Cougars season is over after being swept by Alliston
By Bill Rea

Mike Shuryn was among those congratulating the Alliston Hornets after they eliminated the Cougars from further competition Thursday. Age restrictions mean it was Shuryn's last game in a Cougar uniform.

In many ways, the last game of the year for the Schomberg Cougars was indicative of the way much of their season went.

Their play was somewhat better than the final score would indicate, but things were decisive in the end.

The local heroes of junior C hockey fell 8-4 to the Alliston Hornets, giving the Hornets victory in the bestof seven play-off series four straight.

Despite the score, the Cougars were competitive throughout the match, with Alliston pulling away gradually. They pulled their goalie with a couple of minutes left in the third period in an effort to close the gap, and that set the stage for the last Alliston marker, which went into the empty net.

Although they were out shot, the final numbers in that department were 40-34, which is not nearly as lopsided as some of the other games this season.

Because of age restrictions, it was the last game in Cougar uniforms for John DeRosa and Mike Shuryn. DeRosa marked the occasion by scoring his mates' third goal in the second period, but his match ended very late in the third when he was excused to the dressing room for fighting. Shuryn contributed two assists to the cause.

John DeRosa was a busy man in Thursday's match, which marked the end of his junior C career.

Other goals were notched by Blake Elliot, Brady Sluman and Mitch Ronan. Joe Digirolamo earned three assists, with singles being collected by Matt Steenhoek, Elliot and Ronan.

"It's been an up-anddown season," Shuryn reflected after the game. "Our record wasn't the greatest."

He added he was pleased with the way the series with Alliston went, forgetting the 9-1 blowout they endured in the opening game.

"Aside from that first game, I think we played a real good series," he commented. "The effort was there."

School is going to be occupying much of Shuryn's attention now. He's studying geography, history and Canadian studies at the University of Toronto, but he said he might try out for varsity hockey next year.

Joe Digirolamo was frustrated on this play, but he earned three assists in Thursday's battle against Alliston.

It was a bit of a frustrating year for DeRosa, who had to sit out much of it with injuries, and he had hoped to be able to help his mates more in the playoffs.

He expressed the hope to stay with the Cougar organization in some capacity, when he's not working with his father's lumber business in Bolton.

"We're proud of the boys," declared Head Coach Gary Waldrum, who completed his first season at the helm. "They worked through a tough year and they stuck together in the dressing room right to the end."

He added having a full and healthy line up during the season would have made a difference.

A lack of experience in the ranks was a problem this year, as he pointed out there were only a couple of veterans at the start of the campaign. He said there is a good core of players there, which is a hopeful sign if they come back next season.

"They just started to come together about a week late," he said.

"Now it's time to thank the sponsors," Waldrum added. "I promise we'll be back stronger next year."