The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

*SPORTS vMerchants ready for holiday bash By STEVE LOBLANO The Champion The Merchants know only too well how difficuit it will be to three-peat as champs of the annu- ai Newmarket Showcase. That's why the teami has insisted on a special stipulation for the millennium-end- ing toumament. Simply put - if they capture the trophy this imie around, it's theirs to keep. "I've got an agreement (with tournament organizers) that if we win it this year, it's ours for good," said Nick Slawson, Milton's director of hockey operations. The local juniors have triumphed at the holiday bash three of the last four years and are the only club to take the title in consecutive seasons. That type of track record is enough to give anyone a swelled head. Fortunately, Milton doesn't seem to be falling into an aura of overconfidence. Captain Chad Blundy - one of only two players part of the tournamnent victo-. ries in both '97 and '98 - stressed that this year's competition will likely be the toughest yet, and has even greater implica- tions for the teamn's overaîl success this season. "It's probably more important than the two before it," the veteran workhorse sug- gested of next week's challenge. "There's so many new teama in the league now. The toumnament will give us a good indication of where we stand compared to the other top clubs." Echoing those sentiments was sopho- more defenceman Ryan Canrgan. He said a particularly grinding schedule, with four games in two days if they make it to the quarterfinals, wiIl offer a unique challenge -- but that the teain has high expectations about coming away with the gold. *"It's a tough haul. We've just got to play hard and smart and hnpefully it'll all work out," reniatied Carngan. Among the favourites at the 28-team event, the Merchants have one of the eaaier round robin schedules. Brampton - who face them in round one at 11: 15 a.m. Tuesday at Newmarket' s Ray Twinney Sports Complex - appears to be their stiffest challenge. Also standing in their way are mediocre Stouffville and lowly Port Hope - whom they'll battle respec- tively at 6 p.m. Tuesday (Ray Twinney) and 11: 15 a.m. Wednesday (Aurora). But it'll be far fromn smooth sailing in thc quarterfinals. If Milton reaches the final eight, thcy'll be going on just only about two hours rest. And having played twice Uic day before - not to mention that they have fewer players available compared to thc past two seasons - Uieir endurance will bu pushed to the limit. Fromn there, a number of league leaders will bu lined up with Uic hope of knocking them off. Among those who figure to pro- vide opposition in the late rounds on Thursday - when the semifinals and finals will bu contested - are Aurora, Couchiching, Lindsay and Newmarket. "This will bu thc most difficult tourna- ment yet for us," said Slawson. *'We're not as far along as we were in previous years and Uic competition is tougher. It's going tô bu a real test." The semifinals are set for Thursday aftemoon, with the title match starting at 7:30 p.m.