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24 - The Canadien Champion, Fniday December 4, 1998 TI1l'CN ) NC X P1ONFIDY ECM U I 419 Merchants deal to grab another sniper Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Tim, Jef and Mike Johnston (I-r) are thre. local brothers who've ali been goalies for their entire hockey carmes. Nothing but n et for them By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion You just can't keep those Johnston boys out of the net. Sixteen-year-old Jeff - the mddle of three local brothers who have ail spent their entire hockey careers guarding thse cage - was the first to venture beyond the crease this fai. He didn't get very far. 'l started the season in senior bouse league but then thse single A midgets needed a goalie," he explained. I broke down and went back in." So continues thse series of events that has kept the famnily blocking pucks for more than a decade now. The tradition began when Mike, 18, tried out for the seven-year-old selects. "Nobody on the team wanted to play net so I volunteered," the eldest sibling recalled. "After that day we always had goaltender equipment around thse bouse." This camne in handy as a couple of years later Jef found himself in a similar situation when, during a summer hockey programn, one of the regular goalies went on vacation. Fate and destiny had already built up enough steamn by the start of 13-year-old Tim's playîng days - -se. GOALIE on page 25 By STEVE LeBLANO The Championt The Merchants juat caught their second wind in the race toward anotber champi- onsbip season.t Hopes for retaining their league and provincial titles got a major shot in the arm earlier tis week with the acquisition of Hamilton's Ed McGrane. The 20-year-old centre, who bas been given thse opportunity to play with a legiti- mate contender for bis final year of junior1 hockey, currently sits second in West Conference scoring with 27 goals and 34 assists. "It feels great to he here, this is my big chance," lie sad following bis Merchant debut Tuesday in Streetsville. Milton picked up the fourth-year sniper in a cash deal that includes future consider- ations for the steeltown Kilty Bees. "Much like (Kevin) O'Flaberty, Ed McGrane is an ail around great centre," said Merchants' head coach Marty Williamson. "This stabilizes our forward limes. We're extremely strong up thse mid- dle now." A consistent scorer over bis Jr. A tenure, McGrane amassed 38 goals and 83 points last season. He bas spent only 56 minutes in the sin bin over the past year and a haif, a welcome statistic for bis new team, wbich remains one of the most penalized in the league. Just prior to Tuesday's cutdown dead- line, the Merchants sent homegrown winger Jef Seeds to Georgetown. According to Williamson, the 1 9-year- old bad been caught in a numbers game and - like last year - wasn't expected to be a regular come playoff time. "He's a wonderful kid and probahly a little bearthroken right now, but the move should help bim. He'll see a lot more ice ime in Georgetown," remarked the local bench boss. Seeds said hie didn't see thse trade com- ing and doesn't understand the rationale behind it. "They sat me out a couple of games because tbey said I was taking too many penalties, but 1 was only iOth on the team," he said Wednesday aftemnoon. "I was sixth on the teamn in scoring and the only guys ahead of me were the ones on the powerplay. "This really came out of the blue for me. It's very disappointing." The move leaves John Nadalin and Mîke Wheelihan as the only Milton natives on the team. Milton persevered through an offensive- ly lax performance to defeat the Streetsvifle Derbys 5-3 Tuesday - on the strength of a three-goal output by Ryan Eby. Setting him up each time were Nathan Gillies and O'Flaherty, who now has 59 points and bas moved into a tie with Bramalea' s Kyle Amyotte for third-piace in West Conference scoring. McGrane - who occupies second place with 61 points - created a number of quaity chances in his debut but just could light the lamp. Geof Schomogyi and Chris Rowan reg- istered the other goals. Now up on right wing, Dave Csumrik drew a pair of assists. The Derbys erased three separate Milton leads on the night before eventually suc- cumbing to their powerhouse guests' depth. Merchants' rookie defenceman Carter Trevisani bas been officially picked to rep- resent Ontario at the annual World Under- 17 Hockey Challenge. The 6'l1", 175-pounder was one of five non-OHL players - and the only rear- guard - to crack the lineup. As a resuit, be'Ill-iss the first round of the playoffs in late February to battle teams from Quebec, the United States, Sweden and the Czech Republic in a nine-day toumament held in Comerbrook, Newfoundland. This marks thse second lime in as many years that a Milton blueliner bas been selected to the provincial team. Last year Matt Bannan helped thero cap- ture gold with a double-overtime win over the Czecb Republic. 1,1 90 FYFUPME T,,o5g,5o'OF M r-'~ri,-Nr-~r~r-h rIr~rhrh Wed8ez, Green Fee Ba~ Passpoirts Travel Cover8 Hlead Cover8 Lots of Tanium Wood<s Great Gift e Ideas Annivernsry Lucky Draw Winner: Alex Wishtart IClartke9s Goli We Turn Bogeys into Birdies 18 Thopson Rd. Units 7 à 8 <os) 878.1818 q-( e