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The Canadian Champion, Tuesdsy, Saptembar 12,2000 - 23 e~. ~.,j,,y .t Il MS. ~Hit and run Jamie McNell (lait) of Shoppers Drug Mart's senior t-bail. team boita out a hit agaînat Dufferin Aggregates during the Milton Girls Basebali Association Championship Day Saturday at Sam Sherratt. Meanwhiie in junior t-bail action (at right), Kwik Copy's Kaisie Vandenheuv heada for f iraI base after a hit 0f her own againat 1h. Optimiat Club, who eked out a 25-24 vlctory. in other Junior t-bail play, Appîlance Depot beat Daiello industriai 25-21 whlie Dairy Qucen nipped Appliance Depot 27-26. Zsstna came out on top in the junior mosqulto division whlie wlnnlng a tight three-way senior bontam race was Waliace Pontlac. Baiiy Hesting and Cooiing were crowned champions cf the senior t-bail division and the rookie bail loop was won by Nayior Group. Photos by GRAHAM PAINE ~West scoring champ joins Merchants By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion The Merchants have only just begun to wheel and deal. However, any additions made now aren't Iikely to top the one finalized by the local juniors Friday. Milton'a 2000/01 team took a aizable step toward offensive prosperity with the acquisition of Streetaville Derby Andy Rozak. The West Conference scoring champ was a free agent - hav- ing hem aigned to a juvenile card Iast season - and felt it was time for a change. "1 had three great years there (Streestville), but in my beat inter- est it waa juat time to move on," remarked the 20-year-old Misaiaaauga native, who topped the division with 96 total points - including 37 goals - Isat year. While former Derby coach Mike Kalapaca now being an assis- tant in Milton made the move a little easier, Rozak said it wasn't much of a factor behind bis decision to join the Merchants. "In Milton, you've always got a chance to win," he said. Merchants bench boss Glenn Walsh expects another big season out of bis new star centre - stating that with bis creativity and intelligence Rozak should be able to reach the 100-point plateau. And with 50 many young forwards in tise - lineup this season, tise former Derbys - experience and leaderahip may be juat as important as hia acoring touch. Joining Rozak in hia Merchanta debut Saturday in Georgetown waa another league veteran who comes complete with a number of assets - not the leaat of which Andy Rozak Is size. Ian LaBrash - a 63", 220 Iba. left Winger from Blind River- was picked up from tise Provincial Jr. A Leagues Port Hope Buzeers, who were recently sold to an American consortium. The 20-year-old's rights were sold off in a move toward a more youth- fuI squad. The power forward, who's a little msty right now due to a lack of ire time, rnllected 22 goals and 25 assists last year on a tram that was - to say the least - offensively inept. Nick Slawson, Milton's director of hockey operations, figures those solid numbers should only increase now that the big Winger will have an opportunity to play with more gîfted centremen like Rozak, veteran Elliot Altberg and promiaing newcomer Flavio Faggioni. "Ian will definitely be the guy creating traftic for us. He's tougis to move in front," aaid Slawson. These additions aside, Walsh still sees tise team'a overaîl youth and inexperience up front, particularly on tise winga, as a concera - and that becauae of this tise isaîf-dozen veteran forwards will have to assume more reaponsibility than just scoring goala. "1'm going to need aIl 12 guys out tisere focusing on defenae and flniahing thew checka, no matter if they're a goal scorer or not," he stressed. Walah added that with so many new forwards, he and assistant coach Dan Sales will probably have a tougher time forming line combinations than previous Merchant coaches have."It's hem a bit of struggie so far. Id say its going to be pretty much tnal and error tise first 10 games," said Walsis. A A