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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, Septemnber ^CUIR 1998 -21 Milton looks like shoe-in as national titie site File photo by GRAHAM FAINE Maverick veterans Graham Darling, Andrew Hartholt and Jimmy Leworthy Jr. will get their shot at national lacrosse compêtitian next August when Milton hasts the Jr. B Founder's Cup. This o,,xr.change rate stillfavi By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion The Milton Merchants may want to consider implementing their own cross-border exchange rate this ses- son. Because if goals continue to be hon- oured at face value, games against their new US. opponent - the Niagara Scenic - aren't likely to be ton competitîve. Initial indications of this came Friday at Memorial Arena. Despite blowing early opportunities and con- tending with a rash of penalties, the defending provincial champs enjoyed a 9-1 cakewalk to start their 1998/99 campiign. With the exception of two impres- sive-looking tallies and Matt Bannan's ~TO CHOOSE. iF MM Campbell, opening night held little excitement and no suspense from the midway mark on. "They (Milton) have their set together, but then we only showed up for haîf a game," said visiting head coach Matt English. Not up to speed Be that as it may the Niagara bench boss is going to have to get used to the fact that is current crop of players, perhaps the latest instalîment to the West Conferences Have Not Club, simply can't keep up with the Merchants' speed. The only bright spot of the night for is team was when - in one fluid motion - veteran centre John Bombard won a faceoff to the right of with a bottom shelf wire. Capitalizing on the first of many Scenic detensive lapses, the home- town crew notched two shorthanded goals just 20 seconds apart to break things open midway through the game. Scoring the latter of these was newly appointed captain Kevin 0'Flaherty, who carried a defender into the slot and roofed a short-range wrist shot in truly picturesque fashion. Great-looking goal While certainly better looking than his double-overtime winner against Oakville last spring, O'Flaherty couldn't quite bring himself to put Friday's score stop his best goals lîst. "When you're already Up by three By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion I Move over Merchants, you're not the - only ones capahle of getting to a nationala championship.b The Jr. B Mavericks won't even have to leave town to do an next August, at whichs they'll likely host the Founders Cup. t As ot now, Jim Leworthy's lacrosse team hbas won the right to put on the tour- I nament.s The only way they could lose it is if a more attractive proposai comes in from Alberta - who hosted the event just fourt years ago and isn't even expected to make a bid.i Ontario is the only other province eligi-i ble to host the Founder's Cup in 1999.1 Miltons proposai beat out those of Guelph, Oshawa and Wallaceburg at the OLA vote September 13 in Scarborough. They won majority approval from the 13 other Jr. B teams in the league, who each had a vote. "Their presentation was very well pot together," said Mike Hancock, assistant general manager of the Georgetown Bulldogs. "The other bids had a little more glitz and glamour, but Milton's had more substance. "It seemed Ioi cover just about every- thing." Jim Leworthy said hes overjoyed about the prospect of' hcstng the national cham- pionship - an honour bestowed just four years into the clubs existence. Making the presentation to OLA teams was Mavericks' GM Dave DeCaire, the driving force behind the push to bring the toumament to town. play, andi Pours the Ca>i Kevin O'Flaherty (as a game-winner in the playoffs)," he noted. 'However, 1 did get better wood on it than 1 could have ever cd - both provincially and nationally eCaire feit it was the personnel avail- hat put bis club ahead of the other Irs. number of service clubs and minor Sassociations have already commit- helping mun the toumament. lving the bodies is really the main With enough people you can always ass the previous event and create a meter for the next bost," he said. "This smake the toumament better and bet- -gwork for the Founder's Cup bid ied everything from arranging player nmodations at the E.C. Dniry School fie Deaf dormitory, to securing food ations from local supermarkets, to ring that a fair schedule could be îed out for either a tour, six or eigbt itoumnament. s well, if Tonelli Arena isn't enougb an also, use Acton Arena which is just [e road," said DeCaire. "0f course d love to be able to use Memorial na, but that's not really possible that in the sommer." ýCaire said he's had plenty of support n past Founder's Cup hosts as well as m Oshawa, wbo've olfcred specific is rom their own proposai to Milton. avericks' captain Andrew Harîboli 1he was thrilled about Sunday's dcci- iparticularly since next season will bc last in bis, Jimmy Lcwortby Jr.'s and riam Darling's junior careers. But this also pots the pressure on us yers. Now we've got to step things op do even better," Hartbolt said. tadians Milton's other standout goal came off the stick of Ryan Eby, who after amassing four assists over two-and-a- haîf periods drilled a bullet into the top right corner with 4:13 remaining to end the hit parade. Mike Wheelihan showed strongly with a pair of second-period goals while other singles were registered by Mo Alvarez, Ryan Carrigan, Ryan Stewart, Adam Sturgeon and Carter Trevisani. A genuine challenge awaited Milton two nights later at Mississauga's Iceland Arena where the opposing Oshawa Legionnaires - their Prospects Weekend opponient - bat- tled back from a three-goal deficit before eventually losing 7-5. The Merchants were lifeless in the 1998 TACOMA 4x4 XTRACAB V6 (DEMOS) -'reliit Steng STUAC4 hoosu.Uî 4â, blase $+ tex *AMIFM CD $ f rBIhI *Air Conditionlng L i i]____ PDEW. amt Mats to 0 moV...as 10w as8 3 9lncluded *Bed Liner W OlOlIhOnly V$1000 dowfl Low Kms dtVfo b kfl& TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22,1998 Tl If, CANADIAN (Il IAMIIION