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26 -The Canadian Champion, Friday, September 28, 2001 SPORTS & Te omLars No ChargWePcs Aàtt ries Photo by HERS GARBUTT Marchant defendera look to, cler the zone durlng Saturdaya "- loue ln Georgetown. The tam wIll look to Improve on les weelcend's Iacklustoe defensive efforts when th. headl lnto Oakvlle tonlght for a 7:45 p.m. atart. -ýNeed to keep things simple,' says Merchants GM of club 's defence By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion The Merchants' defence certainly left a lot 10 be desired lait weekend. But general manager Nick Slawaon suggeated that probably had more 10 do with a thinned-out blueline unit trying 10 do too mueh rather dma a lack of effort. "With two veterna oui of the lineup, a few guys were puabed up in the rotaton and maybe aaked to do tome tbings; bey wetoe'i quite ready for," Milton'a GM said Wbil Ri&c Janco'a Sonda>' return haa the chib'a defense bock to S âM atrength - mnmua onty Chris KCieg. who'Il be oe* fufr six to eight weeka with a tomt MRL- Slawson said a *iiitplier gana-plan ma>' be nscded 4vhile the new blueline corp, which includes two 16-year-olds, leams the Jr. A ropes. "They've just got t0 concentrate on getting il out (of our end) and Ietiing the forwards do the work," said Slawson. Milton had plenty of trouble doing that last weekend, partie- ulari>' during Saturday's 8- humbling ai the hands of thse Georgetown Raiders. With Krieg and Janco on the aidelines, succeasful breakout attempta and completed lead pasaea were in rather short aupp>' Neverthelea, Slawaon tijl ihirka this year's defenae is - top to bQttom - more balanced that last season. But there ina> be more of a Ieanuing curve required aa well, and a relaxed sebedule thia week and next should allow for that to, begin. Said Slawaon, "We're not tisai boa>' (witb gantes) right now, sn it' a àgood tinte to, get insrtme more teseing." Senior 'Stangs eclipsed by OT in home opener By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion The old adage that football is a gaine of itiches took on a whole new mearnng during the senior Mustangs' home opener lasi Friday. On a chilly and rain-soaked aftemoon at Milton District High School, Keith Pearce's Division 2 hosts and the opposing Oakville Trafalgar Devils simply suffocated each other ini a defensive stugfest that was decided by a measly one point - and not until overtime had nearly expired. With under a minute lefi in the extra session, the visitors secured a single to, eclipse the 'Stangs 8-7. A lengthy pass and ilt-timed roughing penalty by thse defense set up the winning play. Said Pearce, "Thse score was very much indicative of the gaine - a defensive struggle played between the 20-yard lines.' MD took tlseir guests to overtimne after knotting things up early in the fourtts quarter. Veteran quarterback Mark Grimwood did so with a 20-yard end-zone pais to receiver Lewis Delprant. Justin Preece kicked thse extra point. 'Me tying touchdown followed an effective grotind game in thse tisird quarter - which was somewhat surprising given that ace running back Greg Van Es was stl out with a kîsee injury, sus- tained during the teamn's controtled scrimrmage showcase the pre- vious Friday. But Brandon Byers, a first-year senior, picked up the slack and made a number of impressive gains throughout thse day. "We got it (rushing) going in tise third quarter, particularly up thse right side," said Pearce. "Brandon defmnitely moved the hall well." Grirnwood complimented tisai with several completions mostly to, Delpratt -while defensively MD enjoyed standout per- formances from middle-linebacker Simon Brennan and safety Mark Pereira. Oakville Trafalgar' lone major was scored in the second quarter on a 20-yard reverse sweep. Thse 'Stangs could have Van Es back in the lineup as early i,;s next Thursday, Oct. 4 when they ttost Uakvitte*s Iroquois Ridge Traithlazers. In the meanîtme, ticy'lI look îo other offensive weapons in an effort to square their record this afternoon ai1 Burltngton's Lester B. Pearson. A toms win opener Mittoîts AA atoms sent the Brampton Battalion rnarching a Memoniat Arena Monday. A pair of second-period goals plus an overaîl gutsy effort was enough for the hosîs to take their season opener 2-0. Wade McGinnis led offensively -setiing up the initial deposît b>' Scott Stover and then padding the lead himself with just six seconds remaining in the middle staiza. Assisting on the insurance marker was Brayden Abrahamn. Taylor Prestidge stood taîl between the pipes for the shutout while his teammates took just two minor penalties ail night and matched their guests in terms of bots physicality aid quality scor- ing chances. Form.rly Sconneli Exhaust Everyday Low Prices *Friendly Service - Locally Owned 701 Main St. E. 905-875-3740 * M L ('ýV_- V)l \\ (111\\11110\ DAY '- 1 P IT NI Bl- R 28ý 200 1