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16 - The Canadien Champion, Friday January 22, 1999 MG"c Serice Snc k MM GORBN 69 Main St. East, Suite 3 F qc.,~n 875-1771 - Drury snatches a win from crosstown rivals By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion If the Milton District Mustangs had been fishing, they'd be talking about the one that got away. The senior girls volleyball team was one point removed from a match victory against the E.C. Drury Spartans Wednesday, but in the end just couldn't reel in their cross-town rivals. MD had outlasted their guests 16-14 in the opening game and were on the verge of completing the sweep when they short-circuited, surrendering four straight points, including the clincher, which they retumed out of bounds. Drury's Anne Jamieson came up with some effec- tive serving during the 16-14 comeback while Kirsty Goodearle laid down two kills and was generally impressive at the net. Nurturing this reversai of fortune, the Spartans jumped out to a quick lead in the tie-breaking contest and gradually clawed their way to a 15-10 triumph. The visitors had a brief lapse in returning serves, which was clearly their downfall in game one, but were otherwise the dominant team at crunch time. Leading them to victory were Laura Adamson, Emma Fredricksson and Erin Kelly. For the Mustangs it was Sharalee Dempster and Anne Gleeson who stood out, combining for three late points - with fierce.serving and a well-placed tip - to give their team the opening round win. Chrystal Johnston had a solid performance for the host squad as well. The Mustangs held commanding leads in games one and two, but suffered mental setbacks each time which resulted in substandard defence and positional play. Their biggest backslide came in the battle they actu- ally won, when they relinquished 11 consecutive points. Drury improved to 3-3 with the victory while Milton District is now 3-1. When the going gets tough .. PfhotO Dy UHAMAM PAIN: Milton District's Mandy McCollum delivers a spike as Julie Price of E.C. Drury attempts to block It In senior girls volleyball play Wednesday. Drury won the cross-town battle two games to won. Shooting for the moon Sibling skiers shot for the stars and grabbed them. Hornby's Ryan and Brett Moon took first and fourth place respectively at Georgian Peaks recently, leading the Milton Heights Mackenzie Gold Team against the Osler Bluff Orioles. Ryan not only took top spot but man- aged the single best run - 39.51 seconds. Shelley Budd led the local girls' contin- gent, finishing fifth. Teammates Meghan Behse and Caroline MacCallum were close behind in sixth and seventh spot. On the same day the Mackenzie Silver Team amassed half a dozen top four fin- ishes and triumphed over Loretto at Cedar Highlands. Stephanie Atella placed first in the female division, with her personal best run of 32.98 seconds upstaging those of all other opponents. • see SCORE on page 17 By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Ed McGrane finally hit the release valve and allowed al his offensive talents to come rushing to the surface. The 20-year-old sniper had teased fans with a few sneak peeks of brilliance since donning a Merchants jersey early last month, but held off on the grand premiere until Tuesday at Memorial Arena. Showing just why he was heavily courted by several league con- tenders this season, the gifted cen- tre scored three times and added three assists to lead Milton past Bramalea 7-5. His stickhandling, forechecking and persistence around the crease helped elevate the defending champs in a battle that may well have decided who finishes atop the West Conference. Milton regained first place and has a game in hand. The Blues are behind by a single point, but it's one that will be tough to make up with just a month to go in regular season play and no meetings left between the two titans. While McGrane's star shone brightest in the victory - the Merchants' third in a row and 32nd of the year - a robust, structured performance was put forth by the entire lineup. On a night when they were miss- ing a handful of regulars, ail begin- ning multi-game suspensions which stem from last Friday's fias- co with Burlington, Milton called on depth and desire to outdistance their chief nemesis. "Our motto before the game tonight was 'True character in the face of adversity'," said bench boss Marty Williamson. "After a loss or poor performance these guys always seem able to get within themselves and rebound. We've got such a talented team and it's such a long season that players tend to wander and freelance from time to time. "But as soon as it costs us a game they start listening to us and focusing more. They knew what was needed tonight and got it done." The Merchants staked them- selves to 3-1 and 6-3 period leads despite firing only half the shots of their opponents over this stretch. A goal in the final minute of each frame - including one with just three ticks of the clock remaining in the second by defenceman Chris Bahen - plus a more potent pow- erplay proved to be the difference. Milton went 3-for-4 with the man advantage while the Blues were 2-for-8. Defensive efforts were anchored by veteran John Nadalin, whom Williamson said was nothing less than stellar. Ryan Robichaud showed strong- ly with a goal and three assists while other singles went to captain Kevin O'Flaherty and Geoff Schomogyi. Standout performances also came from Chris Rowan, Nathan Gillies and Jason Hopiavuori - who turned in some of his best skating and positional play to date. Bramalea's top gunner on the night, bagging a hat-trick, was Anthony Aquino. Merchants goalie Jeremy Wenzel collected 34 saves in the win and was exceptional in the middle stan- za, scrambling well and making several big toe blocks while his tean was shorthanded. Merchant notes: Brian Moniz made his Merchant debut Tuesday but saw little ice time ... Rearguard Carter Trevisani has been sent down to the Kitchener Jr. B Dutchmen. The move will give him more ice time in preparation for the Under- 17 World Challenge in February ... In an unrelated deal, Milton has picked up Dutchmen right winger Jamie Dubrick, who casts a huge shadow at 6'4", 235 pounds ... The Merchants host Mississauga tonight at 8 p.m.