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e might haw been d Luna Ut name. but he was u HRolls Royce when he stepped on the ice tor the Bluevale knights, IU be fair to Jimmy Luna. he doesn'l really share the same last name as the Russian an made Iamuus for Its unreliability. That wouldn't be fair to this model of Luna at all, ln fact. he was Mr. Reliable for his high school hockey l'lllb. which reached the WCSSAA finals below bowing out ttt four-lime defending charups Grand River. So reliable. in fact, that the Bluvvalc dvfcnceman was recently named the WCSSAA league's MVP. The honour is well dtserved. said coach Greg Gamma. who played a little defence himself in his high-school days at St, Jerome's. Luna was 0m- of the pillars of the Knights' program that got its start lhrec years ago. and won a (ZWUSSA title in its first year. Lana was a building block on that team. and he was a rock for them again this year, playing in every key situation and scenario. More importantly, the heavy ice time he logged helped elevate his team to contender status. "tile wai, there from the start." said Gamma "And in the end he played more than 100 games for us in three years. It was 106 games to be exact, including 29 goals and 49 assists. The bulk of the scoring came in the 42 games he played this year, scoring 16 goals and adding 25 assists, and finishing as almost a point a game player. "He's our leading scorer of all time," said Gazzola about the offensively gifted defenceman. "We called him our franchise player." Although no money came with the designation, a la the NHL, it reflected his impor- tance to his club. "He was our team." said Gazzola. "Without him, we were a good team; with him. we were better. "We were an inexperienced club, and he was able to bring his two years of experience, including a trip to OFSAA to the team. Those were some of the intangibles he brought to the team and could share with the guys." muidition to the skill. he also brought a In} (if character to the club. He was described by his coaches as one of the nicest kids you‘ll ever meet. - - _ - _ _ _ "He was'so appreciative when we told him that he won that it made it all worthwhile," said Canola. "He's just the perfect kind of lad to represelu high §chool hockey." Lana himself was more effusive about the role his team- mates played in helping him win the award than he was in ascribing any of the honour to himself. He said he was taken under the wing of the older guys when he started to play for the Knights, and wanted to do the same for the younger players on the team. "I learned a lot of stuff and wanted to pass it on", said Lana. And in the modern game where playing time is seen as a right by some players, Lana saw it as a privilege to log a lot of ice with the Knights. "lt was nice to have that responsi- bility of playing a lot of minutes." he said. He was humbled to he selected. especially with all the talented players who have chosen to play high-school hockey. "it surprised me because there are a lot of great players in this league." said lama. Swanson's Home Hardware Building Centre 166 Park St., Kitchener 743-1404 _ltijiii1_ii "He was our team. Without him, we were a good team; with him, we were better." Btuemle Knights coach $umtinoedonpqrr31 -tkegGazzoia Tigers hunting for bigger preX Tii, Waterloo Junior ngers got off to a slow start against the Cam- bridge Cubs in their home opener last Thursday night, with their wood bats better serving as kindling on a cold spring evening. More than a few Tigers' batters got sawed off by Cambridge pitching. although left-fielder Justin Black was able to touch green a couple of times and drove in two runs in a 5-4 loss at Bechtel Park. The Tigers have since beat kitch- ener and Brantford to improve their record to 2- L "'At least we didn't peak in our first game." joked the affable 2l-year-old Black, _ Black said he and his teammates expect to get bet- ter as the season goes on, with the ultimate goal to make it to nationals in August. Most of the nucleus of the team has been togeth- er since they were kids, and want what could possibly be their last year of organized baseball to be their best year. "We're planning to go to nationals, that's what were doing," said the confident Black. after his team made it to the finals of last year's Rage get rolling on another; saggy} terloo might not be the hot bed for in-line hockey that Samia and Chalham are, but the players the h. A Rage get are some of the country's K-W Rage coach and gen- eral manager Rob Way said their biggest competition for talent is lacrosse, which has enjoyed a resurgence in the last few years with the Toronto Rock serving as poster boys "that mean play- ers like the Waterloo Siskins' Ryan Benesch. who would be a natural for the in-line hockey game. instead turns his skates in every summer to play for the K-W Junior A Braves lacrosse team. That means the Rage have to be a little more cre- ative in their recruiting. But SPORTS ByBonVnmm Br 303W alwww, “WWW! ummg LU} The Waterloo Jr. Tigers' Andrew Mensink fouls of a Cambridge pitch during the club's home opener. Untario elimination tourna- was the closest I got." said out on me, and who knows," ment, "That's the goal of the Black, "We got knocked out said Black about his own year, and we're going to do in the finals and we're not future. "If we can't get a ic" doing that again." senior team back here, this is Black hasn't been to the Especially for the seven probably going to be the last nationals. hm teammates like members of the current one." Black hasn't been to the nationals, but teammates like Mike Roeder and Adam Auer were part of the Waterloo club that won the Canadian championship back in the that's OK because their roster reads like a who's who of emerging junior hockey tal- em in the area. that's OK because their roster as a real talent on the ice reads like a who's who of thanks in part to his in-line emerging junior hockey tal- experience, and is now prop» em in the area. eny of the Ottawa 67s hock- Take the Siskins' Paul eydub. McIlveen. who has emerged Unfortunately, a shoulder "I've never gone; last year ,'"d ‘5 ”Afwtmdr" Especially for the seven members of the current Tigers lineup who have played together for the past " years and know this year could be the last one they'll play together, "My arm's starting to run 'araGaiohrAoo.com COCK "ERE WMIWWM That's why this club is especially territorial: _ "We've gotten close. and that makes us a good team __ good chemistry," said Black. "Nowwe want to finish ic" injury cut short his Junior A season, and until he gets clearance from Ottawa's doc- tors. will be unavailable to the Rage until the 67s Memorial Cup run is over. "Nui would be a big plus if he comes back because he can put the puck in the net," saidWay. Kevin Brennamen. how- ever, is healthy and remains one of the best defencemen in the Great Lakes Inline hockey league. which began play last week, with the Rage dropping a 4-1 decision to Hamilton at Albert McOwmick Arena. He plays senior hockey with the Cam~ bridge Hornets when the temperature is below zero. and the Rage when the tem- perature heats up. - Andanyoneivhohasseen him shoot knows Brenna, men can also heat it up Valium 'ee Continued on page 29