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The Canadian Champion, Frlday, February 11, 2000 --27 SPORT!S Me rchants real wi*ldcard for playoffs Inconaistent, erratic and downright unpre- dictable. That in a nutaheil describea thia year's Jr. A Merchanta. Many of us have spent the better part of the season trying to figure ou t just where the home- town boys rate in the champi*onsliip picture - but for the moat part, it's heen an exerciae in futility. At timea this current crop of players have looked every bit aa splendid as their recent pre- deceasors, yet far too oflen (particularly leading up to the playoffs) lbiey've wallowed in medioc- rity and seemed uninterested in making any kind of title mun. The Merchanta aeemn to have no equala in their conference when it comes to overali team talent, but it'a been a whole different story when it Up front comes to effort and intensity. And on those nighta when desire has surfaced, there have often been ahortened lineupa or bad breaks to further hinder their momentum - something the club haan't had t0 any degree in a couple of months. Yet Milton haan't dropped that fax in the peck- ing order and remains one of the toughest teams to beat at home. Only Streetaville and Brampton have done so thia year. And there's stili plenty of guys in the dressing room - more than any other squad in the con- ference and maybe the entire league - who've been through a lengthy playoff drive. This ail adds up to just one thing, that the Merchants are the true wildcard of this year'a post-season. While somte feel they're ripe for a fîrst round flop, others figure a couple of big wins through the early going could be enough to propel thero to another championahip season. 1 juat wiah 1 knew what aide of the fence I sit on. That'a changed almoat on a nightly baaia lately and will probably continue on through round one against the injury-plagued Burlington Cougara. How far they go is anybody's guesa. But few would argue that the Merchants will have to shed a lot of unfavourable trends in short order if they hope to-avoid an early exit. e »e KEYS on page 28