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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