Times-Advocate, 1999-01-27, Page 11THIS WEEK IN SPORTS
Panther wrestlers snatch mucho medals
from recent meets. Page 1 1
Motorplex honours its own and Couture
rules the NLL in Divots. Page 1 1
11.'x.11 ,111
SPORTS TIPS?
Contact Sports Editor Craig Bradford
Tel: (519)235-1336 ext. 113
• Fax: (519) 235-0766
E-mail: spore e@SouthHuron.com
Lucan Irish forward Justin Mulligan tries (and succeeds) to alude a Seaforth player
during Wednesday's game at Lucan Arena. Lucan edged. Seaforth 3-2.
Irish extend win streak to 10 games
By Craig Bradford
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN — TheeLucan,Jr.
D Irish hockey team kept
its win streak alive by`;
winning both their games
last week.
On Saturday, the Irish
.travelled to Parkhill
.where they handed the
North Middlesex Stars a
6-2 loss.
Lucan and Parkhill
played to a 14 tie in the
first period.
Lucan took off in the
second period with three
goals. to Parkhill's single
marker. The Irish added
two more in the, final
frame.
Scoring for the Irish
were Justin Mulligan with
two goals and single goals
by Scott Wheatley, Matt
Thompson, Chad
Greenlee and Adam
Wagner (on the power-
play).
Irish assists went to
Wagner and Kevin
Dunbar with two each,
Chad Lambourn, Mike
Jaremchenko and
Mulligan.
Lucan played a disci-
plined game taking only
four penalties to
Parkhill's 10. Parkhill's
trips to the penalty box
included three 10 -minute
misconducts.
The Irish slipped by the
visiting Seaforth
Centenaires 3-2. last
Wednesday. y _...
Thea first period dragged
on with numerous referee
delays due to a botched
Seaforth :line-up sheet
and an injured Seaforth
player' who was taken to
hospital by ambulance on
a spinal board. The peri-
od- ended in a scoreless
tie.
Lucan got on the score-
board first when Scott
Philips scored from Kevin
Dunbar and Mark Phillips
with 7:28 gone in the sec-
ond period.
The Irish went up by
two midway through the
period when Justin
Mulligan scored from
Dunbar and Mark
Philips.
Seaforth then mounted
a comeback over the rest
of the second and the first
half of the third period to
tie the game. Lucan's
Jason Amey scored the
winning goal on a shot
from the blueline from
Mark Philips with 1:20
left in the game.
The Lucan bench got
quite short during the
game with three players
tossed due to major
penalties and captain
Mike Jaremchenko sitting
out the rest of the game
with a slashed nose. By
the end of the game there
were only four defence -
men and seven offence -
men left, Irish co -coach
Bill Bourne said.
"All it proved was we
can win in different
ways," Bourne mused.
Bourne credited the
strong goaltending of
Marc Williams who made
28 saves, the strong blue -
line play of Amey and the
three -assist effort of Mark
Philips as the key ingre-
dients for the Irish win.
The two wins brings
Lucan's win streak to 10
straight, the best stretch
since Bourne and co -
coach Jason Bukala took
over the coaching duties
three years ago.
"Everything's clicking,"
Bourne said. "When
they're on their game
they are pretty good."
The week's action puts
Lucan's record at 23-10-
0-1 (wins, losses, ties,
overtime losses) and 4Z
. points, good for first place
in the Morenz Division,
five points ahead of sec-
ond place Mitchell with
seven games left and two
in hand over Mitchell.
Lucan has a busy week,
first hosting Hwy. 4 and
division rivals the Exeter
Hawks tonight at 8:15
p.m., travelling to Port
Stanley tomorrow and
heading to Belmont
Sunday.
Exeter Times -Advocate
Motorplex lands national event
By Craig Bradford:
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF•
GRAND BEND — The big boys are
coming to Grand Bend Motorplex.
The drag strip will host an IHRA
(International Hot Rod Association)
national event on June 8-11, 2000.
The four-day race will feature nitro -
burning top fuel dragsters, alcohol
funny cars, pro -modified cars, top fuel
Harleys and numerous other car class-
es with over 500 cars. Similar events
in the U.S. attract between 18,000-
40,000 spectators.
"It'll be the single biggest drag event
in Canada," Motorplex G.M. Bob Fuller
said. _ .
The IHRA has 12 national events a
year in the U.S. and Canada (though
almost exclusively in the U.S.), this
marking the first time for the
Motorplex.
"As Canada enters the new millenni-
um, only one track can claim the dis-
tinction of hosting a. national event,"
Fuller said. "It's time for all Canadians
to be proud that they are 'back on the
map' .of international drag racing."
IHRA president Bill . Bader said the
Motorplex has earned the honour.
"As the IHRA continues its growth,
the tracks holding national events
must step up and provide facilities that,
can handle our brand of racing," he
said. "Bob' -Fuller and the staff at'
Grand 'Bend "Mtge met the challenge -
and made the xommitment and invest-
ment needed to host Canada's only
national drag racing event."
Bader added Grand Bend's closeness
to the large Detroit and Toronto mar-
kets (a total of 14 million people)
"makes it an attractive expansion mar-
ket."
Fuller said the event will be much
bigger than London Motorsports
Park's annual largest event,. the Cam -
Am Nationals. arta's London
Motorsports operates in the other
large drag racing association, the
NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).
Winning the national nod is the cul-
mination of Motorplex staff's efforts
since the 407 acre facility reopened in
'95 (the drag strip operated in the '60s
as Grand Bend Dragway).
Over $3 million has been spent in
expansions and improvements includ-
ing a completely repaved, track, new
220 foot concrete launch: pads, a.
repaved and enlarged pit area and a
new Compulink timing system.
Other improvements include new
concession .and washroom buildings,
sewers, added pipeline water, a new
track lighting system, public address
system and campground.
Work has also:started on a Few three
storey control. tower, 150 more pit
. parking spaces and new grandstands.
When,the work is done, Motorplex: will.
have over 500 parking spaces ands
6,000 seating capacity.
Chie
g elimination by thckiiot
EXETER - The Exeter.-
Juvenile Chiefs hockey
team faces elimination
from the Ontario Minor.
Hockey Association
(OMHA) playdowns after'
dropping both of their
second round games ,to
LucknoW 3-1 •on the
weekend.
Kevin Hogan scored
Exeter's lone goal at
13:29 of the third from
Ryan Carroll and Jon
Campbell. The. bigger
Lucknow. squad scored
one,goal in the first peri-
od and two in the second
frame and coasted to the
end.__
On Sunday the Chiefs
' lost at Lucknow with the
same score. This time
Paul.Knight picked up
Exeter's lone goal in the
first period to make it 1-1
with Lucas Forrest getting
the helper. • Lucknow
scoredtwo in the second
and again coasted to the
win.
Chiefs assistant cpach
Mike Soldan said play
during the two games has
been even despite the
pundits saying Lucknow
would easily defeat
Exeter.
In fact, Exeter carried
the play. in Sunday's
,game. Exeter manager
See CHIEFS PAGE 1 I
Battling for it. Exeter Juvenile Chiefs player Scott Rasenberg, right, battles for
the puck with a Lucknow player during their OMHA second round game at South
Huron Rec Centre on Friday. Exeter lost 3-1. (photo/Kate Monk)