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The Canadian Champion, Wednesday, December 30, 1998 -15 TH CNAIA CA PIN ED ESAi DCE BE 3,19 Noonefinishes - like Milton does ;q By STEVE LeBLANC SThe Champion S The Jr. A Merchants have laid the initial ground- work for a successful Newmarket Showcase title VUTONdefence - thanks to their phenomenal finishing power. T rm nruet he srih îsi on-oi - Milton outscored the opposition 10-O in the final play and advancemrent to the quarterfinals yesterday afternoon. By STEVE LBLANC The Champion Tbere's been nu shortage of action so far at the 25th annual Milton Beaver Toumament, whicb got started Saturday and runs through tonigbt (Wednesday). Here's a runduwn of huw the host teams fared througb the opening twu days of competition. Tyke A lack of scuring juice bas been the locals' only weakness in the early going - but nevertheless, it bas pusbed them out of the cbampionship picture. Juet Herder was impressive in net during round une play but is efforts were in vain as the Winterbawks dropped a 3-0 decision te, the Streetsville Tigers. Twu goals againat in the first period told the tale. Their next uuting - againat the Brampton Battalion - featured superb defence by Scott Dermott and Andrew Martin, who helped compliment Tariq Patel's crafty cage work. The combination made for a more exciting finish but didn't quite translate intu a reversaI of fortunes as the opposition pre- vailed 2- 1. Sinldng Milton's lune tally with 1:07 remaining was Jonathan Baird-Nevins, who fired a low wrister to break their offensive slump. Minor novice A heartboeaking finish to round twu saw the Karmax sponsored crew relinquish the equalizer with three minutes to play in a 1-i stalemate againat the Erindale Spitfire. Milton received stellar goaltending from Jeremy Price while sparkplug Brayden Abraham lit the lamp midway through the contest. Assisting on the play was Ryan Cheeseman. This followed a 2-1 loss to the Brampton Battalion, who had al the goals they'd need for victory before the game was six minutes old. Netminder Ryan Williams did a terrific job keeping the 'Hawks within striking distance but unfortunately is counterpart was just as mucb of a standout - perhaps even a littie more so. Ryan Mitchell cut into Brampton's lead early in the third with an upstairs wnist shot. He and Abraham had several quality scor- ing chances down the stretch but were repeatedly tumned aside. Drawing the assist was Riley Duke. Major novice Devin Medland was perfect between the pipes and is team- mates did the reat in a 4-0 second round whitewasb of the Brampton Battalion. Delivering goals one and two was Michael Hannah - botb notched in the middle frame. Third-period scoring by Michael Brown and Jeff Lynch cushioned their lead. Recording helpers were Justin Bailey, Ryan Bauer and Mac Filîman. 'Me Winterhawks' scoring window was ajar for only 37 sec- a see UPSTAGES on page 16 Results were unavailable at press time. Monday evening they com- pleted a division sweep by pasting the Oakville Blades 6- 1, eamning a littie payback for an overtime loss just a week and a haîf ago. John Nadalin and Ken Robins came up witlî great defensive efforts and belped restrict their southern neigh- bours to Il shots on goal. An equally impressive per- formance at the other end saw team scoring leader Ed MeGrane tally twice - for bis second multi-goal game sînce coming over from steeltown - and captain Kevin O'Flaherty shine with a powerplay marker and pair of assists. Other singles went to Chris Bahen, Nathan Gillies and Ryan Robichaud. The Merchants sank five unan- swered goals, including four in the third period. Guarding the cage was Jeremy Wenzel, who headed into yesterday's game witb a perfect 5-0 record in Newmarket Showcase compe- tition (three wins came last year). Rounds one and two of the toumnament teatured morning play for the Merchants. While they were noticeably unin- spired through major portions of both games, sconing flashes down the stretch were enough to tip the scales in their favour. Just barely, however, against the Auburn Crunch, who were on top until the last few min- utes. Geoff Schomogyi - reunited with early-season line- mates O'Flaherty and Gillies - banked the equalizer and game-winner in an eventual 4- 3 triumph. Durham buried MeGrane and Robins were the other marksmen while Gillies amassed three assists. Two of the three goals against goaltender Daniel Jacques were on the puwer- play. Milton carried the lowly Durham Huskies through twu periods before burying them 6- 2. Denting the twine were Gillies, McGrane, Robins, Mark Beisel, Ryan Eby and Mike Wheelihan. Wenzel didn't see a whole lot of quality shots but did make a brilliant diving glove save in the opening (rame. If victorious yesterday. the Merchants will play in this aftemnoons semnifinals at 3:30 p.m. The championship tilt is slated for tonight at 7:30 p.m. Marathon training The Running Company of Oakville begins its annual 'Marathon and Haîf-Marathon' training program on January 14. The Thursday evening course runs for 17 weeks. Alsu available is a nine-week beginners casas, held Saturday momnings starting January 23, as well as a lO-kilometre clinic which gets underway in March. Tu register or for more information, caîl Steve McKinnon at 815- 1952. Photo by GRAH-AM PAINE Winterhawk Ryan Black (6) dumps a Mail Binnington (9) rebound past Alax's goalie in minor atom play at the Beaver Tournament. Milton humbled their guests 8-2. 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