Local roundup: Bourne wins award; Blades, Kings lose; Red Devils hire GM
Shae-Lynn Bourne of Chatham has won the International Skating Union’s choreographer of the year award for the second time.
Article content
Bourne wins ISU skating award
Shae-Lynn Bourne of Chatham has won the International Skating Union’s choreographer of the year award for the second time.
Her programs in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons included Jun-Hwan Cha’s “James Bond” free skate, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier’s “Separate Ways” short program, Young You’s “Four Seasons” free skate and Ilia Malinin’s “Euphoria” free skate.
Bourne first won the award in 2020.
The first stage of voting was by the public and media, then the ISU skating awards selection commission chose three finalists and finally a six-person jury chose the winners.
Bourne said in an ISU video she doesn’t show off her awards in her home.
“Everything is usually stored away, but what is not stored away is the memory of this. … I’ll cherish this day,” she said.
Bourne and Victor Kraatz won six ice dance medals at the world championships – one gold, one silver and four bronze – and competed at three Olympics. They’ve been inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.
Blades lose by one to Canadiens
The visiting Blenheim Blades lost to the Lakeshore Canadiens 2-1 on Friday in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s Stobbs Division.
Tate Bowden scored for the Blades in the third period and Jake Vancoillie made 36 saves.
The Canadiens took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals by Brandon Leblanc and Ethan Galvan. Nicholas Bolton made 31 saves for the win.
The second-place Canadiens improved to 29-7-0-1, while the fourth-place Blades fell to 21-14-4-0.
The Blades are off this Sunday. They’ll visit the third-place Wheatley Omstead Sharks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Sharks own a two-point lead on the Blades.
Poor third period costly for Kings
The Dresden Kings allowed four unanswered third-period goals in a 6-2 loss to the Amherstburg Admirals on Friday in the PJHL’s Stobbs Division.
Owen Campbell and Breck Rainey scored for the seventh-place Kings (7-27-2-0), who were tied 2-2 early in the third before 164 fans at the Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre.
Kings goalie Ty Golden made 35 saves.
Connor Demelo scored twice for the sixth-place Admirals (12-22-2-0). Massimo Agostini made 17 saves.
The Kings will host the Mooretown Flags on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m.
Red Devils hire Belanger as GM
Former National Lacrosse League goalie Tye Belanger is the new general manager of the Wallaceburg Red Devils.
The Mooretown native is a Red Devils alumnus who played seven seasons in the NLL from 2012 to 2018 with Colorado, New England and Vancouver. He also played nine seasons in various senior leagues across Canada.
He has worked as the Red Devils’ assistant GM, coached Wallaceburg Griffins travel teams and served as the technical director of the Wallaceburg Minor Lacrosse Association. He has a two-year contract as GM.
The job “brings a feeling of honour and humility as I embark on this new journey,” Belanger said in a statement. “I want to thank (club president) Bill Pollock and the board of directors for their confidence in me to lead this lacrosse franchise, and to Jim Hopgood for the mentorship he gave me last season.”
The Red Devils missed the Ontario Jr. B Lacrosse League playoffs last season with a 6-14 record.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.