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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1998-08-05, Page 14Page 14 Tint's -Advocate, August 5, 1998 This Week in Sports... • Busy night of thunder by the beach attend Motorplex - page 15 • Smith rolling In fine form to provincial !swishes/ling finals - page 16 Call Sports Reporter Craig Bradford with your sports tips (519) 235-1331 • Fax (519) 235-0766 Hensall to host Bluewater Hawks A -AA atom girls team Express throttled in three losses The team's play has its manager concerned as it enters OBA playdowns LAKESIDE — The Exeter Ex- press sr. men's hardball team rode more like coach in three losses last week. The Express lost -'both ends -of, a double-header 10 host Lakeside 8-2 . and 12-1. In game one, Rick Boon gave up nine hits over seven innings. Man- ager Doug Fairbairn said his team gave up three unearned runs in the first. * . The bright spot ,was Vic 01- iveira's two run homer. Other Ex- press hits went to Frcd Gregus with a double and singles by LI. Ander- son, Davc Russell and Scot Russell. The story of game two was .the pitching of, Lakeside's Casey Vir- tue who struck out I 1 Express hat- ters in five inning's. The Express only managed four hits and norm from batters four through nine in the lineup. Gregus led Exeter hit ters with a single and a douhtic while Boon thwacked a double and Oliveira notched a single. , At 'home last Tuesday. thc Ex- press gave up six runs in the fifth inning bn their way to a 12-7 loss to Strathroy. Another telling stat Exeter comntitled five errors. Exeter hitters included •Anderson, Dave Russell and Mark Regier with two each and Oliveira. Boon, Davc Hawke, Dan Masse and Bill Shore with a hit apiece. • Fairbairn said the league playoffs a'unclear at this point. Exeter has to' play 1-lanover/Port Elgin in a three out of five series to advance to the Labor Day 013A tournament. Exeter plays a 'home game'" in London on Saturday at 4 p.m. and travels to Hanover on,Sunday fora 2 p.m. tilt. Saturday's game would normally be a home game for the Express. hut AI'vin Willerts Field is unavailable due:to, the Exeter Ro- deo.' . , Hanover gets • two guaranteed home games in the series. If either team sweeps the first two games. the third game will be in Hanover on Aug. 16., if the teams split the games. game three will be at Exeter. on Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. with game four at Hanover on Aug: 16, also at 2 p.m.• Fairhaim said he • was worried about his team's play. especially with the continuing questions 'on defence, going into.the playoffs: • "At this point 1 am just•as con- cerned with- which Exeter Express team is going to show up as i am with the Hanover team,".Fairbairn said.'"If we play the way we can 1 know we can beat them." • Unusual whiff. Exeter Express batter Vic Oliveira just misses connecting with, a Strathroy pitch dt� ing their game at Alvin Willerts Field last week. Exeter lost 12-7. (photo/Scott Nixon) The team will go full -time. -this season with. Hensall Arena as its. home competitive challenge,. Going full- Kemp chimed.in. bine will giye the girls the op- When asked wbai they aspire to portumty, to develop as a high qual- when it , cones. Ito .hockey- . ity team rather than just getting to- O`Rourke was the fastest off the gether a few tones a year." draw. . •' • In the past, the best •girls hockey "'For be' like Cassie Campbell." "players have had to travel to Lon- she. yelled.: ' don or. other large- • • -„c' Campbell .is Hensall. Minor' #7-7 . behind the Hockey )las always- blue line for Can - been extremely ada's national supportive ortive to the .. women's 'hockey girls program." team. A11 the girls ad- mined their ul- Hy Craig Bradford T -A Reporter III:NSALI. --- The Ilawkhave come home to their nest. in Hensall. No. not the Exeter Jr: D Hawks.' hut the Bluewater Hawks atom A- AA girls hockey team. Coach Sue • Stcwan said her team will have a full regular season.- schedule with regular home ice and practice times... for the first tinie at Hensall Arena. - 1he team had been mainly a thrown together tournament • team of the hest atom age players (horn in '87) in the Lamhum-Middlesex girls house league. The atoms. along. With thc Blue - water midget team which i. based :out of I ucan Arena, are the• first I3tucwater Hawks levels to go full= time. . , . . - he atoms will-eorrtpete'in the Western Ontario) Athletic Associa- lion (WOAA).league in either A -or AA .level (lienee the double des- ignation with their name) against teams from' possible centres , like London. Saugcen-Maitland. Strat- ford. Woodstdck,- Kitchener -.and Sarnia.' - . • Stewart said WOAA efiicials•are drawing -- up a league now- to he ready for the start of.the season. at. the beginning o('`Octobcr. Stewart said she has. already lined i1p top girls hockey talent from Ex- eter. Hensall, Scat-orth. Lucan and ilderton and hopes to attract players • from Parkhill. and Strathroy. - "Girls hockey is really, growing;" Stewan said. -"They 're ready for the Flying...permanently. The Bluewater Hawks." A -AA atom girls hockey. team will play full-time this sea- son and call Hensall Are- na home. Here pictured. in front of their new -hockey home are Rita Kemp, left, Kelsey. O'Rourke, Ashley Bruxer and Katie, Stewart with coach Sue Stewart in back. ' "We'll play tougher teams than usual.".Bruxcr said. ' "It'll improve ,our hickey skills." Rick Abel at 227-3030. - centres to findcotn- petitive teams. The best ex- .amplcs of •this are Hensall's = Cara Gardner, now play- ing. for the Brown University (Rhode Island) Bears: timate goal is to play in the Olym- • and Exeter's Amanda Weurth who pies for Canada. How • committed moves up to bantam .with the Lon- are they'? The team had a slecpover don Devilettes AA program. ' at Bruxcr's home in February so • Now south Huron arca girls hock- • they, all could wake up at 4 a.m. to .. ey players- have a local choice, watch the Olympic gold medal Stewart -said; and she hopes a full- women's hockey game.in-Nagano, - time peewee- team will ,be offered Japan. next seasim,and that talks about a- Other goals the girls mentioned full-titne bantam Team this season - included getting a post -secondary • will.become a reality.. school scholarship or becoming pro Stewart said • the move to full-- hockey players. . " time wouldn't have been possible The Stewarts also showed those Without the•home arena•and hockey invi,fved in•girls hockey. keep close 'association. ' • watch on. their heroes: they. tray - died .to. Mississauga's Iceland are- na at the end of May to.. watch Gardner try out for the national. team. . . Registration for the Bluewater .. atom team is at Hensall Arena on 'Aug. 15, fo a.m.- noon. - `Tryouts - arc scheduled (all at • Hensall Arena) for sept. 5 •-(11,• make new a.m.-noon): Sept: . friends." . 6 (1:30-2:30 p.m.) and Sept. ' 12 (7 -8 -p.m..). Stewart said tryouts arc•open to all girls horn' in '87 Or later.. • -. , • The cost to be a Bluewater atom. looking forward io the high level • Hawk is $180 to register. with Hen competition. • Sall Minor Hockey plus an addi • ' "It will he good to have a !till- tionat 550 .for the' Bluewater fee time team,' she said. "It'll inakc,us that includes threc tournaments. work harder." - • Iwo exhibition games and tryouts. Hensall's Ashley Bruxcr and Ex All fees arc. refundable if a girl • .eter's Rita _Kemp agreed that going doesn't makethe learn. - • -. • For more information or if' you Can't make the registration date, call ' Stewart at• 263-2444. Dalt- Richardson at (:519)- 876-5026 or.-, "Hensall Minor Hickeyal- ways- been extremely supportive- to the. girls program," she said. es- pecially by .allotting equal ice tune to boys and girls. Though they've yet to lace 'up 'as a full-time team,- the players .are. happy they'll be wearing the Bluewater .blue jerseys a lot more this season. "It's going to lie a good chance to Ir.-- (niore- competitive. hockey)." said Hensall's Kelsey 'O'Rourke. "We're going to make -new` friends.' -Hensall's Katie. Stewart is also "It's going to be a good chance to try (more competitive hockey)...(And) we're going to full-time will only make them het- tcr hockey players. Hot after it Mastering the ball.' Exeter Masters ,soccer player Mike .Flanagan, right, tries to outmanoeuvre his Oxford InstaShade opponent for. the ball during their game at the Lucan .soccer pitch on Friday. Exeter lost 1-0. "It was one of those games where we came out flat and couldn't recover," Exeter spokes- person Brad' Lightfoot .said. Exeter's record falls to '2-8-2. (wins, losses, ties) and they next face the White Eagles in Ni!estown on Friday. Their next home game is Aug. 14, . 6:30 . p.m., "versus 'N Sporting at the, Lucan soccer pitch. • • (phdto/Kate Monk)