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Times Advocate, 1999-11-10, Page 23THIS WEEK IN SPORTS jr. D Irish outplay goal, Hawks stay In the first place hunt. Page 24 First half of Panther court sports season winding down. Page 25 • SPORTS TWO Contact Sports Editor Craig Bradford Tel:. (519) 235-133¢ ext 113 Fax: (519)235.0766 E-mail: sports@SouthHuron.com Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, November 10, 1999 Page 23'<' It's a goal but... Hensall Sr A Sherwoods forward Sean McCann scores on Wellesley goaltender (and former Exeter Mohawk) Trevor Hunter during Saturday's game at HensallArena.The score was 3-2 forWellesley midway through the first period when the lights went out all across the Hensall area when a car collided with a hydro pole.The game was called off a half hour after the blackout and could be rescheduled at the end of the regular season. For more on the accident, see elsewhere in this week's T A.This week the Sherwoods travel to Milverton on Nov. 13. and head to Goderich on ,Nov; I6. (photo/Craig Bradford) f: ' By Craig Bradford `) TIMES ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN — Jason Bukala is back at his alma mater. Bukala, who helped coach the Lucan Jr. D Irish to the '98/99 OHA championship, has left the Irish for the head coaching slot with the St: Marys Jr. B Lincolns. Bukala replaces John Caladorozzi who was hired to try to turn around the sagging fortunes of the Lincolns before this season. At press, the Lincolns were languishing in the Greater Ontario Junior league's cellar at *246-3 (wins, losses, over- time losses) and seven points. Bukala played with the Lincolns from '89 to '91/92 and was the team's starting goal - tender for his last two seasons there. He shared goaltending duties during his first year in St. Marys with Steve Shields who now backstops for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Bukala accepted the position after talks with Lincolns G.M. Angelo Nigro who was also G.M. when Bukala played there. Nigro approached Bukala about the job three weeks ago but Bukala turned him down. Bukala and Nigro ran into each other at Sunday's Lincolns game in St. Thomas and fur- ther telephone conversations led to Bukala accepting the invitation Tuesday night. Irish co -coach Bill Bourne, the players and the executive found out Bukala was leaving _at -Wednesday night's home IDIVOTS Gardner named Ivey League rookie of week PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Former Hensallite Cara Gardner continues to impress as a Brown University athlete. Gardner, a South Huron District High School grad, was recently named rookie of the week in Ivy League field hockey after her two goals led undefeated Brown to a 7-0 win over Cornell. This is the second time this season Gardner has won the honour. Gardner has 28 points for the 15th -ranked Bears, fifth in the Ivy League heading into the final game of the regular season. Gardner is also a star defenceman with the Brown women's hockey team. Bill Batten tourney returns EXETER/HENSALL -- The annual Bill Batten Memorial Tournament will take over Exeter's South Huron Rec Centre and the Hensall Arena this week- end. The tournament will feature action from novice age players to midget with teams from as far away as Sarnia, Petrolta, Essa and Dresden participating. Local teams include an Exeter novice team, Exeter and Stephen atom and peewee teams, an Exeter ban- tam team and Hensall and Stephen midget teams; Preliminary and semi-final games will be held on Friday night and Saturday with the finals (and ban- tam and midget semi-finals) on Sunday. The tournament is sanctioned by the Ontario Minor Hockey Association and is held in memory of Bill Batten, a former editor of the Times -Advocate. iii Have a sports tip? Cal! the TA at 235-1331! pper steps up to St game versus Mitchell. "I've got mixed emotions about it," Bukala said in an interview with the T -A. "The team is very close in Lucan. I feel like I'm leaving part of my family behind." Irish president Jim Hearn admitted "the timing wasn't the best" for Bukala leaving,~ adding Bukala had told the executive this was his last season in Jr. D. "We wish Jason the best," Hearn said. "We're glad he has the opportunity to coach at a higher level." Hearn joked affiliating with St. Marys has gone a lot fur- ther than he originally. thought. "We were affil- iated with St. Marys but we thought it was players going up not coaches," he slid. Coaching at the Jr. B level has always been a goal of Bukala's and he had made it no secret in the past. "It has been Jason's ambition when we hired him," Irish past president Ann Hardy said, adding there is "no animosity" oder Bukala's decision and that it's an amicable split. Hardy did express concern that Nigro didn't contact any- one on the Irish executive about his designs on Bukala. Despite the perceived slight, Hardy is glad Bukala is achiev- ing his goals. "I'm really proud of him and what he's developed into," she said. "I'm genuinely going to miss Jason." Scott Bukala Bourne said Bukala's youthful enthusiasm and "will to win at any cost" will be sorely missed behind the bench. In the spring Bukala almost became an assistant coach with the London .Jr. B Nationals but said nay to the offer hoping to hold out for a head coaching position at another Jr. B club sometiine in the future. Bourne will take over the reins of the Irish and is looking for an assistant. • Although a • daunting task. Bourne said. he's prepared to take over full control of the team. "We're in pretty good shape but we're not a fu l squad yet," he said alluding to injuries and other reasons players aren't in the lineup. On Monday Bourne said he had already interviewed three people for the assistant posi- tion. Two had declined and Bourne said the other was thinking about taking the job. Hearn believes Bourne will do just fine behind the bench without his usual coaching partner. "We're confident with Bill that he can do the job," he said. "We're fortunate we have a veteran team." Bukala moving up to Jr. B makes sense for both St. Marys and the Irish since Lucan is the Lincolns affiliate team. Not many Irish players have suited up for St. Marys so far this sea - ton and Bukala said that trend will end. "We'll make better use of the affiliation," he- said. "We have some players in Lucan that should play a couple games with St. Marys." Those players include Ben Dobbie, Adam Wagner, Matt Thompson and Scott Phillips. Bukala added some of Lucan's elder statesmen may also get to show their stuff up with St. Marys. "I think some of our older players can bring something to St. Marys like Scott Wheatley and Roy Davis," he said. His first job with St. Marys will be to try and "unify" the team and "get everyone on the same page." Bukala said despite St. Marys' dreadful record, the Lincolns are only five points out of a playoff spot with games in hand against London and the Aylmer Aces who are directly in front of St. Marys. He added there is a good nucleus of players and the team is the youngest in the league. l SHDHS girls hockey blanked by Stratford STRATFORD -- The South Huron District High School girls hock- ey team started their inaugural season with a tough 4-0.loss at Stratford Northwestern last week. The Panthers held Northwestern to one goal for the first peri- od and a half and looked to have evened .the score near the end of the second period but the goal was disal- lowed. Coach Lynne Farquhar said she still doesn't know why the goal was called -back. After the no -goal, South Huron lost some gas but Farquhar said the inflated score isn't indicative of how close the game was. She said she and the rest of the coaching staff are pleased with the team's first outing. The Panther girls will host their. home opener versus Clinton St. Anne's at South Huron Rec Centre - tomorrow (Nov. 11) at 2 p.m. The Panther boys hockey team see their first action of the sea- son at Stratford Central today (Nov. 10). Their first home game is Friday (Nov. 12), 2 p.m., at South Huron Rec Centre ver- sus Wi'ngham Madill.