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Second Section District News Big year for Jim Cowe on ice and on film Era Sports Editor NEWMARKET in hockeys minor leagues is often described as something less than glamorous the long rides on cold buses to old arenas to play quickfisted chippy hockey teams But for Jim Cowell star of the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League the good points of professional hockey far outweighed the bad last season It was a satisfying season for Cowell a Newmarket native He finished eighth in the league scoring race with 50 goals and assists and was the top pointgetter in the playoffs with seven goals and assists He was voted the Blazers most valuable player by his teammates and helped his club finish first in the and won the league playoff championship But thats not all The 23- yearold left winger turned actor for a bit part in the movie Slapshot starring Paul Newman Cowell isnt planning to hang up his skates for a movie career though He appeared in one scene of Slapshot as a member of the fictional Peterborough Patriots In the movie Newmans team the Chiefs engaged in a brawl with the Patriots after a Chief nailed a Patriot with a sucker punch during the warmup As the camera pans the brawl sharpeyed viewers can spot in a tugging match in the background During the filming of the scene Jim literally ran into Newman or viceversa The scene had to be shot five times from five different and in each one players were to matchup with the same opponent However in one take Newman began to lose his balance and headed straight for Cowell with arms out stretched He had his arms out and yelled for me to grab him Jim said Cowell held up Newman to keep him from stumbling to the ice Newman mean while buried his head in s chest and roared with laugher We werent supposed to laugh Jim said is an en tertaining movie but it looks at the bad side of hockey Cowell said The movies portrayal of the lifestyle of a minor league hockey player is pretty accurate and most of the brawling and highsticking scenes in the film have ac tually happened at one time or another Cowell said But they all didnt happen to one team during one season Violence in the NAHL was reduced substantially this past season because of rule changes Last year 197576 it was really chippy but they brought in a rule this year in which players with ISO minutes in penalties had to go before a commission The league was a lot cleaner and competition was keener this season Cowell said But chippy play isnt the only problem minor league hockey players face Financial difficulties have caused the downfall of several leagues and even the Syracuse Blazers ran short of money this spring The Blazers will be sold to new owners before next season Minor leaguers should also be good card players to survive because of the many long road trips We travel by bus all the time Cowell said And the Blazers team bus wasnt always depen dable this past season We had a bus that kept breaking down and on the coldest day of the year Its heater wasnt working Jim said And on thai day with a factor of 60below zero the Blazers had to make a trip from Newmarkets Jim left a member of the Syracuse Blazers had a small part in the movie which starred Paul Newman right In the movie played a member of the Peterborough Patriots Philadelphia to Syracuse Sleeping bags came in handy It was the coldest ex perience of my life Despite that enjoyed playing for the Blazers We had an exceptional team this year The previous year it was a tougher team to play on because we had some guys who didnt have guts he said But Dan coach got rid of all the guys like that This season the Blazers had three 50goal shooters despite the fact all three played on different lines The clubs defence was anchored by captain Gary Darryls brother Because of the vast amount of talent on the Blazers Cowell didnt expect to be named the clubs MVP I felt I deserved it as much as anyone else but no more than anyone else Jim said Actually everybody deserved it played his minor hockey in Newmarket and while of midget age played about onehalf a season in junior C with the Newmarket He was drafted by the Ottawa and played Major A hockey for three seasons before being selected in the junior draft by the National Hockey Leagues Vancouver Canucks He broke his ankle before his first season of pro hockey and was sent to Seattle of the Western Hockey League The following year he was a member of the Des Moines Iowa club in the International League In he joined the Blazers Jim hasnt yet made plans for next season Id like to go back to Syracuse if a financially stable owner buys the team Hed also welcome the to try out for an American Hockey League squad who has coached Cowell for three years may be headed to an AHL fran chise next season He might give me a if he goes to the American league Jim said Jim who scored 50 goals for he Syracuse Blazers in the hockey season received this trophy as his teams most valuable player Syracuse won the American Hockey league championship and was the leading scorer Rich centre is congratulated his Newmarket Chubb teammates Don Crowley left Frank LaVerdi Doug Hartley and John McDonald 8 after hitting a tworun homer in the eighth Inning of Thursdays game homer accounted for the Chubbs only runs as they dropped a decision Brampton Globals Chubb errors give Globals win NEWMARKET Newmarket committed two costly errors to spoil their Ontario Fastball League home- opener at the Fairgrounds Thursday as they dropped a decision to Brampton Waxman The Globals capitalized on a firstinning error by Ally OQuinn and an eightinning boot by Mike Lunney to score all four of their runs off Chubb Mike Rich Lunney provided the with both their runs with a tworun homer in the bottom of the eighth Newmarket would have escaped unscathed in the first frame had it not been for shortstop OQuinns error retired the firsl two men he faced before Gerry bounced a ground ball to Firstbaseman Rich Lunney couldnt scoop OQuinns ensuing low throw out of the dirt allowing to reach base stole second and scored on a single by Bob Walton Walton then rode home on a double There were again twoout when Ihe added their other runs in the top of the eighth inning After retiring the first two men issued a walk to Jake McLean and surrendered a hit to Walton putting Globals on second and third An intentional walk loaded the bases The next batter hit a slow roller near first and Mike Lunney in attempting to field ball literally booted it past first base allowing McLean and Walton to score Newmarket got those runs back in the bottom of the inning when Rich Lunney boomed a tworun homer over the fence in left centre field Frank la Verdi who had reached base on an error scored ahead of Lunney Dan then lined a single off Global pitcher Dave Jacksons leg Paul nnmnker came on in relief and quashed the Chubb rally The threatened again in the ninth inning Garry Weston led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on Doug Hartleys ground out After pinchhitter Bob fouled out Ally was walked putting the tying runs on base But Wan- got Mike Lunney to pop up for the third out Although they didnt hit Jackson hard the Chubbs had runners on base in seven of the nine Innings had Newmarkets first hit a twoout single in the opening inning In the second Wally Cooper walked and Lahey reached on an error but Jackson retired the next three batters Jackson pitched out of another Jam In the third after walking two batters then set the down in order in the fourth Pitcher Mohun collected Newmarkets second hit leading off the fifth but Jackson retired the next three batters then put the Chubbs down one two three in the sixth Hartley was the only Newmarket baserunner in the seventh He got on when Jackson couldnt hang on to a grounder Jackson who is only pitched in California last summer to gain experience The played game under protest They complained that Globals cat cher Wayne Ellis had been signed less than 24 hours before the game According to a league rule a player must wait a full day after signing before playing Result of the protest was unknown at press time The Good Brothers sang the national anthem before Thur sdays home opener In other opening ceremonies recreation com missioner Dan Shannon failed in his attempt to slam Mayor Bob For nans ceremonious first pitch out of the ball park He did however manage to get one over the fence the fence at the foul line at third base The return to action tomorrow night at the Fairgrounds They will host the Tonys Chubbs end slump with 3 wins BURLINGTON Newmarket snapped out of an earlyseason slump to win three straight Ontario Fastball League games on the weekend The Chubbs who had dropped their first two games of the season won their firstever OFL contest Saturday in Belleville where they beat the Bobcats Sunday the Chubbs ex tended their win streak to three games as they swept a from Burlington 21 and Frank LaVerdi and Ally OQuinn were the big guns in Saturdays victory LaVerdi had a double and a triple and collected three base hits The Chubbs grabbed a firstinning lead when Verdis double drove home Ally OQuinn who had walked LaVerdi tripled in the second and pinchrunner Bob Shelston scored as Dan grounded out The Bobcats scored their only run in the third narrowing Newmarkets lead to 21 Ralph Plane tripled and came home on a base hit by Dave Norwood In the fourth Ray OQuinn led off with a single advanced to second on Gary Marshalls sacrifice bunt and scored on John McDonalds single Ray scored the Chubbs final run in the ninth frame He led off with a basehit moved to second on Marshalls single stole third and scored on Doug Hartleys sacrifice fly Don Crowley pitched the first six innings for Newmarket and picked up the win Crowley allowed five hits and struck out five Bill Lunney came on in relief and fanned five in three innings He gave up two hits Lunney hurled a threehitter and struck out as the defeated Burlington 21 in the first game of Sundays Burlington opened the scoring in the third on two singles and a fielders choice The picked up both their runs in the fifth led off with a double but was thrown out at third trying to advance on Shelstons ground ball A Burlington error then put Shelston on second and Bill Lunney on first Ally singled to load the bases before Mike Lunney knocked in a pair of runs with a double In the second game of the twinbill the Chubbs took command early scoring all six of their runs in the first two in nings Ally OQuinn leading off the game reached base on an error He was forced at second by Mike Lunney who scored on a double by LaVerdi After Rich Lunney walked scored on Ray OQuinns grounder putting Newmarket ahead 20 In the second inning leadoff man Lahey was hit by a pitch After Mike Mohun drilled a long out to the fence Mike Lunney LaVerdi Rich Lunney and Ray OQuinn hit consecutive singles to score four runs Terry Kay who tripled in the third and doubled in the seventh scored both Burlington runs Pitcher Mike went all the way to record the victory He gave up seven hits and struck out eight The Chubbs play a in Hamilton tonight Tomorrow they will be home to Belleville before travelling to Brampton Friday and St Catharines Sunday Newmarkets Ally backs away from a high inside pitch In Thursdays Ontario Fastball League game The lost to Brampton Global 1 I I J J-