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6 IO ee Al AOR, POA THE OSHAWA TIMES, Seturdey, September 9, TOOT = _ _ Better goalies in Jacrosse je@md usually at his very RATED AS ONE OF THE best "'when the chips are down," Merv Marshal) has been a tower of strength to INITIAL POSSESSION KEY the Green Gaels, during their long reign as Can- ada's Junior lacrosse mon- archs. Here he is in typical action, having snared a loose ball, he rushes back pass. inte his goal crease, there to start off another Oshawe attack with an accurate BACK CHECKING OFFENCE Gaels Ever Geared For Fast Break Oshawa Green Gaels have the most potent offence in Junior "A" Jacrosse. It is an offence that is swift and smart. It is also methodical, and this is a sign of a well trained and capable ball club. The Gaels have the guns to e@core, and the defence to keep the opposing team off the score- board. As a result. they can afford to employ excellent ball control as their chief weapon @gainst their opposition. Crisp passing, offensive mo- tion and constant thrusts against their opponent's defen- sive wall, soon bring an opening which the Gaels exploit, usually with a goal. This is in marked contrast to the teams which usually face the Gaels in regular season play. When they are on the at- tack those teams not only have to face a tough Oshawa defence and goalie, but a backchecking offence as well. The Gael] for- wards by applying constant pressure to their opponent's of- fensive lines cause either a hur- ried shot, which the Gaels re- cover on the rebound, or a drive which goalie Merv Marsha}! has wo trouble handling. The Green Gaels' entire team 4s geared towards the fast break. The offensive lines are fast enough to spin off quickly from their checks, break down the floor, and receive a long: pasg, Or Mery Marshall, who has 99 assists to his credit this sea- son, often with a long accurate toss, can catch a forward in mid-stride who is bursting down the floor alone. Combined with the fast break, the Gaels monopolize the draw to great advantage. The team has -great strength down the middie, starting with Marshall and going through players such as Gaylord Powless and Don Stinson. With either Powless or Stinson as their draw man, the Gaels can come up with the ball in the large majority . of face off situations. And this. initial pos- session is a key factor in a game for it not only 'gives: the winner of the draw. an attacking position, but it also means con- stant possession throughout the game, and thus cuts down the other teams' scoring opportuni- ties while increasing their own. Captain Jim Higgs is the floor general for the Green Gaels. This Huntsville native combines ability with experience and de- sire. He is the Gaels. position player who-uses great ball con- tro! until he spots an opponent's weakness and then exploits it himself, or passes off to an- other player in better position. He is an intelligent player who remains composed on the floor and as a result come through with clutch plays in key situa- lions. Higgs was third on the Green Gael scoring list this year with 91 points or 45 goals and 46 assists. The big gun for the Gaels, of course, is Gaylord Powless, son of Ross Powless who was a for- mer great lacrosse player and mow a Senior Jacrosse coach. Powless was the scoring lead- er in Junior "A" lacrosse this year with a 165 points on 75 goals and 90 assists. He is a tremendous slot man, taking a iti tside the t's goal area, and constantly Pass- ing and receiving the ball until an opportunity shows and then taking advantage of it. In this case the play revolves around Powless, who through accurate passing and excellent ball control, can usually make the other team commit itself and then press an attack through the opening that is left. Powless is also the team's best draw man. Ray Shippway, coach of Toronto Township, who the Gaels played in the final series, said that he liked to drop- three men back whenever Pow- less had the draw for it' pro- tected his team from the fast break when Powless came: up with the ball. ~ Leading goal scorer in the" league this season was Oshawa forward Ross Jones. Jones has one of the most accurate shots and deceptive fakes in lacrosse. He is a speedy player who can break down the floor alone and fake a goalie to his knees before scoring. Jones finished the year with 84 goals and 30 assists for a point total of 122. He narrowly beat out former Green Gael Brian Thompson of Huntsville whe scored 82 goals. Jones joined the club from the Whitby Minor Lacrosse Associa- tion in 1964 and has played a large part in the Gaels' success since that time, One of the big surprises for the Gaels this year was in the performance of Larry Lloyd. Lioyd has the height and strength to burst through an opponent's defence and an overe hand shot that has blasted the ball behind many goaltenders this year. This native of Oshawa was the fourth highest scorer on the team collecting 80 points on 46 goals and 34 assists. He rejoined the Gaels this year after spend- ing a season in Junior "B" ranks. The brother combinatton of Phil and John Clayton ran sixth and seventh. on the team's scor- ing list this season. Phil, a scrappy player who is also one of the fastest men on the squad, scored 37 goals. and 42 awe sists for 79 points . John, the younger brother ,in his first season- of -play has shown signs that hé could de- velop into one of Junior lae crosse's finest players. He scored 31 goals and 31 assist® for a 62 point year. Big. Don Stinson is the polices man On the Gaels, as well as being a great offensive threat, out for a large part of the seae son with an injury, Stinson came back to score 22 goals and 14 assists in 14 games. He is a good draw man and keeps opposing players h it with good solid body checks. Peter Vipond, Mike Lewis, Wayne Davidson, Bob Goulding, Terry Stinson, Joe Krasnay and Tom Christie comprise the first or second year players that are a part of hte Green Gael team. They are excellent prospects ' who ensure the Gaels ef material to build championship clubs,