HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-01-29, Page 8e—f'Ni ~ION t• ITOit, truth !Y. UM*
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MSU struggles but Watt finds range
BY GREGOR CAMPSELI.
Expositor Stitt
hat Loadag, MI - Mike
Watt of hgmondvillc scored
three times tor the Michigan
State University hockey
Spartans last week, givitgg
him 17 goats so tar this -sea-
son, which ties him tor tops
on the team and matches his
lamphghting total for all of
last season.
Going into Saturday after-
noon's game here against the
CCHA cellar -dwelling Ohio
Slate Buckeyes, Watt stood
third in points on the
Spartans with- 27 from 17
goals and 10 assists in 24
games
-He had a .plus/minus of -3,
a shooting percentage of 20
per tart and led the -team in
powerplay goals with seven.
But the Buckeyes didn't
play like a last -place team
and shocked the Spartans by
soonng with 35 seconds left
• Saturday for a 3-2 win, in a
game that featured outstand
ing acrobatic play by both
goalkeepers in front of a
packed house.
The hockey Spartans have
Three teams now tied for 2nd sold out Munn lee Arena
Hawks hammer Cents , ,edsott eThiere arastaeigh
abouut
37.000 students on campus.
The hometown. Hawkshan 7:3(1. Sunda> they host 'CENTS GET TOUR
Bled the Seafo)th Centenaires
quite easily Friday night ret
Mitchell, winning the chime
hockey game -6-2 and creat-
ing a three-way logjam for
second -place as the MOM)/Division of the OHA's Junior
"D"evelopment League
heads into the final three
weeks of es regular schedule.
The defending OHA cham-
pion Exeter Hawks have all
but mathematically clinched
top spot. They have 51 point,
and nine games remaining:.
But Mitchell, Seaforth and
Lucas are now all tied for
, second place with 37, points.
Mitchell has a half-dozen
starts rentaining, and the Irish
and Cents both have five.
Mitchell's win Friday also
clinched their seasons,series
•with ,the Centenaires. which
, would give them the edge in
the final standings. if the two
teams remain tied, in points.
Seal rth ended with the edge
in their'fivc.games agiiinst
Lucan. ,
The Cents take the long
road to Hagersville for their
next start Saturday night at
Exeter in Seatorth at 8:30. sae dozen Seaforth•
p.ni.. for an encounter thatVi
tenaires travelled to MSU
was snowed out two weeks d Munn en Saturday to
ag" take in the game and get a
SCRAPPY5LUG(J1J314 tour.' of •the state-of-the-art
All games in the leagues Spartan facilities. Watt. in his
regular schedule arc sup- third season at State and now
posed to finish three week- the teams -assistant captain,
ends from hee.started his junior hockey
Jamie Gethke•s two unas-
sisted third-period'guals were career with the Seaforth
icing on the cake lor, Mitchell , lean► in 1990-91.
Frida' It was 2-0 for•ehe Friday night, MSU hosted
Hawks after the first period. • the same Buckeyes to 3-0
and they led 4-2'alter 40 min- sliuteut. with Watt's 17th
utes. . • standing as the winner from a
It was Seatorth's first start powerplay in the 100th game
in two weeks and it showed.of his Spartan'hockey career. --
They rooked sluggish Last• Tuesday at Ferris
Steve Mchiafy and Jarrett Stats, the big, bruising power
Jeffrey •lit the light for forward ,who worm a gold
•Seatorth. , medal playing with Team
,Each team had 30 shits. Canada at the World Junior
Troy. Chesscll was' the wiii- . Hockey Championships last ,
•ping goaltender, and Charles selison, had his third two- ,
Robertson the loser goal game this campaign,
Each team had our fighting atter being held to two goals
majors; resulting in game .in his previous eight. MSU
mi'scunducts; Three more blew a 3-1 lead and the final
Hawks were tossed byreter , score ended 3-3.
ee Joe Celestin tor -various In his 100 career games,
other offences,. and one other Wat•
t has chalked up 85
•Centenaire was bunked for points on his wings front 47
an early shower. goals and 38 assists with 194
year coaching career, 1 / of
*mot MSU.
Number two in the NCAA
is Len Qogtarski, now retired.
with a total of 673 victone.
Clare Drake, the also now-
retiretl University of Athena
hockey coach, amassed 697
wins in- his career
The Spartans are a perenni-
al powerhouse .
Prior to Saturday's setback.
this season's edition of the
Spartans controlled its own
destiny, sitting in fourth place
but with a game in hand on
the first -place Michigan
ihblvetines.
The arch rivals have sprit
their two games so far this
season. Michigan (13-1-21
has only tom that one game.
and Michigan State new 11-
3-3 has still lost the second
fewest.
Miami of Ohio is second at
13-5-0, and Lake Superior
State tits third. in the CCHA
with a 12-5-3 reonrd.
Michigan and MSU go
head-to-head again for the
final time in their regular
schedules at Detroit's Joe
Louis Arena in 10 days, on
Feb. 8.
minutes in penalties. ' '
He was selected 32nd-over-
all,
2nd over-
alI, in the second round of the
National Hockey League -
annual entry draft two sum-
mers agti by the Edmonton
Oilers.
STRONG LOCAL LINK
Professional hockey players.
Pat and Rem Murray, broth-
ers from the Dublin area, also
both starred for the Spartans
in their university days. MSU
is coached by -Run Mason.
who was born in Blyth but
grew up in Seaforth land took
Pi10TO BY DAVID SCOTT time to pop in and say hello
EAPORTWS .BANTAM. jiINK - played tlderton in a tour- to the local contingent before
nament at the local curling club Saturday. Second Brett Saturday's crucial game.
Jewitt lets go a atone. That's.tead Amy. Gordon to the left, Mason is now by far the
and vice -skip Chrissy Gordon on the right. Skip Ian winningest coach in North
MoMillen'is.up at the. tar end of the ice. American college hockey his-
tory, with 752 wins in his 30-
PHOTOS BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
;POWERFORWARD - Mike Watt of Egmondvitte stili knows
how to throw his weight around and is also putting many
pucks in the net for Michigan State University's hockey
Spartans this season.
J
•
McMaster
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-Bell Canada and various
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Recent mlianor-kockey report recommends -big thNI geS
Federation (OHF), among This is a very far cryfrom
•BY GREGOR CAMPBELL othet things. that the the system and structures that
Expositor Staff province be divided into six .nowgovern all minor hockey
• vast regions, and that. 'lire- in this province, where player
The board of directors of
the -Ontario .Hockey
'Federation (OHF), the
umbrella group that rules the
sport in this province, is eun-
.sidering a recent report it
commissioned, by Ontario
Justice David .Watt, that
could have profound implioa-
titons for all minor hockey
players, systems and .leagues
across this province.
There have been many seri
nus squabbles amongst these
various groups in recent.
years, leading to seemingly
never-ending turf wars.
Justice Watt's proposals are
particularly revolutionary in
regards to player• movement
and eligibility.
His 73-pagc'repon ream -
,mends io.the Ontario Hockey
spectivc of the level of play, a movement is severely limited
by a complicated eligibility
and release procedure that
effectively protects and props
up local systems, regardless
of the quality and limited
resources of some.
"At the motrtent,..the prin-
cipal ,determinant of Minor
:Hockey eligibility is 'resi-
,dence.'
"You play where you live."
.Justice Watt comments.
Under the scheme he pro-
poses, mirror hockey systems
that don't work at it might
wither, as up-and-coming
Minor players would have
more choice to go where the
Mississauga), and York coaching is, or whatever.
(excepting the towns of RESOURCES AND $
Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Regional minor hockey
Markham). programs with the money and
player may register and com-
pete with any team located in
the district/region in which
he is resident."
f9TAFORTHMEGIION
Under such a system, a
minor player from Seaforth
for instance, wuuld.be:able to
register with any team in, a
Northwest region. .which
would be m*sle up of the
counties, of •Huron, -Perth ,
-Bruce, Grey, Wellington,
Simcoe, Dufferin the and
regional municipalities of
Waterloo, Halton (Oakville
excepted), Peel (except the
cities of :,Brampton and
resources might very well
prosper under stitch a restruc-
turing.
The OHF itself is a relative-
ly recent creation of some
,warring factions,. a governing
federation "unique,amongst
.the, several branches of the
-CHA (national.governing
body)." ,according to Justice
Watt's report. The OHF is
made up of representatives of
the Ontario Minor ,Hockey
Association (QMHA), Minor
Hockey . Alliance Of Ontario
(MHAO), ,Metropolitan
Toronto Bockey League
(MTHL),.Northern Ontario
Hockey -:Association
(NOHA), Ontario Buckcy
Association (OHA), :Ontafio
Hockey League (QHL), and
Ontario Women's .Hockey
Association (OWHA).
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