Lakers first season a success, says manager
By Chris Simon

The Innisfil Lakers' inaugural season is being hailed as a success by the team's general manager.

After finishing third in the Greater Metro Junior A hockey league with 61 points and a 29-10-3 record, the club advanced through the playoffs, before being swept by the Bradford Rattlers in the finals. But considering the 2007-2008 season was the Lakers' first, the results far exceeded expectations, said general manager Dan Garneau.

"We were very thrilled, especially after we started the season 3-4, I never thought we would end up in the finals," he said. "To get to where we got was really impressive. I wish we would have won a game or two in the finals, giving Bradford a better run for their money, but it took everything we had to get there. We were relying on some of our top guys for half a game or more, and a couple of (those) guys fell a little short."

Bradford had finished first overall in the league during the regular season, with a 37-4-1 record and 75 points.

Several players helped the team achieve success this season. Forward Jonathen Dew was named the league's Most Valuable Player. And stellar goaltending from Matt Treadwell also pushed the team forward, as was shown when he received several votes for the league's top goaltender, said Garneau.

"(Dew) developed as a player and a person, he was probably the most notable player developed. When he came to us, he didn't have the best reputation, but we had no problem with him at all; we were lucky to get him," he said. "Treadwell did a night and day improvement as well. He came back to bite (his former team the) King (Wild) every time Innisfil played them."

The coaching staff also contributed to the success.

"Coaching was definitely one of the main reasons," said Garneau.

The team was one of the best offensive and defensive clubs in the league, scoring 228 goals while allowing only 129.

"Our goaltenders faced, on average, over 50 shots per game, so our goaltending played a huge role," he said. "(We also had) a really strong offence. We averaged around 4.6 goals a game ... our defence was our weakness."

Expectations are already high for next year. However, the team will face some difficulties, by potentially losing 13 players to college and age restrictions. Most notably, Dew will be leaving the club for Elmira College in New York, while Treadwell will attend Becker College in Massachusetts this fall.

"It's looking very good; we're starting to build our team from the net out," he said. "We have several players still talking to colleges and waiting for the right offer. We've got a good core group of players coming back (though). We're really going to count on them to put up some more numbers this year."

Billets are also needed for the upcoming season, said Garneau.

The Lakers will be hosting their first annual golf tournament Friday May 30 at Harbourview Golf and Country Club in Gilford. The event will begin at 12 p.m. Admission is $100 and includes a steak dinner, 18 holes of golf, a cart, prizes and awards.

For more information on billeting or the tournament, call 812-2950 or e-mail dgarneau@gmhl.net.