a 13-4 win-loss record. She also earned four prestigious honours from the Southeastern Conference for her freshman performance on the pitch.

“I am humbled for the awards that I was given in the SEC,” D’Angelo said, after she was recently named

SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, SEC All-Freshmen Team, and she was one of only two freshmen in the conference to receive All-SEC First Team Honours. “The coaches of the other teams put in their votes, and it is an honour that they felt I did so well in the season.

“The season is extremely hard with all the traveling and training and games, it can get very exhausting and tough, but I love it. Our conference is very difficult, and every team is good which requires you to come to play every game.”

By no means is D’Angelo some overnight success story. At the age of nine, she played her first season in the all-star ranks for the Welland Soccer Club under the coaching guidance

of, current Brock University Badgers women’s soccer team coach, John Durish.

“When she was nine, Sabrina was outside-left midfielder in her first year and was a top 3 goal scorer on the team,” Durish said. “The following year she had different aspirations when she came to spring training.

“Sabrina said, ‘She wanted to play goal,’ and I could tell she would be a good keeper because she was so athletic. I talked to her and her father (Gerry) about how I needed a commitment from her to play goal for the whole season, not just part of it if she didn’t like playing goal.“Sabrina said, ‘Yes,’ and the rest is history.”

Sabrina has nothing but good memories when it comes to soccer. She has been playing since she was little, and it is a family affair.

“I started playing soccer when I was about five and I remember my first year I got to play on the same team as my brother,” she said. “My dad played soccer growing up and my brother (Derek) was already involved in it so my parents put me in it as well. I loved it from the start and was a natural.”

Gerry D’Angelo, Sabrina’s dad, played goalkeeper for the St. Catharines Roma Wolves, and he thinks his daughter has found her comfort zone in the NCAA.

“I was concerned about her playing with the senior players, but after the first couple of games against Duke and Wake Forest I saw that Sabrina had no fear about going up to get the ball in the box,” Gerry said. “I wasn’t totally surprised at how she performed with her college team because she has experience playing at a higher level.”

FRESHMAN STANDOUTSABRINA D’ANGELO MADE AN IMPACT AS A FRESHMAN AT SOUTH CAROLINA

Photo: South Carolina Athletics



Her dad is right, Sabrina definitely has experience playing at a higher level after backstopping three national squads to the championship podium: the 2010 U17 CONCACAF Gold Medal Champions, the 2008 U17 CONCACAF Bronze Medal Champions, and the bronze medal won by the 2006 U16 National All-Stars.

“My parents (Gerry and Bonnie) were very important in my success,” Sabrina said. “They were the ones who drove me all over the place, four times a week, for training, and it can get very exhausting over five years.

“Without them I would not have developed into the player I am today.”

For five years, Bonnie and Gerry D’Angelo did the three-hour drive with their daughter to the city of Vaughn and back to Welland, but they enjoyed every minute of it.

“We actually miss the trips we used to take with Sabrina and the team,” Bonnie D’Angelo said. “Looking back on it, you realize that all those family memories will last a lifetime.”

Now, Sabrina’s enjoying her first year of living away from home and playing soccer on a full-ride scholarship at the University of South Carolina in the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the NCAA.

“I love South Carolina and couldn’t imagine being at any other school,” she said. “I live in residence at East Quad which is where most of the athletes live. I am with the famous football players, which is kind of cool. My dorm is in the middle of everything. I can go one way

to the campus and my classes, and the opposite direction is our locker room and stadium. The campus is beautiful, and I don’t mind my classes.

“I love the soccer down here and the team. They are an amazing group of girls and work extremely hard.”

After finishing first overall in the SEC during the 2011 regular season, South Carolina lost 2-1 to the University of Alabama in the SEC Championship Tournament. The good news is, after a

Photo: South Carolina Athletics

15-win season, the Gamecocks have earned an invite to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament.

“Of course our team has learned our lessons with our loss to Kentucky in the regular season and our recent loss to Alabama in the SEC tournament,” Sabrina said. “We bounced back great from our loss against Kentucky, so, hopefully, with our loss against Alabama we will be back again for the NCAA’s.”

The pressure of the NCAA championship games will provide Sabrina with the pressure-packed experience she can use in the future when she gets the call to represent her country.

“It would be an honour to get invited to future Canadian National Team camps, and I hope that once the new coach for the U20’s is assigned they will give me a call.”

Regardless of what happens on the field, Gerry D’Angelo hopes his daughter never loses sight of why she plays the game,

“When we were doing all that running around we never envisioned her going to the States on a scholarship,” he said. “We just did it because we loved it, and so did she.”



Ahmed, a junior at Wisconsin, was also named the 2011 Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Year after claiming the individual Big Ten title in a meet-record time of 23:18.

TONYA VERBEEk BROCK WRESTLING

Tonya Verbeek, a 34-year old Beamsville native and two-time Olympic medalist, captured silver medals at both the 2011 World Championships in Turkey and the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico. In December at the Olympic Team Trials in Winnipeg, Verbeek will look to make it three straight Olympic appearances with her hopes set on gold.

MATTHEW FALVO UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA FOOTBALL

Matthew Falvo, a graduate of Notre Dame College School in Welland, finished the 2011 Canadian Interuniversity Sport season sixth in scoring with 75 points for the University of Ottawa GeeGees football team. He ended the 2011 season ranked fourth all-time in the OUA record book for most field goals in a career with 55.

MIKE LEWIS BROCK UNIVERSITY ROWING

In his final university season, Mike Lewis went out on top, leading the Brock University Men’s 8 and Men’s Pair to gold medal finishes at the 2011 Canadian University Rowing Championships. For his performance

CAM McLEAN NIAGARA FALLS CANUCKS HOCkey

In his fifth season with the Niagara Falls Jr. B Canucks, Cam McLean is on pace to break the 100 point mark. In 22 games, he currently leads the GOJHL in scoring with 48 points including 16 goals and 32 assists.

DANIEL CLARKE Niagara Generals FOOTBALL

Daniel Clarke helped lead the Niagara Generals atom football team to a perfect 11-0 regular season record and their first ever COMFL Championship and All-Ontario Championship. He finished the season with an impressive 1351 yards rushing with 22 touchdowns, highlighted by seven 100+ yard performances.

BRIANNE JENNER CORNELL UNIVERSITY HOCKEY

Brianne Jenner, a graduate of the Stoney Creek Junior Sabres program and member of the Under-22 National Team is off to a strong start with NCAA Div. I Cornell Big Red. In four games she has recorded 13 points including four goals and nine assists.

MOHAMMED AHMED UNIV. OF WISCONSIN cross country

Mohammed Ahmed, a graduate of St. Catharines Collegiate, led the No. 1 ranked NCAA Div. I Wisconsin Badgers to their 13th Big Ten conference title in school history, while earning first-team All-Big Ten honours for the third year.

NIAGARA’S TOP PERFORMERSPresented by...

he became the second straight Brock rower to be named the CURC Men’s Rower of the Year. Welland native Ben Cushnie received the award in 2010.

FREDDIE & DOUGIE HAMILTON NIAGARA ICEDOGS HOCKEY

Niagara IceDogs brother combination of Freddie and Dougie Hamilton have combined for 58 points (21G, 37A) in 20 games this season. Freddie has recorded 30 points (12G, 18A) which ranks 9th in the OHL. Dougie has collected 28 points (9G, 19A) which is second on the team and tied for 12th in the OHL.

JONATHON DILARIO & JEREMY CURRIE GRIMSBY PEACH KINGS HOCKEY

Grimsby Peach Kings goaltending duo of Jonathon Dilario and Jeremy Currie have combined for a perfect 16-0 record and a minimal 1.50 GAA to begin the season.

Dilario is a perfect 9-0 and currently leads the NDJCHL with a 1.20 GAA, .954 save percentage and three shutouts. He also ranks among league leaders with 229 saves. Currie is undefeated with 7-0 record, 1.86 GAA and .922 save percentage.

_____________________________

To submit a candidate for Niagara’s Top Performers please email a short bio to [email protected]



Angus GillespieNiagara Sports Magazine____________________________

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts a former professional athlete can give back to his sport is to accept the challenge and responsibility of mentoring young up-and-coming athletes and passing on some of that immense knowledge. It’s an opportunity to impart wisdom from direct experience and instill it into the hearts and minds of enthusiastic youngsters coming up through the minor athletics’ systems.

Such is the case with CFL legend Rocky DiPietro, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver/slotback who is now in his

fourth year as head coach of the perennially powerhouse Lakeshore Catholic Gators high school football team in Port Colborne.

DiPietro spent all of his 14 memorable pro seasons with the Tabbies in Steeltown and ultimately became one of the most recognized names in franchise history, along with the likes of Angelo Mosca, Bernie Faloney, Garney Henley, Grover Covington, Ben Zambiasi and Danny McManus. Rocky was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997 after hanging up the cleats in 1991 at the age of 35.

After his pro football playing days were over, DiPietro joined Brad Johnstone

in coaching at Notre Dame in Welland. From there, they moved to Lakeshore Catholic where the duo worked together up until Johnstone’s departure four years ago, when DiPietro took sole control of the coaching reins. The team has been utterly dominant in the Niagara Region for a number of years, and has advanced to the provincial OFSAA high school championship a total of six times since 2003, including the past three years in a row.

With Johnstone and DiPietro at the helm, the Gators won the title in 2003; a reminder of that first glorious championship is proudly displayed

Former CFL Star Now Teaches Teens About Gridiron SuccessFORMER CFL STAR ROCKY DIPIETRO COACHING AT LAKESHORE CATHOLIC

Photo: Niagara Sports Magazine



in the form of a large banner on the north-side wall of the school facing the football field – “Top-ranked high school senior football team in Canada, 2003.” Another more recent proud moment for the team was having new bleachers set up on the north sidelines of the field for fans to watch the games. The Gators made their second trip to the provincial championship in 2006, finishing as runner-up. DiPietro has managed to get his squad to the championship a total of five times, including the past three years in a row – and each time it’s been a matchup with their arch rivals, Notre Dame of Burlington. The Gators came out on top in 2008, but have finished second to the Fighting Irish each of the past two years in the title game played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

“The championship games have been at the Rogers Centre for about 10 years now,” DiPietro notes. “It’s a great thrill for the kids to be able to play there.” It seems quite apparent that success

breeds success, but DiPietro is extremely modest in downplaying the importance of his leadership, saying it has more to do with the quality of the young men on his squad than his leadership. “They learn best from each other. This area is very strong in minor football.”

To achieve such a strong program and an incredible winning record takes a lot of time, effort and dedication from the coaching staff and players.

“We’re out there practicing every day,” DiPietro continues. “The warm-up starts at 2:45 pm and we are usually out there until 5:10 pm. Our kids have been extremely committed and there has never been a problem. That in itself tells you about the great type of guys we have.”

It’s a rigorous training program, with strong attention paid to grasping the technical aspects of each exercise drill and scrimmage play. That efficiency has seen the Gators rewarded for their hard work, as the victories keep piling up.

One former Lakeshore Gator, Derek Schiavone, is now the field goal kicker and punter with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Among some of the Gator graduates now playing in the CIS include: wide receiver Zach Bull of the Western Ontario Mustangs, linebacker Dylan Roesch-Crane of the McMaster Marauders and tailback Corey Davidson and defensive lineman Mike Millar of the Guelph Gryphons. Jack Creighton, who is a senior quarterback for the St. Mary’s Huskies in Halifax, is also the son of former NHL player Adam

Creighton.

As for his personal life, DiPietro lives in Pelham with wife Patty. They have two young adult sons, Joseph, a 23-year-old pilot, and

Daniel, a 19-year-old Brock student.

Rocky’s wife Patty and her twin sister Peggy were part of the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team that won the Ontario Women’s Interuniversity Athletics Association championship in 1982 under head coach Pat Woodburn. DiPietro and Woodburn knew one another and Rocky had enrolled at Brock in order to get his teaching certificate – and that’s where he met his future wife. DiPietro’s sister-in-law Peggy married Mike Sheahan, and their son Riley is a former St. Catharines Falcons’ standout and first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Sheahan is currently in his junior year with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish of the NCAA.

But that’s not it for hockey success in this family. While Rocky’s nephew Riley Sheahan looks to make the NHL in the coming years, his cousin Paul DiPietro has already been there, having suited up with three teams, including

IN 1997, 14-year CFL STAR ROCKYDIPIETRO was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame


Photo: CFL Alumni



the Montreal Canadiens – and was in the lineup as the Habs defeated Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings for the 1993 Stanley Cup title.

“I followed Paul quite a lot in junior when he was with Sudbury,” DiPietro says. “We also went to the playoff games in Buffalo that year when he was with Montreal and they went on to win the Stanley Cup. It was an exciting time.”

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, DiPietro makes the trip home on a regular basis. “I get back every summer and every other Christmas. I still have a lot of family and friends up there.” When DiPietro was a kid, there wasn’t any organized football to be played. “We never had minor football back then,” he confirms. “Those of us who wanted to play football had to wait until high school. I started in Grade 10.”

Because DiPietro didn’t start playing organized football until he was about 15, there were other sports to fill the void. “I liked to play everything,” he says. “I was more of a basketball player and pretty good at it, so that was my favourite prior to football.”

After high school, it was on to the University of Ottawa where DiPietro was a key contributor to the Gee Gees football team. He then joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1978, and got a first-hand view of the incoming Harold Ballard era, when the truculent owner of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs turned his attention to the CFL and purchased the Tiger-Cats that same year for $1.3 million from Michael DeGroote. The turmoil created by Ballard off the field was a constant distraction to many players and fans alike, and his often nasty and ill-advised statements in the media made for lots of headlines in

newspaper sports sections and radio sound bites. But despite constantly denigrating his team’s performance, the players somehow managed to rise above it all, put it out of their minds and reach four Grey Cup championships under Ballard’s tumultuous regime in 1980, 1984, 1985 and 1986. The

first three Cup appearances wound up as losses, but the fourth time was the charm when the Tiger-Cats defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 39-15 at B.C. Place in Vancouver on Nov. 30, 1986 with Al Bruno patrolling the sidelines as head coach.

“It was a big relief to win it in 1986,” DiPietro admits. “We made three trips in a row and really wanted it. In the first game in 1984 we were up at the half, but wound up losing. The second year wasn’t really that close but the third year it worked in our favour.”

In addition to the Grey Cup ring, DiPietro has won many individual honours in the CFL, including being named the Schenley Most Outstanding Canadian in 1982 and 1989. And, he had the opportunity to play with some of the league’s top quarterbacks of all-time. “Tom Clements and I meshed really well and I also had some good numbers with Mike Kerrigan.” It was Kerrigan, by the way, who quarterbacked Hamilton

to the 1986 championship. The 1989 edition of the Tiger-Cats lost one of the most exciting matchups in Grey Cup history, when they came out on the short end of a 43-40 score against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

Along with DiPietro, there are a number of former CFL players now living in Niagara, including Mosca, Terry Lehne, Brian Hutchings and Sandy Annunziata.

As for today’s CFL game, DiPietro likes what he sees. “It’s still an evolving process,” he states. “I was originally a tight end, but my role became bridged between a tight end and a slotback. I definitely think the game is very exciting to watch. Through our alumni, I still manage to get out to three or four

games a year.”

You can also count DiPietro among those who would like to see expansion in the CFL. “I’m all in favour of it,” he acknowledges. “It creates more jobs and I believe several cities are capable of taking on a team. We (Tiger-Cats) played an exhibition game in St. John, NB in the late 1980s and it was well received.”

It’s a common belief that the CFL gets a stronger endorsement from the western markets than it does here in Ontario, something to which DiPietro concurs. “I think we’re spoiled here in the east and we take it for granted,” he explains. “I wish people could experience the fun and excitement surrounding the teams out west, especially Regina. Their tailgating parties are incredible.”

What about DiPietro’s thoughts on tailgating here in the east? “It’s hard to get that barbeque going in the underground parking.”




On October 9th versus the Western Mustangs the Brock baseball team recorded their 400th victory in the program’s 17-year history.

Niagara Falls Canucks forward Cam McLean recorded his 300th point of his Junior B career on October 14th against the Buffalo Jr. Blades. He currently has 47 points in 20 games this season.

To start off the 2011-12 season, Grimsby Peach Kings goaltending duo of Jonathon Dilario and Jeremy Currie have combined for a perfect 16-0 record and a minimal 1.50 GAA.

St. Catharines native Mohammed Ahmed captured the 2011 Big Ten individual cross country title as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers earning first team all-conference honours for the third straight year.

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