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The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, May 1, 2007 - A21 SORTS SPORTS EDITOR: STEVE LeBLANC e-mail sleblanc@haltonsearch.com Am- Bantam Dawgs make *unlikely run to OBA il Ranked dead last, Milton clinches Division 6 gold By Steve LeBlanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF H eading tto the Division 6 banîam championships aboru, the Maddw - Dawgs scsn win ttlud bc cunted on one bnd and -a a etl he wer rake dd ls o h cht-e proica n't factor it the "t'le GOLDI pîcture. ag Gucss someone for- Onario got tw tell thein that. Ots GRAHAM P/5INF / CANADIAN CHAMPION HEADS UP: Bisbop Reding's Dane DaSilva-Horvat (rigbt) goes bead-to-bead witb Lucas Santo of Oakville's Abbey Park during senior boys season opening play at BR Wednesday. The bosis wvon 2-1 -on goals by twins Erick and f ms Olazabal -but the game was protested due te timing discrepancies and will be replayed. ()BA boys in EN BO' proudly Division 6 Embracîng ils long-shot siatus raîher than hcîng psychcd oui b>' îî, Milton pull cd off a firsi round wîn over Guelph and rode that initial monn îum aIl the way to a gold-medaf tri- umnph -dclix enng arguablv the mosi irnprobable chamipionship victor>' ibis year. Local pros remnain in championship picture Three Milton pro hockey players remain in tIhe championship hunt. Sitting the closesi to gold niglt now is Craig Macdonald, whose Central Hockey Leagues New Mexico Scorpions wîll look to even up the Southcrn Conference final ai one gamne apiece tttnighi afier faf ling 6-4 to the defendîng champion Laredo Bucks in the scrîcs opener SaîurdaN. Macdonald hiad a goal and an assisi in the gaie-one setback, which followed a 3-2 gainr-srven nail biter ovet the Arizona Suindogs in round iwo. The Scorpions rallicd Irom a 2-0 sertes defîcît to nuishîne Arizona, becotning the firsi îeam in league history to win a sertes afier losing the f irsi two gaines ai home. Now in bis third ycar of' pro hockey, Macdonald - a 24-year-old lefi WNinger - bas six goals and fîve assîsîs in 14 pla> off gamnes. Darren Hiaydar and bis Amecrican Hockey Leagues- Chicago Wolves b -gmn second« ound play tomnorrow nighî against the lowa Stars afier a quîck dispatching of' bis former Milwaukee Admirais, who wcre swepi ,tsidc Wedincsday nighî with the tiîrd 3-2 decîsion ovet the sbort-lived senies. This years AHL MVIP and scoring leader, 27-ycar-old Hay dar helped close oui bis old icaîn with bis fourth goal in as miany games. T he s cicran righit winger bas ses en points so far in the post scason. Meanwhilc, fI-elo\N Miltonan ion Gfeed a 23-ycar-old defenceinan -sat poised to win the East Coast liockecy f cagues North Division title lasi nîght wîîb the Cincinnati Cyclones. C incinnati lcd the Dayton Bombhers thec gaines to one, puiting their state nivais on the proverbial chopptng block wîîh Saturday's 5-3 win. "With eacbi game and each quarter oîîr confidence jusi kept growing," said ftrsi-year bead coach ( raig O'Neill. "The guys werc patient witb their pass- es and shoîs, and really came tbrough under pressure. Tbat was particularly througb in the final againsi the South Windsor Vsarriors, wbo pushed the Madd Dawgs to the limit in a back-and-forth clash ihat sawÀ each tean hold ai least a bandful ofIclads before it was Adamson thre point- cr wîîh about hall a- minute left stood up as the winnîîîg basket, as Milton fended off the YS: he addWarriors lasi ditch diSl Thei e eforts to squcak by 42- medas. 41 . Vasîly improved since the car>' stages of the season, Adarnson conîribuîcd eîgbî points to the tîtle viciory. Leadînig offcnsîvely wîîh a dozen points was Cain Stockall, whîle tourna- ment MVP Fric Schroeder stepped up bis already excepîtonal dcl ensîve cf forts to hclp get the beiter of South Windsor. The Madd Dawgs bookcd passage to the championship witb a 58-46 dcci- sion over the Wbîtby Sîing, whose two guards - onc of whom towcrcd over bis opposition - wcrc effcctively sbuî down in the convincing seinilinal win. Stockall and Schrocdcr f ucled the senifinal victory, wbîle offertng solîd supporting roles wcrc Adaîni Blay, Rabi Kazi, Muto Habtmana and Nick Garcia. Milton won îwo of us threc round- robin gaines, wîîbth le only loss cotntng to top-scedcd York, who wcrc upset by South Windsor in the other scinifinal. Rounding oui the championsbip squad wcrc Rory Pay'ton, Andre [urn. Mati MciPhail and Nolan Jeppesen, white Andy Cuvallo misscd the provin- cials with an anklc injury.