current news
mudhogs prevail at Tour Cup Series
The Canning Mudhogs travelled to Utica, MI the weekend of March 19-21, 2010, to participate in the inaugural Tour Cup Series Championship Qualifier. The team was represented in both the Adult Silver/Bronze Division, as well as the 30 and Over Division. The Silver team had a rough go, and failed to find a chemistry that worked, which unfortunately led to an early end for their weekend. Not to say the team didn't have fun, it just wasn't what they had expected when they headed for the Motor City. The 30+ team fared much better though. Taking a core group of 5 guys, adding two from the Silver/Bronze team and two more guys who the 'Hogs have come to know from Joe Dumars Fieldhouse over the years, the team was one of 4 teams in the 30+ division. Having an average age of 34, this Mudhogs team had more experience than previous teams, and the chemistry came right away. The only blemish to the weekend record was a game in which the Mudhogs fell behind to another team claiming to be 'Hogs (Rollin' Hogs). But the Mudhogs were able to right the ship right away the next game, taking a 2-1-0 record into the semi-finals. The semifinal game was a rematch of the night before's game, and the result was the same, with the Mudhogs coming away victorious. That led to the rematch in the final, which pitted 'Hogs (Canning Mudhogs) vs. Hogs (Rollin' Hogs). The Rollin' Hogs took the lead real early, but goaltender Darryl Dempsey was able to regain his confidence quickly, and went to work shutting the door. Final score - Mudhogs 9, Rollin' Hogs 3. Congratulations to the team - Brock Murray, Martin Jennings, Darryl Dempsey, Jesse Romano, Justin Read, Aaron Hill, Evil Covacha, John Gelement, and Duke Rupert.
what's new for 4SS in 2010?
We have begun the process of looking into a specialized floor for the Syl Apps Community Centre. This will be a rather large investment but one that we know will improve the league. The questions that I get asked when I talk about purchasing a floor are great questions and I thought I would share them and give you all an opportunity to read. Will the cost to play in the league increase? Will you switch from a ball to a puck? Since this is the last ice season coming up at Syl Apps will you look to run leagues all year round? Is Four Season Sports looking to run any other sports out of Syl Apps?
I will start with the question regarding if we will switch from a ball to a puck. For the longest time I thought the answer to this was NO. But after sometime and several great conversations with players and league directors from around the country I have decided that yes we will switch from a ball to a puck! But for those of you that love the ball do not fear as I will look to hold an annual tourney with our teams in the league using a ball.
Will 4SSRH look to run roller hockey leagues year round once Syl Apps becomes vacant? I absolutely would love too. This will all be contingent upon what the County decides to do with this arena. I sit on the Paris Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and at this point no decisions have been made regarding the Life after Syl Apps. I do encourage you all to sign the - I support Four Season Sports and their venture to put a specialized floor in Syl Apps in 2010. By signing this you are simply saying that you want to see the Syl Apps Community Centre continue to operate and be used for sports such as roller hockey, ball hockey, lacrosse, soccer, off ice training and any other activities those within the community want to rent the facility to do.
Is 4SS looking to run any other sports out of Syl Apps? Absolutely we are! When Four Season Sports was developed we had a vision in mind to bring as many sports to this community center as possible. We started with Roller Hockey but have plans to add in sports such as Beach Volleyball, Ball Hockey, Indoor Soccer, Basketball not too mention a great game for seniors known as Bean Bag. With the exception of the Beach Volleyball where of course it would be played outdoors the other sports can all be played inside on the rink housing the specialized floor. There is no limit to the sports that can be played on this surface and as such we will not limit ourselves to only the sports listed above.
The last question I wanted to address was regarding the cost to play in the CRHL and if it would increase with a new floor? The answer is YES. This investment is approximately $50 000 and we would not be running a viable business if we did not charge accordingly. Here is my question for you – If you were going to buy a Ford but instead chose to buy a Mercedes do you think the cost would be the same? The CRHL has been operating for 8 years and has grown each year since its inception. The reason for this is simple, we look to place the best product on the floor for all players to experience!
In closing I would like to again express my thanks to all of you that continue to play and support the league and our vision at Four Season Sports.