Rebels forging new territory

By JACOB ROBINSON, SIMCOE REFORMER

The team formerly known as the Port Dover Sailors isn't an expansion franchise, but the organization certainly has that feel at the start of training camp.

This week marked a string of four open tryouts the squad is holding. Armed with a new name -- the Norfolk Rebels -- an overhauled executive staff and a first-year head coach, just about everything has changed from a team that has won four games in the past two Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League (SOJHL) seasons combined.

"I think they want to start fresh," said new head coach Todd Francis. "I think things strayed for them a little bit. Why? I don't know and to be quite honest with you, it's none of my business. The impression that I get is that they want to start new, so they've re-branded themselves."

A former player with the Brantford Alexanders and Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, as well as a player and coach with the Senior Brantford Smoke, Francis brings with him an impressive resumé. A Kitchener native, Francis -- a second round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens back in 1983 -- now resides in Brantford, and is the man the Rebels have chosen to halt what's become a coaching carrousel behind the bench.

Francis was frank about his new challenges.

"Listen, I don't think we should be trying to fool ourselves and think that we're going to compete for a championship -- not to say that we can't, (but) they won one game last year. So there's only one way to go and that's up. We're going to take it one step at a time and the first thing is, let's pick the team," said Francis.

"I knew what I was up against. I'm not a magician. But I'd like to think with my background in hockey, my knowledge of the game, I can add something to what they had last year and build on the philosophy they're putting together this year."

For the first time in recent years, the Rebels have an abundance of returning players.

Up front, the club is expected to welcome back Garrett Bolle, Adam Birch, Kurtis Pettitt, Connor Dorey, Kyle Jansen and centre Kyle Hodgson.

On the blueline, Adam Kannawin, Nick Smith and Craig Shorey will be back in the fold. Returning netminders Taylor Ostermaier and Jeff Stillman are being pushed by a crop of young goalies at camp.

The familiarity amongst the squad will give the Rebels a leg up, said Bolle, a veteran centre hailing from Port Dover.

"It's definitely a strength because we all know each other's weaknesses and everything. Maybe we're weak in one spot but a new player might strengthen that lineup, so that should come out with a positive," he said.

"I believe that we've got to put more thought into what we're doing and maybe just mingle a little bit better, put our lines together and go for the gold."

The Rebels will begin their exhibition schedule by hosting Hagersville Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Norfolk will then hit the road for contests in Hagersville and Paris (vs. St. George). They'll head to Delhi Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. and play their final tune-up Sept. 18 against St. George.

Norfolk's last exhibition contest will be held in Waterford, which kicks off the first of nine games (1 exhibition, 8 regular season) the team will play at the Tricenturena this year.

"I think Waterford became a viable option for them, not that they want to move or anything like that, they have some roots here in Dover and they want to keep those roots," explained Francis. "But they want to establish other roots just to bring a few more people in to watch the kids."

"Sometimes you've got to look outside the box."

The move is also being done to help drum up some more sponsorship support for the club.

As for on the ice, Francis is still getting to know his players, but will be focused on a few key elements.

"Your style of play is going to be determined by the type of kids that you have. I can't play run-and-gun if I don't have any scorers, so I have to make adjustments. I have a brand of hockey that I like to play," he said.

"I want the other team to know, we're coming to work hard. Everything after that is secondary. You've got to come with a good work ethic. Second of all, they've got to listen and they've got to be disciplined. If they do all those things, they'll have some success."

Jacob Robinson

519-426-3528 ext. 121 jrobinson@bowesnet.com Twitter.com/JacobReformer

 

---

Rebels earn point in first game

by JEFF DERTINGER

PORT DOVER -- Despite losing in overtime, Sunday's game was an excellent start for the newly-minted Norfolk Rebels.

Playing under a new coach and a new name, the Rebels were every bit the equal of the visiting Hagersville Hawks. They came from behind to erase a 2-0 deficit in the third period and force overtime, only to see an ill-timed penalty lead to a game-winning goal by Hagersville's Brock McEachern.

"The team really played well. They stuck to the game plan, limited their mistakes and just kept plugging away right to the end," Norfolk head coach Todd Francis said.

Both teams started off tentatively in the first period, focusing on shoring up their defensive play. Hagersville eventually broke the stalemate with a goal by Eric Drehmer 16 minutes in.

The second period saw Norfolk get plenty of chances, only to come away with nothing. Matt Vansickle hit the post on a breakaway, Steven Parker couldn't convert his own breakaway attempt into a goal, and Hagersville goaltender Dylan Appleby made numerous saves with constant traffic in his face. Both sides had a 5-on-3 power play opportunity, but again it was defence coming up big.

Eventually it was the Hawks once again breaking through the deadlock, as Ray Parry buried a loose puck during a scramble in front of Rebels netminder Jeff Stillman. Hagersville carried that lead into the second intermission, and the Rebels were still left searching for a way to break the ice offensively.

That breakthrough eventually came in the third when Brad Hornby scored on a power play to elicit cheers from the Port Dover crowd. The goal energized the Rebels and put Hagersville on its heels.

With just over seven minutes remaining, Norfolk created a goalmouth scramble of its own as Craig Shorey slid home the tying goal. The Rebels sniffed out a couple more chances late, but the game headed to overtime.

In the extra frame, Dylan Heaslip was called for a four-minute headchecking penalty after hitting a Hagersville defender. It was a definite shoulder check, and spectators thought Heaslip hit the shorter player square in the chest, but Francis wasn't second-guessing the official afterwards.

"I didn't see the hit so I can't really comment, and I know the referees have a tough job out there and want to protect players at all times," Francis said. "It was a heartbreaker nevertheless, the guys busted their butts on defence all game. But overall it was a good first step for us."

Although this was Game 1 for the Rebels, it was Hagersville's third game of the season. After losing their home opener to Delhi a week ago, the Hawks answered with a 7-5 win over Burford Saturday night and are now 2-1.

 

The Norfolk Rebels, who are still waiting on new uniforms and wore generic blue Sunday, will be in Delhi Friday night to face their Norfolk rivals in a 7:30 p.m. start. They'll be in Burford on Saturday as well, but will not play a home game until the following weekend. Jeff Dertinger

519-426-3528 ext. 134 dertinger@bowesnet.com twitter.com/jeffreformer

---

Delhi beats Rebels in close contest

By JACOB ROBINSON, SIMCOE REFORMER

By most accounts, the Delhi Travellers and Norfolk Rebels have plenty to build upon after a weekend of SOJHL action.

In their first meeting of the season, the Travellers got their third victory of the fall while the Rebels (formerly the Port Dover Sailors) showed they're not far behind their county rivals Friday in Delhi.

With goals from Cody Stout and Connor Dorey, the Rebels took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. But with just 14 skaters, the road warriors eventually wore down and Delhi took advantage, potting a pair of goals in each of the final two periods to win 5-2.

"In the first period we took to many penalties and got running around a little bit," said Delhi rookie forward Lucas Friesen.

"We needed to bare down and bury our chances. We knew they couldn't hold out for long because they had a short bench and once we got one, we knew we could get a couple more after."

Travis Harper potted a pair of markers while Nate Moyaert and Jake Legein added singles. Newcomer Nick Heath made 30 saves in the victory, his first of the campaign for Delhi, which is now 3-1 on the young season.

"We know it's important to get points at the beginning of the season to get ahead of everyone," said Friesen. "If we can keep winning while other teams are still trying to figure things out, we can get a lead on them and hopefully carry that through."

The Rebels rebounded from the defeat to grab a point in Burford on Saturday. Matt Vansickle scored in both the first and third, and combined with Andrew Patenaude to help send the contest to a shootout. Burford's Jim Salatas scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 win.

Norfolk's record is now 0-1-2, as they lost their season opener to Hagersville in overtime. Still, with two points already on the year, the Rebels have just three less than the former Sailors did all of 2010-11. They've also proved they can play with anybody.

"Last year we had a bunch of rookies, but this year they're feeling more comfortable, they're being counted on more," said Vansickle, who also credited the team's new coach, Todd Francis, with a change in culture.

"We've been playing as a team -- the mentality last year was that we lost a lot of games and didn't have a chance, but this year the mentality is different and we're maturing as a team."

 

The Rebels will need to improve a power play that went 0-14 this weekend, but make no mistake, this team has come a long way from the past few seasons filled with losses, player movement and coaching changes.

"We've got to maintain what we're doing. We can't get running around in our own end and make sure to play our positions, work as a team, pass the puck and be better on the power play," said Vansickle. "Follow the plan and if we can do that, we should be alright.

"Don't feel like it's over because it's never over."

Norfolk will play its first regular season game at the Waterford Tricenturena on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. vs. Tavistock, then host Delhi Sunday in Port Dover at 2 p.m. Delhi will see Wellesley come to town Friday at 7:30 p.m. before making their way east to take on the Rebels.

Jacob Robinson

519-426-3528 ext. 121 jrobinson@bowesnet.com Twitter.com/JacobReformer