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V PAGE 12THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, MARCH 10,2004 www.durhamrcgion.com ®1jc Cmmbiau Statesman Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 March 10,2001 iniodurhamiegion.com ' Sports Shorts e-mail game reports to bkclly@clurhamregion.com First impression a lasting one for Meadwestvaco Flames CLARINGTON - The Claring- ton Meadwestvaco Flames are making making a favourable first impression in their first season together as a novice select team. In a Belleville tournament, the Flames opened with wins over Kingston and Peterborough, hut were eliminated the following day in a rematch with Peterborough. Every girl is an important player on the Flames, starting with the two goaltenders, Kendra Down and Jamie Montpetit. The top goal-scorer on the team so far this season is forward and part-time defenceman, Lindsey Brazill, with nine goals and two assists. assists. The forwards include Lauren • Macdonell, Kennedy Milburn, Jessica Jessica Friend, Kate-Lynn Tongas, Lynsey Macdonald, Kennedy Marchment and Victoria Brown. The team is rounded off with defencemen defencemen Reagan Fuller, Meagan Cyr, Taylor Doiron, Carly Robertson,' Robertson,' Samantha Thomas and Erin Warwick. The team of seven and eight- year-olds is coached by Terry Dupuis and Will Robertson, and managed by Rheo Doiron. Andrew Street goes on a winning spree CLARINGTON - The Newcastle Newcastle Andrew Street novice house league team completed a perfect seven-game sweep in less than 48 hours this past weekend. In addition to winning their last two regular season games, Newcastle Newcastle finished first in a 12-team Cobourg Tournament. The team turned in three consecutive consecutive shutouts on Saturday over Grafton and two Cobourg teams to move into Sunday's semifinals. In the semifinal, Newcastle beat Port Hope 6-3, led by a hat trick front John Wood. Kyle Armstrong added two goals and MC Clements the third. Assists went to Kyle McLaughlin (3), Ben Choiniere (2), Wood (2), Chandler Brown and Nick Durst. In the championship game, Newcastle defeated Bewdley 6-1 to round out the action. Scoring in the championship game were Clements (2), Armstrong (2),"Matt Gibson and Wood. Helpers went to Brown, Tyler Dunk, Mary Megahy, Matt Gibson, Wood and Clements. Country Cottage Toros work overtime for win over Hespeler HESPELER - The Clarington Country Cottage Toros traveled to Hespeler to take on the Shamrocks in Game 1 of the OMHA Novice AE Group 2 Championship series. The score was deadlocked at 2-2 after regulation time. Zachary Bonu- ra provided the heroics, scoring for the Toros at 6:55 of overtime, giving the Toros a 3-2 win and 1-0 lead in the best-of-five final. Dean Staikopoulos and Zachary Bellisle also scored for the Toros with assists to Brody Warren, Ian Colby and Calvin Lepizzera. Josh Cole handled the netmind- ine duties for the Toros. Eagles even series Rally after 6-0 loss in Game 1 with 5-3 win on home ice BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor BOWMANVILLE - It was only Game 2, but it might as well have been Game 7 for the Bowmanville Eagles. Trailing the defending league champion Wellington Dukes alter a humbling 6-0 setback in Game 1 of the best-of-seven East Conference final, the Eagles were faced with a daunting predicament. Lose the second game on home ice Sunday and it was back to Wellington for tonight's third game down 2-0 - not an enviable position to he in. With that in mind, the Eagles came up with a huge effort, scoring the final three goals of the game for a 5-3 win to even the series 1-1 in front ot an announced announced crowd of 1,027 at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. Regardless of tonight's outcome in Wellington, that attendance figure is expected to climb even higher for Friday's Friday's fourth game in Bowmanville at 7 p.m. "We didn't want to go (to Wellington) Wellington) down 2-0. We knew this was a big game and we came out and showed them we can take them in our rink," said captain Malt Caruana, who tied ■ the game 3-3 on a power play in the second period, and then potted the game-winner just under four minutes later. If there was a common thread between between the two games it was the quick start by Wellington, scoring 55 seconds seconds into Sunday's tilt, and 41 seconds seconds into the series opener. They added three more in the second and a pair in the third, for the 6-0 final in Wellington Friday. "We haven't faced much adversity in the playoffs winning all eight games and the last three in the. regular season," said Caruana of the lopsided defeat. "You can't expect to win every game in the playoffs. It was a good thing to wake us up." Coach Curtis Hodgins agreed. IK 7t j ; WALTER PASSARELL/V Statesman photo Bowmanville Eagles' forward Sean Brackin (21) has to put up with a little chin music from a Wellington Wellington Dukes player during Sunday's East Conference final game. The Eagles evened the series at a game apiece with a 5-3 win. "Just from a mental standpoint, (Wellington) really took it to us in Game 1. We weren't ready to play at that kind of level," he said, adding winning in sweeps over Syracuse and Cobourg, combined with a seven-day layoff, didn't help matters. But he was proud of the way his team responded to a desperate situation in the second and took a 3-2 lead midway through the second before Caruana scored a pair to take back the lead. Smith added another in the third for insurance. With Wellington holding home ice advantage, it's imperative for the Eagles Eagles to wiii once away from home, and they get another crack at doing just that, tonight. "Going back to (Wellington's) rink down 2-0, psychologically we would have been in a bit of trouble." Sean Brackin, James Neal and David Smith also scored for the Eagles Eagles Sunday, who answered Wellington's Wellington's early goal with a pair just 1:36 apart. Wellington tied the game at 2-2 before the end of the opening period, ;"We know we have to win at least r ...w .•» - I.- .- 1 'oiïèj' maybe more," said Hodgins of the remainder of the series. "We've already already done it this year. Our guys have fo be willing to pay the price in that rink and I think we will Wednesday." Escaping with a win in Wellington has been a difficult chore for teams "It's so small and everything happens happens so fast and it's hard to get a forecheck established," said Caruana. "They pack in the fans and it's a pretty pretty loud and a crazy atmosphere." THE SCOOP - The Eagles will be without the services of goaltender Joel Whitmarsh, who is out with mononucleosis. Chris Mears, a callup, from the. minor midget Toros, is serving as backup...James Neal was named the game's first star, followed by Dan Goulding and Sean Brackin....Game 5 will be in Wellington Wellington Sunday at 7 p.m. If needed, Bowmanville Bowmanville will host Game 6 Tuesday at 8 p.m., followed by Game 7 in over the years, particularly in the play- Wellington Wednesday, March 17 at offs. "7:30 p.m. Indoors or out, Felicien's the best Hurdler on top of the world again BY AL RIVEn Staff Editor BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Pickering's Pickering's Perdita Felicien was determined to prove at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships that her world outdoor hurdles crown was no fluke. Mission accomplished. In her first season outside of collegiate collegiate athletics, the 23-year-old hurdler became the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at the indoor worlds. In a spirited showdown with American hurdling and sprinting legend Gail Devers, Devers, Felicien chalked up her second world title in seven months when she won the 60-metre hurdles in Budapest, . Hungary on Sunday. Although beaten by Devers this season season at the Millrose Games in New York City and the U.S. Golden Spike Invitational Invitational Indoor Meet at the University of Arkansas, Felicien was nonplussed by the prospect of hooking up with her again at the worlds. "It is to the point now that I keep calm (before a race)," said Felicien in an interview prior the worlds. "I'm as good as anyone there and I truly believe in that. I have no more fear and I'm not intimidated intimidated by anyone." MICHAEL STEELE/ Getty Images Perdita Felicien (middle) crosses the finish line in first place during the 60m hurdles final at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships. Championships. In a tight final, Felicien won in 7.75 seconds, edging out the favoured Devers by .03 of a second. The time represented represented both a Canadian and a meet record. It was only the second time a Canadian Canadian athlete has won the event at the world indoor championships. Bruny Surin won the 60m hurdles title in 1995. Heading into the worlds, Felicien was looking forward to the chance of competing against the top hurdlers on the planet. And, she felt no extra pressure pressure to duplicate her gold-medal performance performance at the world outdoor championships championships in Paris last August. "I've always been itching to go to my first world indoors," she said. "I'm going in fresh and excited and wanting to prove inyself again." Now, with two world gold medals under her belt and being the prohibitive favourite for Olympic gold in the 100m ; hurdles in Athens this summer, Felicien says she welcomes the pressure in the lead up to the Games. "To be the number-one hurdler going : into the Olympics is unbelievable. I would never have believed this is where ; I'd be. Four years ago as a 19-year-old,, I was just happy to be there. This is ; completely new to me; my cover's com- ; pletely blown now. Basically, I'll be using every meet to prepare for it. 1 "I'm going there knowing I can win; and I'm going to do my best to make; sure that I do." The 60m hurdles final was the icing ! on the cake for what was another out- ; standing performance at the worlds. Fe- ; licien won her opening heat on Sunday 1 morning with a time of 7.91 seconds,! ending up the third-fastest qualifier be- ; hind Devers and Lacena Golding Clarke ; of Jamaica; She followed that perfor- ' mance by breaking the Canadian record ! in her semifinal heat with a winning; time of 7.83. ; The championship also came with a ■ $40,000 payday for Felicien, She picked ! up $60,000 for winning the world out- ; door hurdles title, Saying goodbye to 'Shawsie', a fellow Leaf fan On Saturday night I experienced something I'm still trying to wrap my head around - thus far without success. success. I've tried to come up with different ideas for this week's column, but nothing seems nearly so relevant right now as dealing with the sudden death of Stephen Shaw, a colleague, fellow J>eaf fan and, most poignantly, like myself a father of two young children. Indulge me: this is part of my self- prescribed therapy. The images I'm carrying are difficult difficult to shed and have made for very little sleep. After all, I'd never seen someone N Brian McNair die before. My wife, Carol, a nurse practitioner, practitioner, and another colleague, Jason Liebregts, responded immediately with CTR, hut despite their best efforts, efforts, it seems nothing could have pre vented the tragic outcome. I'm extremely proud of both ol them, but would prefer to let the revival revival attempt slip from my mind. The trick now is to conjure the positive positive images and make them last as a more appropriate memory of Steve. This is where sports comes into play, as it so often does for me. Although it would he difficult to imagine Steve being more elated than he was earlier Saturday evening, when lie was recognized with two of the most prestigious Ontario Community Newspaper Association awards, I believe believe I've seen him even happier. Twice I had the pleasure of playing hockey with Steve - or Shawsie as we often called him - and twice 1 had the opportunity to watch his eyes twinkle like those of a young boy's, It was obvious he had not played much organized hockey in his life, but he loved the game and knew exactly how to maximize his skill, which as we all soon learned, was at its best near the net. Steve was quite probably the top goal-,scorer in both games despite the fact there were several players on the ice with considerably more experience playing the game. It was a pure joy to watch, and even more so because Steve was wearing a Leafs jersey both times. Ah yes, our other sports connection: connection: the Blue and White. As wc have done on an annual basis since we met six years ago, Steve and I convinced ourselves hack in September this was going lo he THE year. In fact, having just returned from vacation Saturday, i was able lo talk to Steve for the first lime about the acquisition acquisition of Brian Leelch: the final piece in the puzzle, we agreed. Perhaps this will indeed he llie year, for a June parade in Toronto. If so, I will think hack fondly lo that twinkle in Shawsie',s eyes,