Niagara in the hunt for championships

Three teams from Niagara will continue their quest for a gold medal when Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) hockey championships get underway this week.

First to hit the ice following their provincial qualifier and the March break are the St. Francis Phoenix.

They open the single A/double A boys championships in Collingwood with a 10 a.m. face-off Tuesday against Ottawa Immaculata.

St. Francis plays two games Wednesday – 10 a.m., against Belle River; 6:30 p.m., versus Collingwood Jean Vanier – before wrapping up pool play 8:30 a.m. Thursday against De La Salle College from Toronto.

Quarter-finals at the four-day, 16-team tournament will be played Thursday afternoon with the semifinal Friday morning and the bronze and gold medal finals Friday afternoon.

The Denis Morris Reds are the host team at triple A championships taking place in St. Catharines starting Wednesday.

All games will be played at the four-pad at Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre.

The Holy Cross Raiders won the bronze medal at last year’s triple A boys championships.

Denis Morris, which went 6-1 in league play and is 24-6 overall coming into the OFSAA championships, plays two games Wednesday: 9:45 a.m., against Barrie Eastview; 2 p.m., London A.B. Lucas.

The Reds take on Malvern 8:15 a.m. Thursday wrapping up the preliminary round.

Quarter-finals are Thursday afternoon with semifinal- and medal-round action set for Friday starting at 9 a.m.

Denis Morris is the second entry representing the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA).

The Waterdown Warriors,

9-1-2, league; 25-5-2, overall; won the SOSSA qualifying tournament, which was also held in St. Catharines.

Denis Morris finished fourth at OFSAA last year and captured provincial championships in 2008 and 2010.

The Blessed Trinity Thunder are the SOSSA champions going into the triple A girls championships in Cambridge.

The 16-team competition starts Wednesday and ends Friday.

Blessed Trinity plays Toronto Lawrence Park at 9:30 a.m. and Mississauga St. Martin at 2 p.m. on opening day and faces Etobicoke Bishop Allen Academy in its final preliminary-round game at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

The Thunder went undefeated in the regular season finishing

7-0 and beat the Holy Cross Raiders 5-1 for the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association championship. Pools and a schedule have yet to be posted on the championship website.