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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1997-07-30, Page 14Page 14 Times -Advocate. July 30, 1997 This Week in Sports... Exeter Rookie btu wraps up - page 15 • Sharon Amos takes. her etek to the Canada Games - page 16 Call Sports Reporter Craig Bradford with your sports tips - (519) 235-.1331 • Fax (519)235-0766. •Co-op JuniorsAake 1-O OBA qualifier lead. ass ' - * ..1! . 111.41.1 ,r -.--+.. a ..,y, -boas. ,t - • ,.r .:01 - seventh and would not relinquish it. He's safe! Co-op Junior baserunner James Ralph avoids the tag by the Byron third baseman Exeter matched eLighth andide's one run - :completing a successful steal .during ,Thursdays home.game_ Exeter ended up losing 13-8., , tonings in • the eighth ninth, but , it wasn't enough for a win. - •Express coach :Joe Futon. said er- . . rors hurt them by setting -up three__ unearned runs.,but added the team McKichan guiding future -:ba - .o The Exeter hardball team needs one more win t� make it to the all-Ontarios • EXETER = The. 'Co -Op- Juniors hardball team is a step away from advancing...to Ontario -Baseball As- sociation finals after edging Lis- towel 6-5 at home on Sunday- • - The.Juniors.necd only to win one of -.two games at Listowel to 'ad- vance:with game two:Qf the best of° three --series' tomorrow; 8 p.m., and game _ three • (if necessary) next - week. Dwayne- McNab pitched ,six and third innings after loading the bases on -walks. Darryl Hartman came in and _.promptly struck out his.two hatters. McNab was -put back-iand he made his own put out to seal the win, forcing -the batter -to pop up to the mound..MeNab struck out five, - walked.four and gave up sire hits. Exeter's- offence was -led. by. J.J.• Anderson who just missed out oa. hitting for the cycle with a homer, a double and -a single in four at bats. • Scot Kemp added a single and dou- ble, Hartman doubled. Bill Hodge. had two singles and -Dale Hope and McNab also . singled: Jo,.Maskell laid down -a "picture perfect"bunt single, manager Gary Hartman said. - • Exeter split a pair of league games last week. The Juniors -won 6-5 in Clinton on Wednesday, with starting pitcher- Dwight .Gingerich _ putting in n_ ine strong innings with nine strike outs, one walk and gave up -seven. hits: Exeter's' defence committed no errors and Hartman said -heads up baserunning earned them the victory: Exeter hits came from Dale Hope (double), Maskell -(two singles) and singles by Anderson: McNab and Gingerich. At. home' Thursday. Exeter lost. 13-8 io second place Byron. piing -int their six -game .winning streak. to an -end, Starting pitcher Kemp struck- out five; • walked. four and gave up 10 hits to the muscular By= ron bats over -five innings including two :home -runs: 'Darryl Haim -an' . gave.up two hits. walked none and struck out one in -relief: • - - Jamie' Rotph led Excter hitters .with a triple and single, while both - Kemp and Hodge ,added a- double.. - - and a single. Blake Schade-and An- "derson hittwo singles and -Hartman addeda one -bagger. -"The loss did not discourage_the _ Junior squad:.at all." Gary Hartman said, "because= The OBA finals are - in New Lowel l -on 'Aug. 22-14 . • Exeter has -to settle for third place - going into league ` playoffs in Strathroy on Aug. 8-10; hut they re- _ main healthy with - no injuries.:. Those two 'games. against• Thorn= dale have yetbo he scheduled_ • Express still baffled by Lakeside EXETER - The Lakeside hex on played well overall. Exeter had the Rick Boon and :Mark Rester with- - the Exeter Express senior hardball tying. ryn- on third in•the bottom -of tine "cacti -and Dan" Masse with a: team continues, this time out a 10-9 the ninth but couldn't cash in: homeruns loss at home.last week.: - • . - • Starting pitcher 'Mike McCabe Exeter, is now• 5-11 on the season Exeter started. strong with three threw four and a third innings, civ- •with.four regular -season -games left runs in the- first inning .and two ing °.up eight hits, five -runs, two:- Pointing out; the -Express, a _'.D= more in- the second: but Lakeside . walks and striking out four: reliever team: is playing in t league with all continued to; chip -away,. eventually _ number one Many Meaner pitched other teams- at: 'C' i Tillsonburg. taking a 6-5 lead after the,top of the two and two thirds innings,, giving*. Strathroy and London) • or .'B' • • fifth. But the Express hung 'sight; up tour hits, three tuns, "one- walk' - 4Lakesidet. Fulop_s_aid the. record is retaking the lead with two runs in . and striking out two: Paul Elston misleading. - - - the bottom= of the inning. Lakeside pitched an inning, giving up two We have played tough in every pulled into. the lead. again in the hits and a: run: Rick Boon finished .- game. and should have a better • . the game: giving up a hit, a run and -record .—, with a few breaks,", he "sinking- out two -in his inning of . said; '`However. We hope to do riot= work. • -- • ter when league and OBA playoffs Exeter bats were led by Bill_Glo- start in August:; - • ver who • swatted three hits With The -Express next.takc on London ' Merner. Fred Gregus,•-Scot Russell at home on July 29.'a .6:15 pm. and Mark Glavin all adding two; "start..:.• The.,forrrier.pro goalie is now sharing his .expertise with By:Craig Bradford -T-A Reporter LUCAN - Talk about turning • a plus intoa negative:` Future Pro Goalie School's Steve McKichan of Lucan may have had his .pro hockey goaltending career ended by a hit Iromr"behind. hut he didn't,let 'it stop him from turning his loe•of the spurt into a lucrative. career. - - . Tony Twist; now of the St,Louis.- Blues; .delivered' the career-cndfng` check on Dec. 15. 1990: during a • contest versos McKichan's IHL Milwaukee Admirals and Peoria. McKichan was thrown head first into the hoards and was un - "conscious for a half hour after the hit. He suffered a concussion that developed 'mora- recurrent concur- sion syndrome. the same syndrome that ended Brett Lindros' (Eric's become a high school' phyti ed - teacher. hut the lack' of available full-time svorli. steered McKichan. hack to goaltending aftera short stint as a Gr. 3 teacher at. Wood- ' stock's Algonquin Public School. Since that fateful .day in '90. • McKichan -has kept his hand in hockey by ! being the IHL Detroit ;Vipers' goalie coach (achieving the leagues lowest _oafs against aver- . age •enc .caseni, writipg the hook , titled Rebounds — Gnattendin•t; - Fundamentals and establishing the Future -Pro.Goalic School. • though '.he plays roc hockey, . McKichan: gets most jazzed over • helping Young . goalies , -improve their games. • -1C: the hest. job in 'the world." he said of teaching young goalies • the. ropes. "I get•to play road hock- ey for the rest of my lite and get paid ter it." • - ' • - McKichan brings the school back younger brother) NHL career and • •threatened to end Pat LaFontaine :s , career. McKichan had. played- his first: and . only NHL game with Mil- waukee's parent club. the Van- couver Canucks, IO day. prier; "If you're an optimist. you•say.at least I played a game in the NHL," McKichan, 30. said. "If you're a pessimist you say l didn't get my NHL pen!ion. - . But he will get some payback for his injury — he has finally won a seven-year court. battle for coin- ' •pensation, though. the defence can - appeal . "A., an athlete you know your career will end at some point." McKichan said philosophically. He did try a come- back, but IN: diui- ness and other on -ice symptoms were too much to han- dle. so heeding doctors' advice who warned another hit to the head may be his last; he made the decision to call his pro career quits. "The choice was very easy," he said. "1 had a wife (Tracey) and one child at the time." Getting an education before mak- ing it to the NHL came in handy. McKichan said. He was awarded a full scholarship at Miami of Ohio University in Cincinatti and gradu- ated with a bachelor of science ed- ucation degree. He had hoped to "I get road for the my life paid tri Inc- Lucan Arena on Aug. 4 or three weeks. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., pro wannabe goalies aged 7 to 17 and' from • as far away as, Alaska, England and Australia will be -put • through their paces. He teaches his students movement, recoveries. save selections, rebound control (hence. the Nes Rebound book title). ptfck handling and game situations. One novel. teaching technique McKichan hyas conic up with is painting pucks white to help his students with low visibility situa- tions. "When they -get hack' to black pucks they almost seem to glow in the dark." he said. Though many goal- ie • coaches prefer a certain goaltending style like butterfly or stand-up. McKichan said all styles have their merits. "I don't try to change anyone's style." he said. "1 just work •within their strengths and limitations." Though none of the • school's graduates have played in the NHL (yet). there are a few notable alum- ni: Mike Menard who is now in the Edmonton Oilers farm system after playing for St. Marys Jr. D, Ron ••�I of the OHL Windsor Spit- fires and Rich Parent who just signed a $960,000 U.S. contract with the Blues. McKichan added that 12 of his former students are to play hockey rest of and get for it." others Hot Ice. Lucan's Steve McKichan cools off all summer at his job — running the Future Pro Goalie School. • playing in the OHL. But on -ice -skills aren't all McKi- chan aims to (each the youngsters. "The philosophy of the school is that the kids have to have fun and learn something," he said. Getting an education is also un- derlined. • "It's acontinuous week-long harping on doing well in school," McKichan said. He hopes parents also come away from his school with a different spin and lose their high expecta- tions of their child making it to the Big League some day. "Kids and parches have to be re- alistic in minor hockey." McKichan said. "When all is said and done, pushing your kid to (make it to) the NHL is like pushing a rope." What is important is for the stu- dents to have fun and try their best McKichan said, sharing what he calls the greatest advice he has heard. - "My dad (Stanley) said you have to treat every practice and every game like it is the only time a NHL scout will see you play." When asked who is the best goal- ie today, McKichan didn't hesitate. "Domenic Hasek is the best in the NHL." he said. "I know first hand what he can do," since McKi- chan played in the minors against him. "He has an incredible sense of anticipation. Hc's the Wayne Gretzky of goaltending." Originally from Strathroy, McKi- chan settled in Lucan because he loved the arcna (he used to visit it often when playing for Strathroy travelling teams), it is near to most of the major centres he frequents and because it's a great place to raise his children — Christopher. 8, Jamie, 4, and Samantha, 3. Slo-pitch 97 . Exeter Men - - Recent scores • RSD Seminoles 17 vs. Mudhens 16 Barflyz,24 vs. Knighthawks 16' inndians 9:vs. Mudcats 13 Huron Park 23 vs.•Big V. 22 -Huron Park 9 Vs. ETR Sluggers -F6 Barflyz 27 vs. Syfilco 11 .: Mudhens 10 vs. -Ellison Travel 8 lnndians 19 vs. Knighthawk's9 - • Standings as of July 23 Recgrd 14W,OL, IT'. INV. OL. 3T I2W, 3L. OT - 9W., 2L. 2T . 9W, 5L; IT 7W. SL. IT • 'W. 9L.,OT 5W..61_. 2T 5W. 12L. OT - 2W: 13L. OT - 2.W.*13L,OT 2W. 141_. OT . Team - Murphys RSD Seminoles ETR Sluggers Mudcats Mudhens Baitlyz - Ellison Travel inndilins . Syfilco • Big V Knighthawks - Huron Park • Pts. 29 . 25 24' 20 _19 15 14 12 • 10 :a 4 Nati a als move on to WOA second round EXETER - The Exeter Nationals whipped Fullarton twice last week to take their South Perth Midget Girls fasttxall best of three Western Ontario Athletic Association series. Exeter won 18-4 at home on Sunday on the strength of four homers including Cara Gardner's grand slam. She also added two singles to cap off a five R81 night. Other home runs carne from Shawna Rowe (adding two walks and a single), Lisa Rooseboom (a double) and Julie Rooseboom (twa doubles and four RBIs). Starling pitcher Gardner put in four innings, striking out nine and giving up one walk, a hit and two runs. Reliever Lisle Geurts sttuck out the side in her inning of work but gave up three hits and two runs. Exeter took the first game of the series 16-3 at Fullarton Last week. Th16 time Gardner gave up two hits and two runs in her one Inning of relief for Geurts who shuck out four, walked one and gave.up three hits and a run in her four innings. Gardner and- Meagan Ratz led the hit parade with four each, throe singles and double for Gardner and two sin- rthecuctdi two deuces with two RBIs for Ratz. Missy Hayter In with a homer while Usa Hodge hit two singles and walked twice and Usio Geurts batted two doubles for **Mt Mtf. yQDoch Jaime Paiso said Ratz was hot with the grove In- " Nllttg."a stellardiving catch." battik also.beak Milverton 13-4 at Hensail and Zurich • 13.L at home last week in league play to cap a 4-0 week. The Nationals next play tonight versus Atwood in Kirk - ton, a 730 p.m. start: