HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-9-21, Page 14Imperials capture `B' championshi
Cook announces next year's team will be a junior club as men's fold
EXETER - Dan Heywood
ripped an eighth inning triple to
knock in a pair of runs Thursday
night as the Exeter Chrysler Im-
perials beat visiting Tavistock
Merchants 4-0 to win the South
Perth Men's Fastball League 'B'
championship.
Exeter swept the hest -of -three
series in two games straight.
Leading just 1-0 heading into
the bottom of the eighth, Exeter's
Darren Neil walked with one out
and then Kevin Lightfoot reached
base on an ermr. They both
scored when Heywood tripled.
Heywood scored when Jim Al-
lison singled to finish off the
scoring. Both Allison and Hey-
wood had two hits each with
Sandy Hyde the only other Im-
perials' to get a bat on T4vistock
pitcher Ross Yantzi.
Exeter opened the game's soa
ing in the third when Getry Elli-
son was hit by a pitch and Hey-
Page 14
Times -Advocate, September 21,1994
By
Fred
Groves
Hockey shirts
are becoming
billboards
Are you ready for another
shocker hockey fans - all
teams that come under the ju-
risdiction of the Canadian
Amateur Hockey Association
have to have a Canadian flag
sewn on their shirts.
That's all teams from pre -
tyke right up to Senior 'A'
and it includes the Exeter
Hawks and the Lucan Irish of
the OHA Junior Develop-
ment League.
In a directive from the
CAHA, the teams will have
to have the flag, which of
course is available from the
OMHA, sewn on to the shirt.
Each team will have it
stitched in an identical place,
we wouldn't want to look
sloppy now would we.
Uniform neatness is getting
a little out of hand - go to a
basketball game and while
the kids are sweating and
standing waiting for a foul
shot, they're told by the ref to
tuck their shirts in. I'm still
waiting for this goofy rule to
filter down into hockey.
Back to the flag, I'm not an
anti -patriot but Idon't think
it's necessary.
"It's a new rule brought in
by the CAHA. It can ben an
iron -on thing. Any new shirts
we buy may just have them
already patched on," said
Dennis Kints of the Exeter
Minor Hockey Association.
While the EMHA, and oth-
er local associations are still
uncertain of what teams will
have to have the flag, it looks
like its going to be right
across the board.
"We don't know how long
we have to get them on. It's
not a top priori • w,"
said Karen onck, also of
the EMHA.
Not to many teams from
this area venture over to the
U.S. to play. Sure the atoms
from Stephen Township went
on a venture last year and the
bantams from that com-
munity hosted a Swedish
team a few years back, but
there isn't a lot of inter-
national mingling.
"It (the flag) looks good if
you are going to the United
States," said Kints.
Sometimes when a team
loses a team member due to
an auto accident, they'll sew
that player's number on their
own shirt out of respect. It's a
fitting memorial and that is
something which should be
placed on a shirt.
Advertising, the team
name, players names and
now a Canadian flag, the old
jersey is getting pretty filled
up. Players are becoming bill-
boards rather than what they
are, players.
Why do they call it the
OHA Junior Development
League? Junior 'D' hockey
teams such as the Hawks and
the Irish are only allowed
four players who are 16
years -old or younger, I
thought we were trying to de-
velop our young talent not
hinder it.
As far as I'm concerned and
I bet a few coaches will
agree, there should be no lim-
it on how many younger
players they have—more on
this later...
i
This Week in Sports...
• Hawks win two in pre -season - page 15
• Micro -sprinting in Grand Bend - page 16
Panthers win back-to-back tournaments
The South Huron DHS
girls' field 'hockey
team win at both
Exeter and in Waterloo
Ity Fred (:roves
T -A staff
EXETER - The defending On-
tario high school girls' field hockey
started off right where they finished
last year - winning.
Friday, the South Huron District
High School Panthers won their
own 15 -team Red and Black Tour-
nament and then the very next day,
travcllcd to Waterloo where they
won the St. John Kilmarnock Tour-
nament.
In analysing the two-time Ontario
Federation of Schools Athletic As-
sociation champs, if there is one
point of concern, it is their defence.
Gone from last year's team arc
five starters who all played a very
big defensive role.
" 1e have to work on that a bit,"
said Panthers' coach Jim Workman.
"The girls filling in arc doing a
good job."
Throughout the weekend, South
Huron had to continue to make ad-
justments. Saturday in Waterloo,
three starters from this year's squad
were not there.
"We're trying out the new ones to
see where they fit in," said Work-
man.
While Danielle Miners, Brcnyn
Baynham and Cara Gardner will be
there to provide the offence this
year, Workman has moved Ro-
chelle Geoffrey, who was very of-
fensive last year, hack to defence.
Also, Kim Farquhar has been
moved from right midfielder to
sweeper._'
"She's become stronger," said
Workman of Farquhar. "Not every-
body likes playing hack there. You
can be really bored until you come
up against a good opposition."
Undefeated: South Huron
opened its Huron -Perth season on
Wednesday as they travelled to
Stratford where they beat North-
western 6-0 and Central 3-0.
Against Northwestern, Miners had
three goals with one each from Lori
Richardson, Gardner and JoDec
Rowe. Gardner had two and Miners
the other versus Central.
Friday at the Red and Black
Tournament in Exeter, Miners
scored all three goals in the 3-0
opening win over the Strathroy
Saints. That was followed by a 1-0
win over St. Davids on Kristy Ah-
rens goal.
It was 2-1 over Waterloo Re-
surcction as Miners scored both in
the first game since mid 1993 that
someone scorcd on the Panthers.
Miners with two and Gardner with
one accounted for the scoring
against Stratford Central.
In the 15 -team three pool team,
the hosts advanced to the semi-
finals where they beat St. Marys of
Kitchener, 3-0. Baynham scored
twice in the first half while Shawna
Rowe got her first of the season in
the second half.
The final was what well may be a
preview of the WOSSA final as the
Panthers beat the Cowboys from
Medway 1-0 on Gardner's long shot
which went into the corner.
Tougher competition: Cel-
ebrating her 17th birthday, Miners
had quite a day on Saturday in Wa-
terloo as she scored both goals in a
2-1 overtime win over Ridley in the
final.
South Huron started the day with
a 1-0 win over Ressurection as
Miners scored on a penalty stroke.
Burlington's M.M. Robinson bat-
tled the Panthers to a scoreless
draw before South Huron beat the
hosts St. John Kilmarnock 3-0 as
Miners scored twice and JoDee
Rowe had the other.
Miners scored in a 1-0 win over
Eastwood before the 2-0 semi-final
victory against Kitchener's South-
wood.
South Huron's Danielle Miners (with hat) scores
tournament.
one of her goals against Strathroy in Friday's
Hoopers hot, tops in consolation final
ChrIssy McInnes, left; and Panthers' teammate Tara Pepper
battle Dorchester in their opening game Friday night.
Youmans, Mclnnes pace Panthers
By Fred Groves
T -A staff
EXETER - Three games, two wins and a consolation
banner to hang on the wall.
It was a great way for the South Huron District High
School Panthers to start off their senior girls basketball
season on Saturday as they won the consolation title of
their own eight -team tournament.
London's Beal went undefeated in the tournament
and beat Sarnia St. Clair to win the annual event.
Against Huron Confej�eence rivals F.E. Madill of
Wingham, the Panthers roared to a 42-26 win over the
Mustangs. South Huron's Chrissy McInnes was hot in
the first half, pouring in 12 points. many of them from
jump shots from the side of the hoop.
She finished with 14 points to lead all scorers while
teammate Tara Pepper had a strong game with 12
points and Candace Miller added 10.
"For this stage of the season, it's a good start," said a
pleased South Huron coach Terry O'Rourke.
The Panthers started with a slim 39-32 loss to Lord
Dorchester Friday night but rebounded Saturday morn-
ing to top another Huron Conference rival, Clinton's
Central Huron Redmen, 40-27.
"We're not real strong, we have a lot of room for im-
provement," noted O'Rourke. "There is a lot of things
we have to put in."
The Panthers will get a chance to put a few more
things into their game beginning today when they host
the Redmen in their first regular scheduled game.
South Huron's premier players this year will be
McInnes and Candace Miller at forward, Pepper at cen-
Ire and Karey Youmans, Jen Romphf and Heather Da-
vies at guard.
"We have some OAC kids, its their last year and they
want to do as well as they can. They've been working
real hard," said O'Rourke.
Against the Mustangs in the consolation final, South
Huron trailed by a point at halftime but Pepper put the
hosts in front where thdy would stay when she gath-
ered her own rebound and banked it off the glass.
She gave the Panthers a three-point cushion just a
few seconds later when she was in the right spot at the
right time.
Good start: Friday night in their opener against
Lord Dorchester, the Panthers burst out of the blocks,
moving the ball around when they showed patience
and Youmans drove to the hoop, things looked prom-
ising.
But they ran out of gas and despite having a five -
point lead early in the thltd quarter, watched as Lord
Dorchester chipped away at the difference.
Twice during the game, O'Rourke had his foul shoot-
ers stand at the line alone while the rest of the team
went all the way hack to defend their own end.
"It's something 1 started doing two or three years
ago. It's psychological became we're not goodfree
throw shooters. It's kind of successful," said O'Rourke.
Youmans led the Panthers with 14 points against
Lord Dorchester while Pepper had seven and McInnes
added six.
Against Central Huron, McInnes had a strong of-
fensive game netting 16 points while Pepper had 10
and Miller added six.
wood reached base on a fielders'
choice. With two out, Allison sin-
gled to score Heywood with what
proved to he the winning run.
Defensively, Imperials' pitcher
Derwyn Hodgins allowed just
four hits while striking out 20 in-
cluding fanning the side in the
bottom of the ninth.
After the game, Exeter manag-
er Fred Cook announced that the
Imperials men's team was folding
but in its place, there would be a
Junior men's team.
"Commencing in 1995, the Im-
perials will be a junior men's
team," Cook told the Times -
Advocate. ' the men's teams is
now defunct "
He added his decision was
somewhat easier with the fact that
several from the men's team have
announced their retirement.
"I indicated 1 wanted to run it as
a junior team. I felt the time has
come," said Cook.
The last couple of years the
men's team has had it's roster
rounded out by several younger
players who will become the nu-
cleus of next summer's junior
team.
"I already lined up a league to
play in, it's the South Perth Junior
Men's League. It has about 12
teams," said Cook.
4