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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-04-15, Page 8Merchants are • '76 SHHL champs The line of Mike Chalmers, Ken Fraser,, and Gerald Nordeman combined for three goals April. 9 to lead the North Middlesex Merchants to the South Huron, Hockey League championship in the sixth game of the final series played in Zurich. Parkhill The e rpeltaytet tds , abaseel in clean, organized game never trailing in the game which they beat the Shipka Colonials 5-3. They took a first period lead of 3-0, slipped in the second to 4-3 but insured the win with an early third period goal. The Chalmers-Fraser-Nord- eman line combined for two of the first three goals in the opening frame. Fraser banged in the first goal when he converted passes from Nordeman and Chalmers at 8:49. From that point on the Merchants never looked back. Chalmers hit again at 13:50 for the second Merchant goal when he was sest up by his linemates and Wayne Ropp added to the total just 34 seconds later when he found himself with an op- portunity provided by Ernie Schlegel and Bob Berkman, The Colonials finally made it to the scoreboard with a strong showing in the middle frame. Stan Lovie and Larry Laye picked up a goal apiece before the period was five minutes old to make the game a contest. With the Colonials threatening, it didn't take the Merchants long to reassert themselves, when Chalmers, with goal 19 in the playoffs, put in the eventual winner from Nordeman and, Laurial Klaussen less than a minute after Laye's goal. Shayne Burley brought the Colonials within one again before the end of the period when he picked up passes from Bob Lovie and Steve Kadlecik. It was all in vain however, when Terry Dueck found Frank Wall in the clear and Wall put it away for the final goal of the SHI-IL season to cement the win for the Merchants at 3:57 of the third period. The cleanly played game saw few penalties called. The Merchants, who entered the week tied at two, apiece with the Colonials set up their win Saturday by dominating the April ‘n a 6vogamle in Parkhill which they game. and Ffaser were chosen as the top two stars of the gm Chaliners led the league in playoff scoring, with 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points. He was followed by Schlegel, who had 10 goals and 23 assets for 33 points and Fraser, with 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Ropp ended the playoffs with 20 points and Nordeman with 17. Between the Cheirner-Fraser- Nordeman combination, they accounted for 34 of the Mer- chants' 78 goals in the playoffs. Laye led the Colonials, picking up 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points. Paul Maguire, Dan Dalton and Jim Guenther all tied for second with 20 points apiece. Michigan sold personalized license plates this year in red, white, and blue. Proceeds will be used for highway litter con- trol. Jumper cables are great, BUT incorrect use can damage the electrical system and cause you injury. Store detailed in- structions with your jumper cable. To protect against tire punc- tures (up to lie inch), there's a new non-toxic, non- flammable, odorless puncture sealant. It's a yellow-colored liquid polymer that's pumped into the tire through the valve. In most cases, tire repair isn't even necessary, First thing to do in case of an auto accident — turn off the ignition! Gas leak and engine sparks may combine to cause an explosion. Bank economist predicts that new car sales will rise 10.5 percent over 1975, up to 9.5 million. Are you doing your part? Protect that new dor — and keep the old one going'. — with regular maintenance, You.can depend on the top-rated mechanics at Larry Solders. Larry Snider MOTORS LIMITED 'EXETER 235-1640 LONDON 227-4191 Huron County's Largest Ford Deafer Steer This Way BY LARRY SNIDER 410 Larry Snider invites you to SAVE $$ on an excellent selection of USED AUTOMOBILES 1973 CUSTOM 500 two door, V-8 engine, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, whitewalls, wheel discs and radio. License No. DFZ 130 '2495 1973 LTD fourdoor, V-8 engine, automatic transmission, power steering and brakes. License No. 13FY 860 '2495 1972 BUICK SKYLARK four door, V-8, automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes. License No. DHR 013 '1795 971 BUICK ELECTRA two door, fully equipped including power windows License No. 1111-1 '684 t 1395 Tot MUSTANG two door, 302 en, inc. V-8 engine, automatic transmission, License No. DPLI 411 '2195 Remember „ It's Sense to See LARRY SNIDER MOTORS LIMITED EXETER 235 ,1640 LONDON 2/7-41(11 Open Week days Until 9:00 Saturdays Until 6:0( • • A EIL000 bONOR • • • 4roor 4•-• Name change planned for local ball group The Crediton Baseball Association will be experiencing growing pains and probably a name change this year, if all indications early in the season are correct. Ray Brooks, president of the Association, said they are con- sidering changing the name to the Stephen and Area Baseball Association. The name change, said Brooks, will allow them to take in players from a wider area, in keeping with their intentions of offering baseball to as many youngsters as possible. Although, the name change is. not finalized Yet, Brooks said it "will probably go that way." They will be fielding six teams this year, with the girls softball team from Crediton, to play in the same league as the Exeter Grays, being the new team. There will also be two pee wee teams, and one each in the bantam, midget and ,juvenile categories. The teams will be competing in Western Ontario athletic Association play again this year. The scope of the WOAA, which takes in a wide area, creates a lot of driving for the teams. Brooks mentioned an incident last year when a local team travelled to Chesley only to find the home team was unable to field a sqyad. Other teams in the league will include Goderich, Kincardine and Wingham. There is a possibility of fielding a junior team said Brooks, but he put this down as "talk." He said such a team would require a good coach, providing there was in- terest and more money. Brooks added he didn't think the association could afford such a team. Registration for the upcoming season will take place April 24 and May • 1 at the Stephen Township offices in Crediton. There is a nominal fee for registration. , Sif I si t • rs.;\ tt; AW,[464, It ( fig?r"v-IPTA H.P.* 1/4 acre 1,4 acre 4 acre 4 " ' rw'' 1-plus acre Gardening/ tilling/PTO MF Riding Mowers 6 0444, • 0•44' ,1 8 alr••:‘ .....• .....,• SI: MF Lawn Tractors 8 (three models) 'Nig 40,••••• al t Woo* MF Garden Tractors ' • 10 • a 0 l 12 i i i. AI 01 eal 14 A A a 16 al 014 IVIF financing is available *Manufacturer's estimated rating SHERWOOD (Exeter) Ltd. 18 Wellington St, 235-0743 Exeter W it cornea to tractors, trust a tractor man. Massey FOP U on Times-Advocate, April 15, 1976 The beauty of playoffs is the tension. They are exactly the same as any regular season game except that a loss takes you one step closer to elimination, and a win one step closer to championship status, When the tension of playoffs for fans is lost, then they are essentially the same as a regular season game. The ten- sion that is inherent in the playoffs is the element that at- tracts people usually uninterested to them. An obvious example about how dull things can be is the Masters Golf Tournament held this past weekend in Augusta, Georgia. Ray Floyd started to walk away from the rest of the players in the tournament on the first round and throughout the tournament he just kept on walking. Usually the Masters is one of the most tension filled tournaments around, often decided by playoffs, with the front runners never more than two or three strokes apart. The 1976 effort was somewhat different, with all the competition being for second and third spots. Typical fan reaction was that it was exceedingly dull; no matter how good Jack Nicklaus is it just isn't exciting watching him try and take second place. The element of competition is then a necessary compo- nent of sports, and nowhere is it more necessary than dur- ing the playoffs. When you get a convulted, asinine set up like the NHL has chosen, however, the drama of playoffs is lost. The idea behind the format for the NHL is essentially workable, but practically it allows good teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins to be eliminated and forces better teams, like the Buffalo Sabres, to battle for the right to con- tinue. The Chicago Black Hawks are not exactly one of the kingpin teams of the NHL. Although they finished first in their division, they ended up with fewer points than either Toronto, Los Angeles or Pittsburgh. They have hot and cold running goaltending from the other Esposito, who on the basis of his performance Sunday night had difficulty with shots that are more than two feet off the ground. They lack scoring punch and decision and on top of it all they have a poor defence squad. They don't deserve a berth in the quarter finals for the Stanley Cup, It isn't their fault though, since the NHL has decreed division leaders should receive a bye into the quarter finals. Not in their most pessimistic moments could the NHL governors have imagined such division disparity that would allow a team like the Buffalo squad to compete in the elimination rounds and give Chicago, who had quite a few points less in with a bye, But the actual format of the playoffs and the discrepancies created by it is not the point. What is wrong with the NHL set up, and the WHA set up, is the length of time the playoffs take before they come down to the final. Assuming all of the series went to the limit, it means that after the already long season, there would be 57 ad- ditional playoff games, 50 of those before the actual final series started. Of those 50, 36 of the games would be carried out just to eliminate eight teams. That is 3,000 minutes of hockey over and above the regular season just to get to the bottom of the pile. It is an awfully long time to figure out a champion. All this would be fine, if the season had not started in September and October, and run for 80 games, or a league total of 1,440 games. There may be interest in hockey on this continent, but is there enough interest to take in over 2,- 000 games by the time all the exhibition games are played? By the time the playoffs come down to the final game, the interest is all but worn to a frazzle as the excitement and tension disappears around the middle of the semi-finals. + + + Presently in the NHL, 12 of the 18 teams make the playoffs. The division leaders have a bye. That is all well and good, but it no longer makes playoff contention an honor, it makes it a right. In doing so, the NHL is providing a low grade quality of playoff hockey. Motocross race set for April 25 With the advent of spring, , comes the motorcycles and 1 motocross racing and Hully Gilly, near Varna, is planning to ' run its Spring Series again this year and is kicking off their motocross season with the Spring Bash April 25. The Spring Bash will feature the two classes that will be running in the spring series this year, the schoolboys and the junior class. The schoolboy class is limited to those under 15 years of age and bikes with engines up to or less than 100 c.c.'s. Two subclasses are in the schoolboys, depending on the size of the wheels. The small class can use wheels up to 16 inches and the big class can use full size wheels, 20 inches on the front and 18 on the rear. The junior class is an open age bracket that is determined on the ability of the rider. Every rider has to be older than 14, but there is no final age limit, Three engine classes are run, starting at 125 c.c.'s and working up to the 250 class and the open class. Randy Collins, owner of Hully Gilly, said he expects about 400 entries for the race. He said entries were just starting to come in.but details should be finalized by next week. Racing starts at 11:30 on April 25, with practice opening at 9:30. Admission is $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children under 12, Your Blood is Always Needed Obvious& there is something wrong when the Chicago. Black Hawks sit out the elimination round. The mistake is only heightened by the idea of them playing the Montreal Canadiens. Since expansion became a way of life for the NHL, and the WHA has robbed the league of players, the quality of hockey has been severely diluted, no matter how often the men of Hockey Night in Canada say it hasn't. Instead of having exciting, quality hockey game twice in every three played, fans now have to wait until California, Washington and Kansas City have had their turns and a good team rolls into town. The owners, who seem to feel no responsibility about the quality of the game, should at least feel some compunction to provide good quality, exciting hockey in the playoffs, It is quite possible they do, but the present structure which prolongs them, and the use of uninspired teams is un- dercutting their intentions. They should take a clue from the format of the baseball leagues and limit the number of participants. With the league pennant winners playing down for world series entrance the semi-finals take on more im- portance. Further then that though, the race for the pen- nant, which is at least in one league usually very tight, keeps interest in the final days of the season at high level. It also climaxes the season, finishing it in a quick sweeping blow The World Series of 1975 did more for baseball then anything in the last 10 years. What if the Reds and the Sox had had to fight their way through a mish-mash of lesser teams in order to compete? Would there have been the breathless, exuberant feel of an event like the final game? It is unlikely, as many Americans would have had the same feeling Canadians will have at the end of May when the Stanley Cup is decided. Not one of the exhilara- tion and delight, but one of relief that the long haul is finally over. + '+ + While on the subject of baseball, it looks like it is becoming a game of arrogant men who in the off-season spend their time making decisions and enjoy endless bargaining. Andy Messersmith and Reggie Jackson are examples on the player's side, while Bowie Kuhn and the National League take the honors on the administration half. Messersmith's saga is by now well known. A reliable, winning pitcher, he couldn't come to terms with the Dodgers this year and dallied the proverbial carrot of his talents in front of the eyes of the other teams. Nearly everyone jumped but not high enough for the lofty demand of Messersmith. The Yankees thought they had an agree- ment, said so, and when that got back to Messersmith, that quickly ended the talks with them as it went down in a blaze of accusations that ended with Messersmith telling the press how much pride he has in his word. He turned down an offer for $1.1 million claiming he wanted $1.2 million, Finally he settled on a pact with the Atlanta Braves, after missing the season openers and spring training camp, ' He must be good if he can command that sort of price and hold out so long. Reggie Jackson of course, was traded from the Oakland A's to the Orioles in Baltimore where he decided he didn't want to play. Just like that. So Baltimore wanted to suspend the arrogant Mr. Jackson. Like thousands of other people in North America Reggie has been transferred, but unlike those others, Reggie is a superstar athlete, which means he is pampered silly. He knew the score when he set out to play pro ball, but now that it comes down to the crunch he won't accept it. Maybe he should be suspended, he obviously didn't have a no trade clause in his contract and what he is doing is con- travening a legal agreement between two clubs. Bowie Kuhn and the NL are another story. First the NL didn't want Toronto's offer for the San Francisco Giants. The way they were acting it seemed they didn't want Toron- to, period. The American League, seeing a good thing, which the Toronto offer is, took them on to begin in 1977. But the NL wanted them, and Washington wants a franchise too so Kuhn has decided to come to some sort of a com- promise situation, except Kuhn can't make up his mind, or won't make up his mind. 1974 AUSTIN MARINA four door with economical four cylinder engine, four speed transmission and radial tires. Only 19,000 miles. License No. JFN 722 Before Inspection '1495 1974 LTD SQUIRE WAGON six passenger model, V-8 automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, Brougham decor and deluxe luggage rack. License No. HIP 241 '4695 1971 MUSTANG two door, economical six cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power steering. License No. DFU 707 '2095 TRUCKING VALUE 7974 1.18000 Chassis and Cab , . 555 Cummins engine, 34,000 rear, 12,000 front, 1100 x 20 tires, Spicer 6352 main transmission, 4 speed auxiliary, full air, Kyser shutters, etc. Serial No. 8626. '2095 IS THIS A NEW STYLE? Quite possibly, as Irene Jackson of Exeter, adequately protected in a hard hat, releases o shot at the Legion Bowl- ing Tournament Sunday. It was the first day of the tournament which continued Wednesday. T-A photo by Youngs. From nine model's 6 to 16 hp*, you can choose exactly the right Massey-Ferguson riding mower, garden tractor for the work you have to do. And when you buy Massey-Ferguson quality, you know you've got yourself a real tractor. Measure your Massey-Ferguson by the yard.