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PAGE 16, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23,1987 SPORTS* HOW SWEET IT TSI By ROXANNE REVELER It went down to the dying minutes of the seventh and last -game, but when the final whistle was blown, Brooklin Redmen were the 1987 winners of the Mann Cup, represen- tative of the Canadian lacrosse championship. Redmen are the only eastern team to twice win the title when playing in the west, and have now won three Mann Cups. It had been a see-saw battle for supremacy between the Redmen and New Westminster Salmon- bellies throughout the seven games. Redmen had come from behind on two occasions to tie the series and on Monday, Sept. 14 took the lead at three games to· two for the first time with a 12-10 victory. But the Salmonbellies, never a team to regard as out of contention, came back the following night and threw everything they had at the visiting team, outshooting Redmen 43-38 to emerge with a 10-7 win to again square the series. New West ace Eric Cowieson was once more the man Redmen had to watch as he led his team offen- sively with two goals and an assists. Mark Tuura also tagged for a pair of goals with singles coming from Geordie Dean, Scott Liebing, Ben Hieltjes, Paul Dalmonte, Bob Johnson and Jack Beetstra. Dave Durante accounted for three assists in the effort with Todd Lorenz, John Wilson and Dalmonte getting two assists each. Paul St. John scored two goals and had an assist for Redmen. Barry Brear, Kevin Antrim, Jim Meredith, John Fusco and Derek Keenan rounded out the Brooklin scoring. Tom Wreggitt accounted for two assists, Blaine Harrison, Gil Nieuwendyk, goaltender Wayne Colley, Brear and Meredith an assist each. The New West victory set the stage for the seventh and final game of the series last Thursday night. Adding additional pressure to the match, assistant Redmen coach Bill Down and general manager Bob Duignan stepped in to handle coaching duties for the game when head coach Peter Vipond had to fly back home to at- tend to business matters. Although this had been known prior to depar- ture for the west coast, Duignan said it nevertheless gave the team a bit of a psychological letdown. Duignan and Down chose to change all three lines as well as their powerplay squad for the seventh game. Key Redmen players Derek Keenan and Gil nieuwendyk had been double- teamed by New West from the out- set of the playoff series because of their known scoring abilities, and according to Duignan, the change of lines was an attempt to throw Salmonbellies off stride. During every game but the second, Redinen had lost the first period to New West. The new coaching tandem knew Brooklin had to win the opening frame in the final game if they were to gain a momentum that would coast them to victory. Duignan confided that although his team was confident they could win the Mann Cup going into the final match, they knew it would take a solid effort on the part of everyone, something that he ad- mitted had been lacking in the pr- vious games. "We (Duignan and Down) spent END OF GAME as Brooklin Redmen celebrate victory in New Westminster. the seventh and deciding game of the Mann Cup series in extra time with each of the lines before the game to build confiden- ce," said Duignan, "and I think it had a positive effect." He also explained he had concer- ns with the draws and loose balls and slotted players into positions where they were best able to come up with possession. Salmonbellies thrilled the capacity crowd of 4,500 at Queen's Park Arena by scoring a goal just 1:16 into the game. But the cheering was shortlived as Dale Kernohan popped in the equalizer 13 seconds later. John Wilson put New West ahead again at 5:04 only to have big Jim Meredith square things up at the 6;30 mark. Brian Hall put Brooklin ahead for the fimt time less than a minute later and an insurance marker by Kernohan, his second of the period, gave Duignan and Down what they had been hoping for...a 4-2 edge after the first 20 minutes of play. But Salmonbellies were not to be counted out of the gane. They came back in the middle frame to outscore Brooklin 3-2 and narrow the gap to a single goal heading for the final stanza. Ken Colley put one behind New West goalie Shawn Quinlan to put Redmen out in front 7-5. But two quick goals by Cowieson in less than three minutes tied things up and made a new game of it. Blaine Harrison got the go-ahead goal for Brooklin at 16:11 and Nieuwendyk got what was to be the eventual gamewinner at 18:30. Wilson came back with a counter for New West at 19:18, but that was to be the final goal of the game as time ran out leaving Brooklin with a 9-8 win and the Mann Cup. Kernohan was the top gun for Redmen with three goals for the night. Meredith, Fusco and Hall accounted for a goal and two assists, Harrison and Nieuwendyk a goal and an assist, and Ken Colley a single goal. Brear, Keenan, Brian Colm, Kevin Antrim and Andy Perroni each chipped in with an assist. John Wilson had three goals and an assist in the losing effort. Cowieson hit for two goals and an assist, while Lyle Robinson, Ben Hieltjes and Mark Tuura each scored a goal. Assists went to Scott Whitby's bantam all-star baseball team, with the solid pit- ching and hitting that carried them successfully through the regular schedule, captured the Eastern On- tario Baseball Association cham- pionship with two wins over Peter- borough on Sunday. The Whitby Optimist bantams, who defeated Oshawa in the semi- finals held almost a month ago, won 9-3 in the first game against Peter- borough and then took the title with a 7-5 win in the second. Jeremy Harness pitched a three- hitter in the first game, hit four singles and drove in six runs in the two games. Mike Fulton and Darren John- ston wielded the big bats, each belting two triples. Jamie Watters won the second Rie Ernst photo Liebing (2), Durante (2), Dalmon- te, Johnson, Beetstra, Dean and Scott Patterson. Meredith was named most valuable player of the Mann Cup series accumulating 24 points via 13 goals and il assists while being assessed no penalty minutes. This brought Meredith's total points in Mann Cup play (this was his third national series having played previously in 1984 and 1983) to 76, including 36 goals and 40 assists. game with relief help from Darrin Lee. Lee took over in the sixth in- ning and allowed only one hit while fanning five, including the side in the seventh and final inning. Dave Winchester and Watters each drove in a run over the two games. Scott Horler had two hits and Darryn Christie, one. Other team members are Mike Baker, Jason Skinner, Shayne Keddy and Paul Quantrill. l'à '." 4..? t 4t'14'l' A, t Ir. j"à* t. . P. Bantams win EOBA