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B12 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, January 12, 2000 An Oakville Beaver Feature Editor: NORM NELSON 845-3824 (Extension 255) Fax:337-5567 Blades earn three of four points in weekend Jr. A hockey action By Matt Nimmo SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The Oakville Blades suffered a let down as they dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the Hamilton Kilty B 's last Friday night in Junior A hockey action. The Blades squandered leads of 4-0 and 5-2. `T h e little things went wrong," said Blades' coach Jay Anderson. "It's a learning process. It's going to take time." Anderson, though, was pleased that his club picked up a point for the regulation tie. Anderson, recently joined the Blades as a coach, and has been imple menting a new style of hockey. He would like his team to play more towards the system, and hopefully change the perception teams had of them. "It's repetition. We have to keep doing things over and over," said Anderson, commenting on his strategy. The first period finished scoreless, with a blow to the Blades' lineup. Bob Jaggard was called for hitting from behind, and received a game miscon duct for it. The second period opened with a bang as the Blades got their offence clicking. Chris Pethick opened it up three minutes in, when he one-timed a cross-ice pass for a nice goal. Three minutes later, Mike Porter scored when cutting towards the net. Porter added his second goal of the game when he spotted an open puck and slipped it into the net. Minutes later, Perry Ryerson scored a short-handed goal to give the Blades a commanding 4-0 lead. Blades' goalie Matt Collaton looked very sharp in net, making great saves and not giving up huge rebounds for the opposition. Hamilton finally solved Collaton when a tough one-timer found the Oakville net. Hamilton scored another goal, this one on the power-play, to cut the lead to 4-2 by the end of the second period. Oakville regained a three-goal lead when Pethick scored his second of the game when he grabbed the rebound off a shot from the point. Hamilton began their comeback as they scored three goals in 4:17, the tying goal coming with just 34 seconds remaining. Overtime looked like it was not going to solve anything, when a turnover at the Kilty B 's blue-line turned into a breakaway goal, and a Hamilton victory. Oakville's goals were from Pethick File Photo by Barrie Erskine The Oakville Curling Club's John Base in action at last year's Nokia provincial playdowns in a clutch final round victory over then defend ing provincial, Ontario and Olympic champion Wayne Middaugh. Base and a host of Oakville Curling Club competitors are in the midst of their provincial playdowns. Oakville teams in playdowns P h o to by R on Kuzyk N ot only did O akville's Julie Reddick and her team o f Karen Vachon (B urlington), Stephanie Leachm an (O akville) and Leigh (2), Porter (2), and Ryerson. the unfortunate part is it's Ontario Provincial Jr. A Hockey Standings Armstrong (Milton) make it all the (Tuesday's games not included) Assists were by Mike Tarantino probably easier to change the GP W L T OTL GF GA PTS GAA PIM way to the national junior curling (2), Jason Sajko (2), Mike GEORGETOWN coach than 21 hockey players. 39 26 8 4 1 187 140 57 3.59 24.92 championships last season, but their MILTON 37 25 8 1 3 185 119 54 3.22 27.36 Lukajic, Derek Klowak, Steve They just weren't seeing eye 38 23 9 3 3 174 141 52 3.71 27.03 8-4 record was just one win short of Kinnunen, Stu MacCrimmon, BRAMPTON to eye and the m otivation STREETSV1LLE 37 21 12 4 0 161 155 46 4.19 22.80 making the playoff round. and Adam Gower. HAMILTON 39 20 15 3 1 197 168 44 4.31 15.40 wasn't there. That being said, Reddick, who also BURLINGTON 37 19 16 2 0 126 120 40 3.24 26.26 Coach Anderson is prepar OAKVILLE "The guy was a good guy, 37 12 18 6 1 149 193 31 5.22 23-37 won the O ntario bantam cham pi ing his players for the playoffs MISSISSAUGA time wise and everything else. 40 12 22 2 4 143 184 30 4.60 17.78 onship, is no shoe-in to take her team 39 11 26 1 1 131 185 24 4.74 15.06 by getting his team used to the BUFFALO He gave his time and every BRAMALEA 37 8 23 2 4 100 140 22 3.78 20.83 back to the junior nationals. That's new style o f play. Anderson thing. hardly news, though. W ith the depth says if they play the system "Sometimes they bond and weekend at Ice Sports Oakville, on of curling in Ontario, no team is ever well, they will be ready for the post Friday (7:30 p.m.) against the sometimes they don't, and that's a big a shoe-in to win any division. season. He has some things in mind Burlington Cougars and on Sunday thing." R eddick's coach, Pat R eid o f that need to changed though. Anderson, a teacher at Oakville (7:15 p.m.) against the Bramalea Oakville, figures that going in to this "We're not being able to clear the Blues. Trafalgar High School, was available w eekend's Teranetf Junior Ladies zone. Our goalies are playing well but after being let go by Georgetown a POST SCRIPT Provincial Championship, there are we need to play defence in front of If there's one profession where job couple weeks before Christmas despite five teams in that eight-team playthem." security is at a minimum, it's coaching. having the suddenly resurgent fran down that could win the title without SATURDAY chise at or near the top for the second First year Blades coach John causing much of a shock. The Blades recovered from Friday's McDonald and assistant coach Stu year in a row. He brings longtime local The w inner goes to the ju n io r letdown, which saw them blow leads of W right were let go ju st before hockey coach Tom Richards as an national championships to be held in 4-0 and 5-2, to defeat Buffalo 5-2 on Christmas. assistant. Moncton, New Brunswick, beginning Saturday. Anderson was actually courted by Blades General Manager George Feb. 5. It gave the Blades three of four McDonald (no relation to the coach) the Blades after George McDonald The next two weeks will be very points for the weekend. decided to give up the coaching duties termed it a tough decision. busy for Reddick. UPCOMING "The coach and the boys weren't after last season but he elected to PEPSI JUNIOR MIXED The Blades host a pair of games this seeing eye to eye. I felt bad, you know remain with Georgetown. The following weekend are the regionals for the Pepsi Junior Mixed. Reddick plays vice on an Oakville Curling Club team skipped by John Epping. V Com pleting the team are Jason Newland at second and Stephanie Leachman at lead. The `A' and `B ' winners advance to the Pepsi Provincial Championship to be held at the Quinte Curling Club beginning Feb. 16th. By Norm Nelson M EN 'S NATIONALS BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR It appears local fans will get another rare chance to The long road to the m en's nation see D onovan Bailey in action. al championship has begun and the Oakville's Steve Christie was a playoff H e's no stranger to these parts, o f course, and is second stage -- the zone champi hero on Saturday -- for a few seconds, any usually back in Oakville when he's not either training onship -- will be held at the Weston way. at his base in Austin, Texas (where he is right now) or G olf and Country Club this weekend. With the Buffalo Bills down 15-13, in their on the road competing. Representing Oakville will be for AFC opening round wild card game against the Most recently, he was mer world junior champion and an Tennessee Titans, Christie's 41-yard-field goal in Oakville for the eight-time veteran o f the provincial with 16 seconds left had seemingly given the Christm as Holidays. playdowns, John Base, along with Bills a miraculous 16-15 win. But his actual rac Oakville Curling Club teams skipped Unfortunately, for Christie and the legion of ing appearances have by Doug Willey, Dan Hamilton, Ed hard luck Bills fans, there was still one miracle been few and far File Photo by P e ter J. T hom pson Desormo and Stuart Moir. left in the bag, and it went to the Titans. between, the most In this very competitive province, Any sports fan already knows that play by Two Oakville products shake hands after recent being the OneBase has never won the championship heart, after all it's destined to become one of an NFL game last year. Steve Christie (left) on-One challenge he and a berth to the nationals, although the greatest football playoff comebacks of all was almost a hero last weekend and Mike won against M ichael last year he came tantalizingly close. time. Vanderjagt, who was named to the NFL Johnson June 1st, 1997 He won a clutch final round game All that should have been left for Buffalo All-Pro second team this season, hopes to at the SkyDome and against the then defending provincial, was a routine cleaning up of the scraps. A kick- be one this weekend. prior to that at the world and Olympic champion Wayne off and at most two plays before those final Hamilton Spectator M iddaugh to jum p into a tie for sec seconds expired, sending Buffalo on to the Fort Knox. Indoor Games in ond place (three teams tied with 8-3 divisional final. Just one formality was needed before `The January, 1996 in which marks, including Middaugh). Base, But Yogi Berra was on to something when Play' was stamped into legend, and that was he won. however, lost the tiebreaker and didn't he said `it ain't over, till it's over'. the video replay. North America, advance to the semifinal game. Christie's subsequent kick-off was returned There were no shortage of replays for the HOLIDAY INN CHALLENGE after all, is hardly a 75 yards by Kevin Dyson, followed by a suc viewing fans to come to their own conclusion. The Holiday Inn Challenge was cessful point-after and a 22-16 lead that was hot bed o f track and Mine, and most of the newsroom, here, recently held at the Oakville Curling virtually insurmountable. agreed that it was a legal pass or at the very field. Club and Mike Dorey's rink from the With only three seconds left, after all, least that the video tape was not conclusive But Bailey has con Dixie Curling Club won the `A' side Buffalo would have had to return the kick-off... enough to overturn `The Play'. firmed on his internet while John M anderson's team from But they couldn't pull off that magical Titan There was dissenting opinion, though, led site that he will race at the host Oakville Curling Club won triumph, a set play known in their playbooks as by editor-in-chief Norm Alexander who still this year's Hamilton File P h o to by P e ter J. T h o m p so n the `B ' side. the `Home Run Throw back' which worked to a swears it was a forward pass. Spectator Indoor O akville's Donovan Bailey `T \ Both teams will travel to Brighton Either way, around the water coolers and Games on Feb. 25th. says he'll run indoor at Copps and Trenton for the Provincial H ere's how it w e n t... Lorenzo Neal receives coffee makers of North America, Christie's "I am excited to be next month. Championship to tie held January 21the Christie kick-off, laterals back to Frank clutch kick (which was set up by a clutch drive running in H am ilton," 23. Wycheck who then tosses the ball to the side by surprise starting quarterback Rob Johnson) he said in a message M anderson's rink is comprised of lines to Kevin Dyson who has as clear a lane to had definitely taken a back seat to the `Home posted on his internet site (donovanbailey.com ). vice Andy C layton,second M ark the end zone as if it was motorcade route for Run Throwback'. "My training is going well. Hamilton is where I the president. Huffman and lead John Wilson. In a way it was fitting that it should have began my best season in 1996 and I think this a good BANTAM MIXED ZONE Christie had half a chance at the tackle but happened to the Bills. place to start." Wes Johnson's Oakville Curling he would have had better luck sneaking into Blades leading scorer Mike Tarantino gets another golden opportunity in last Friday's game against the Hamilton Kilty B 's. The Blades lost 6-5 in overtime but salvaged three of four weekend points with a 5-2 win over Buffalo. Oakville's Steve Christie was almost a playoff hero, Vanderjagt's next in line Hell race at Copps (See 'Vanderjagt', inside, page B11) (See Bailey', inside, page B11) (See 'Oakville', inside, page B11)