Page 2 By Paul Svoboda The Intelligencer Season of highs and lows in'95-96 Express, who finished second overall in league scoring with 53 goals and 62 assists for 115 points, just four points back of Sarnia ace Aaron Brand. Joe Coombs chipped in with a career-high 39 goals and former Niagara Falls Thunder sharpshooter Andrew Williamson contributed 33 markers. On defence, Jamie Sokolsky scored 12 times and newcomers Paul Mclnnes and Mike Van Volsen --'·· who came via a trade that sent Belleville blueliner Sean Brown to Sarnia -- brought speed and experience to the rearguard. Goaltender Kory Cooper was the busiest goaltender in the OHL, showing his Ironiiian form by starting the most games (60) and chalking up the most wins (33) among his peers. Plus, Park was suddenly back in Belleville when the Penguins decided he needed more ice time than he was getting in the NHL. In Belleville's final six regular season games, Park exploded for seven goals and six assists and the town was abuzz with anticipation. All the pieces were in place for the playoffs. And Bulls didn't disappoint early on, sending the Oshawa Generals to the sidelines in five tough games, showing their discipline and determination by mastering a bigger and more physical Oshawa team. Bulls next took on the well-rested Ottawa 67's who by virtue of their regular season pennant had earned a first-round bye. This one wasn't even close. In four straight games, the Bulls completely baffled and befuddled the 67's who were never allowed to get out of the gate after their twoweek break. The stage was set. Belleville was back in the Final Four with a lineup that was better than the year before. And the opponent was ' again Guelph. Revenge was on the minds of veterans like Coombs and Mills who remembered all too well the 1995 debacle. However, with a lineup bereft of the stars of a year before like Todd Bertuzzi (NHL Islanders) and Jeff O'Neill (NHL Whalers), the hardworking Storm again were again the bane of the Bulls, defeating Belleville in five games. Guelph went on to the Memorial Cup tournament, hosted by Peterborough. The Bulls went home to ponder a season of hope and promise that had gone wrong in the end. Still, despite the playoff disappointment, there were plenty of highlights for the Bulls and their fans during the 1995-96 OHL season. Here are some of them: -- Sophomore sensation DANIEL CLEARY produced a 53goal, 115-point season to finish second in OHL scoring. The left winger was also named to the OHL's First All-Star Team. -- Goaltender KORY COOPER led the OHL in starts (60) and wins (33). -- Veteran RICHARD PARK finished third in final playoff scoring with 18 goals and 30 points in just 14 appearances. -- Captain CRAIG MILLS won the Humanitarian of the Year Award for both the OHL and the Canadian Hockey League. The award recognizes community work and service combined with leadership and hockey excellence. Mills was also in the Team Canada lineup that won the gold medal at the 1996 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP in Boston. -^ For the second consecutive season, the Bulls advanced to the OHL FINAL FOUR. It was the best of seasons, it was the worst of seasons. It was an autumn of great expectations, followed by the cruel reality of spring. And, for Belleville Bulls fans, it ended all too early. Again. The 1995-96 Ontario Hockey League season came with plenty of bold predictions for the veteranladen Belleville Bulls. With stars like Richard Park, Craig Mills, Daniel Cleary and Joey Coombs in the lineup, OHL prognosticators were picking the Bulls to rule the OHL East Division and make a serious bid for their first-ever trip to the Memorial Cup. After a strong regular season in the ultra-competitive East Division, Bulls roared through the preliminary playoff rounds, winning eight games and losing just once to gain a berth in the OHL Final Four, a rematch with the Guelph Storm. Guelph had eliminated Belleville in four straight games in the previous season's OHL semi-final series, but this time Bulls were given the nod due to the experience and power of their lineup. Plus, Park, who had spent the regular season as a fourth-liner in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was back to bolster Belleville's championship hopes. Unfortunately for the Bulls and their faithful followers, Bulls again fell to the Storm, losing a five-game series. It was a bitter pill to swallow for a team whose chemistry was altered specificially for a championship run. Months earlier, a trip to the Memorial Cup didn't seem out of the question. The East -- as expected --turned out to be a dogfight with the surprising Ottawa 67's finishing first, Peterborough Petes second and the Bulls third with a respectable 35-26-5 slate. Offensively, Bulls were led by the hot stick of sophomore sensation Daniel Cleary, the Newfoundland Final stats for 1995-96 East Division GP W L T GF GA GP 6 A Pts. PIM P Daniel Cleary Joe Coombs Andrew Williamson Dan Reja SteveTracze Marc Dupuis Joe VanVolsen James Boyd , Rob Fitzgerald Jamie Sokolsky.... Paul Mclnnes Craig Mills Andrei Shurupov Ryan Ready Richard Park Mike VanVolsen Murray Hogg Adam Robbins Rob Guinn Robin LaCour Kory Cooper Walker McDonald Jason Gaggi 64 63 62 65 ..59 .66 47 63 58 65 66 48 53 63 6 52 60 53 43 .58 60 48 14 53 39 33 22 28 10 20 22 16 12 7 10 7 5 7 4 3 3 0 2 0 1 0 Ottawa Peterborough 66 39 22 5 258 200 83 6 6 3 5 2 2 9 2 8 9 2 3 5 79 Belleville Oshawa Kingston North Bay ., 663526 5300250 75 68 64 35 66 30 28 8 248 238 6 6 2 9 3 1 6266267 66 14 45 7 242 360 Central Division GP W L T GF GA Guelph 66 45 16 5 297 186 Kitchener 66 35 28 3 253 230 Niagara Falls 66 29 30 7 248 238 Owen Sound 66 29 32 5 274 313 Barrie 66 28 31 7 258 266 Sudbury .66 27 36 3 262 288 West Division GP W L T GF GA Detroit 66 40 22 4 319 243 Samia : 66 39 23 4 330 276 SaultSte. Marie; 66 38 23 5 312 254 P 95 73 65 63 63 57 P 84 82 81 9 62 36 3i4 35 28 46 28 25 30 34 27 19 11 13 6 9 10 7 Windsor London 662141 4256312 46 66 3 60 3 179 435 115 74 75 47 67 41 57 85 56 43 56 45 48 55 47 130 46 59 46 88 34 95 29 113 18 12 18 54 13 2 13 47 13 100 10 78 7 81 6 103 6 8 4 20 1 6 Our finest floors CORNER OF W. MOIRA & SIDNEY 265 W. MOIRA BELLEVILLE H All top-of-the-line Gold Series and new ArgentTM Silver Series floors 20% off through October 21 M U ivi uS i> T i · » *= MAhNINGTON