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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-01-04, Page 13• •• ••• 11. • ,„ 4:•..) • emorab le moments fr Midgets reached The 1977 hockey season was a pbenominal one for .. the Goderich Minor Hockey Association and the Goderich Green and Parent Midgets were one . of the strangest teams it produced. With an essential blend of players from the previous years Ontarid bantam•champions and a few Midget Veterans, the tearrr4gelled into one of the best in Ontario. There was little competition for the midget squad in their own WOAA' league and they ran through the league piling up some im-' pressive scoring stats and rarely losing a game. The Green andyarent Midgets took their en- viable record to the Kincardine -Winter Games during the • •••••,,k, €hristmas break and won the midget cham- pionship\ The midgets won three games before they advanced to the tournament final where they needed an overtime goal by Mike Hodges, who was sent into the clear by Larry Daer, to vin5j1 oyer Niagara-on- th IaerLpinyep.d It all ywasr thed the midgts e toughest and most ex citing game , was a good indication of the competition they would face in 'the playoff • In theNrst round of the Ontario playoffs Goderich met Strathroy and the midgets made short order of Strat oy defeating them in 'three straight games in the best -of -five series while outscoring the opposition 45-10. .That's the way the ' season had gone for the midgets bill as they advanced in the playoffs 'the victories didn't come easy. With the win over Strathroy Goderich advanced to the quarter finals against Shoreline and many league bifida ls • picked -the winner of this series to win the Ontario Midget Championship. - as. i t-turnad -out rleither team won the Ontario crown but this series provided some of the best hockey. The two teams were pretty well equal in their strengths ,and the s9ries went down to the fifth and deciding game. Goderich • held a 2-1 lead in games and looked certain to advance to the' semi- finalsas they held a 2-0 lead in the fourth game. But shoreline fought back and won that game that set the stage for the dramatic fifth game. Goderich trailed throughout that fifth game and were unable to get untracked until Steve Arbour was awarded a penalty shot. He -scored on the play and Goderich fought back- td tie the game 3-3 and won the series with a last minute ------- — • - With the witModerich played Fergus in the semi-final and disposed of them in four games. Goderich won the first game 7-3 hut Fergus tied the series with a 5-4 home -ice, win. The midgets then wrapped the series with two straight wins and went on to play Huntsville for the 'the battle betwee.n Goderich and Huntsville was a monumental struggle which Huntsville won in six games. Hunts_ville 'Won the 'first two games of the serieSat home 7-4, and 4-2. The.. nextthree games were played in Goderich and Goderich desperately . needed a win in the third game to „stay. in the series, a loss would __nearly put th.em out -of -it, - Goderich held a sub- stantial lead'in that gar -ie' but Huntsville. staged a third period rally to win 6- 5 and hold a 3-0 bulge In, games. Goderich fought back the next two nights to' ' produce 7-5 and 6-3 vic- tories and move back into contention but Huntsville ended the series with a 10- 7 home ice victory in the provincial championship- sixth game. The junior Vikings also enjoyed a successful season as they won • the junior football championship after an undefeated season. The . juniors -won all seven league games;and two playoff games without a loss and allowed the opposition an average of six Points per game. (photo by Dave Sykes) Vikings wrapped up two conference -champions Winning football championships is nothing new for the players and coaching staff at -Gal. GDCI had consistently • produced a .contending team ' in the senior division •and had won eight championships in the past 10. years. -Sim juniors also consistentlf made the playoffs and took two championships in the past five years. ' in 1977 the senior team wo-n, the Hitron-Perth championship and juniors narrowly missed making it a double winas they were defeated in the fifth overtime. The 1977 GDCI senior Vikitlgs were a powerful f&tbalti team with precidien,exeCUtion under the leadership of quar- terbaclic Bill Walters. The i team simply out-' clasded its opposition in the '‘Elifrotti,Perth bon-' ference and breezed through the season without a single loss. ,• In fact the Vikings racked up seven shutouts in season and playoff games and were only scored -upon once in the season, a touchdown by Clinton. „ - That team won the charrwronship with an 18- 0 victory outer Exeter Panthers in the final on a snowy field.. The • championship 'shutout win was a fitting tribute to the defence who allowed but six points in a season. • ' It was inconceivable "that the 1978 Vikings could improve upon the record of the previous year's team. The team hadn'tlost a single game and allowed but one touchdown. But this year's team was a spirited and determined group and it " was 'evident by the tittle "' • the season was but a few weeks old - that the Vikings would run roughshod over the rest' of the league. —In an unprecedente,d season in the Huron-' -Perth conference the 1978 GDCI, Vikings simply outclassed the other league teams. They won the championship without losing a season or playoff game and defence refused to relinquish a single point in any of those eight games. In those eightgames of 1978 the Vikings out- scored the opposition 474- 0. Their scoring fell, but - six points shy of a 60 point averageper game. The lowest---drorinf game for the Vikings was their season opener when they defeated Stratford, 5.3=0: No other team was able to hold the finely honed Viking Offence to less than 65 p,oints over the remainder' of the season. The championship was the -second in a row for the senior team and -eighth in the past ten years. The team executed .their plays well and quarterback Jon Barz and end Dave MacKenzie formed a deadly passing combination. Mark Frayne rand MacKenzie, behind some excellent blockers, logged hun- dreds of yards on pupt returns and returned many for touchdown's. The backfield with Randy 'Little, Dennis Donnelly, Chris Wood and: Stuart Crew_ were almost unstoppable. , -This,-Was truly a year for football at GDCI. The junior team alscr enjoyed one of its better seasons under the coaching staff Garrow and Bruce Baker. In 1977 the junior Vikings were denied the . 'conference championship in the fifth overtime period and as if to avenge that loss - the juniors yielded yards grudgingly. Like their senior counterparts the. junior • Vikes did not lose a season or playoff game' in winning the cham- pionship. The team in- cluded many veterans. from the previous, year and enjoyed a super season. The Vikings rolled through the season • without a loss and their toughest opposition was Exeter. They met Exeter again in the final and -needed -a -sec,ond half touchdown towin. The defence, played an important part in the Vikings success this • season at‘the junior level 'as well, limiting'the opposition to an average of six points per game. For coach Garrow it Mark FIcayne, Dave MacKenzie and Eric Mitchell was, his second Huron- ' Of the-ODCI senior Vikings celebrate after the team Perth „chamPionship thelast five seasons. humiliated Etteter 66-0 to win the IturOn-Perth m he r GODERICI I SIGNAL-STARLTHURSDAY, JANUARY 4 , 11)79—PAGE 13 ye ., • ...0."'A, • -•• • - i, • .,_. .v. • i • t The bounces just didn't go right sometimes for the Green and Parent Midgets as they lost in the • Ontario Championship to Huntsville in six games. The midgets, however, provided fans with exciting hockey and should be involved in playoff action again this year. (photo by Dave Sykes) Midget girls won PWSA. AA championships The Goderich Midget Girls softball team brought home two championships this past 3eason as they won the Provincial Womens Softball Association title and also'Captured the WOAA midget title. In the PWSA playoffs v Goderich dispOsed of Dorchester in the quarter -final series and Denise Mitchelmore bitched a no-hitter in one bf those games. In the final they disposeda of Fonthill in two straight games winning 14-11 in the first' game and wrapping the series with -an 15-6 vic- tory. They played Kirkton in the final of the WOAA and won the best -of -five series in four games. They jumped into a one -game lead with a 7-5 victory in the first game of the series but ,Kirkton tied the set -with 'a 8-6 win in the -second game. Goderich won the .third game by a decisive margin, 11-3 and the,n wrapped the cham- pionship with a close.3-1 win in the final game. • football championship for the second year In a row. The Vikings outscored their opposition 474-0 in eight league and playoff games. (photo by Dave Syk$