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SPORTS SPORTS EDITOR:. STEVE LeBLANC e-mail sIebIanc@miItoncanadianchampion.com Learning from the b New Twisters' program draws top instructors P By Herb Garbutt METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Geraldine Heaney is demonstrating stick-handling techniques, stress- ing the importance of keeping your head up. She looks straight abead at the 30-or-so players gathered around her on the ice at John Tonelli Sports Centre as she slides the puck back and forth with ber stick. None of the players staring intently back at ber - the oldest being 10 - were even born wben Heaney played in ber first of tbree Olympics in 1998. They may not know the person showing tbem how to keep control of tbe puck using their skates bas tbree Olympic medals, two of tbemn gold, or that she was among the first women elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. But they do know she can help tbem improve their skills. So after Heaney finishes ber demonstra- tion, tbey begin circling tbe ice, beads Up, sliding the puck left and night. Tbe Twisters Performance Hockey Scbool is tbe latest effort by tbe Nortb Halton Twisters Girls Hockey Association to belp players develop tbeir skills, a fundamentally important concept tbat is often overlooked because of tbe scarcity of ice time. "I coacb a team, so 1 know there's a lack of ice time, sol wben you practise it's usually breakouts and systems," Heaney said. "Something like this is great because they can get out and, instead of (practice) being ail team concepts, they eau get a chance to leamn skills on their own." Adam Bennett, a former pro hockey play- er and the Twisters' director of player devel- opment, said bis goal in setting up the pro- gram was simple: find the best instructors available. I went rigbt to the top. 1 was sbooting for the stars," be said of the pro- gram that runs [rom October j îthrniîgh Jafuar-A\nd ail of thclm.l witbout besita- tion, said 'I'm on board."' 7 / Heaney leads one clinic eacb montb for play- ers [roin noVice tbrougb 10 midget. Skating instructor Cindy Bowcr, wbo bas worked witb several NHL teams and players, conducts two and Tim Turk, wbo works witb Montreal Canadiens' prospects on improving their shot and puck skills, leads the montb's other clinic. Sbannon Moulson, Ryan Taylor and Brent Reilly -ail capable of running a clinic on tbeir own, Bennett added - round out the staff. A weekly goaltending clinie, run by Mike Lociciero, also belps netminders bone tbeir skills. "You're not going to find a better group of instructors," Bennett said. "And tbat's going to give our kids a foundation for tbe future." Twisters coaches also participate in the clinies, allowing tbem to gain knowledgc [rom the instructors that tbey can use in the future. Botb Bennett, wbo played tbree seasons in esee NEW on page A16 ERIC RIEHt / SPECIAL TO THE CHAMPION ST1CKING TO IT: Above, former Olympian Geraldine Heaney helps Katelynn Krafczek with her stick- handling. inset Ieft, Heaney runs through a drill with a group of young Twsters. McGovern helps make history at Fenway Sean McGovern belped make bistorv at one of basebalî's rost bisîorc parks Monday No the 16-year-od Miltonian didut itone over the Green Monster. ln [act be didn't swing a HC bat at ahl. H Instead McGovern McGovE and bis Taft Prep Seboolmae teammates were busy upstagmng Connecticut rival Avon Old Farms 9-5 in a bigb scbool exhibition hockey gamne that served as a prelude to the NHEs New Year's Day Winter Chassie between the borne- town Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Thus McGovern - a former standout KEV HISTORY Sean 'ern and his Taft team- :ompete at Fenway. witb the Halton Hurricanes - wvas the fîrst Canadian to play hockey at Fenway. He not only compet- ed, but scored a great- looking goal early in the game's second baif, breaking down the rigbt side and deking a defenceman before burying a shot to make it 5-3 Taft. McGo\,ern also drew an assist in bis sebool's victory. The Milton centre still bas another year left of bigb sebool, but bas already drawn interest from a number of NCAA Division 1 schools. B Pt e -~ ~ 1~'Xl% _ ~ '~ ~ B g ~B U ~ ~ ni I Wk~MàBfluqu~udm.n~I~.duu...i -~ ~ ~ O C I. ~ !! ~ ~-"~'