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Ch aE uh ih EEN Rh It was a moment every young hockey player dreams ut. national championship tobe won or lost, television cam- eras, reporters and photogra- phers from newspapers large and small, 17,000 fans on the edge of their seats. "I guess it really hit me as we lined up for the National An- them, it was quite a feeling, sent shivers up and down my back," Clair Cornish told the Starin an interview last week. The 18-year old Port Perry native was a member of the Me- morial Cup winning Oshawa Generals. In what many hockey ob- servers say was as fine a Junior game every played, the Gener- als went on to defeat the Rang- ers 4-3, with the winning goal coming early in the second peri- od of sudden death overtime. For the Generals it was the climax to a season that had more than its share of emotion- al highs and lows. The team finished first in its division, then had to come from a three games to one defi- cit to defeat the Rangers for the -OHL championship, then the Memorial Cup, the overtime games and the perfect record to give Oshawa its first national championship since 1946. And Cornish was just hap- py to be part of it all. As one of just a handful of first year "rookies" on a power- packed club this season, Cor- nish found his playing time lim- ited. He watched three of the Memorial Cup games from the press box, but was in uniform for the final and saw limited ac- tion in the first period. Disappointed? Sure, he was. But he accepts completely that coach Rick Cornacchia had to make those decisions. "We had a very deep line- up. And sure, it was tough to sit on the sidelines or watch from the bench. But I learned a lot about hockey and a lot about life," he told the Star. Being on a team that won the Memorial Cup was just the icing on the cake for what Cor- nish said was a very satisfying year for himself personally. "I am very happy with what I got from this season," he told the Star. Very early on, after talking with the coaching staff and some of the veterans on the club, Cornish set a personal goal of 30 points for the regular season. He came close, winding up with six goals and 21 assists. But more importantly, he saw action in 60 of the Gens 66 league games. He notes that some of the stars on the Generals this sea- son saw much less ice time and scored fewer points in their roo- kie outings than he did in 1989- 90 And he knows his chance will come when the team breaks training camp this fall. Three, perhaps four of the left wingers will be gone as well as two forwards on the right side. Cornish has already set his sights on the left wing with the first or second line next season. Looking back on his first season of major Junior hockey, Cornish said the speed at which the game is played at that level never ceased to amaze him. "There are no bad skaters. If you lose a step (on your check) the guy is gone and more often than not the puck winds up in the net," he said. And though the games are always hard hitting, there isn't the dirty stick work that people sometimes associate with this level of hockey. As for fighting, he said most teams in the league seem to have their "designated" tough guys and they usually end up fighting each other. Ironically, this past season was supposed to be something of a re-building year for the Generals. But when the team made the deal that brought Eric Lin- Tennis Racket PARTICIPACTION DAY - it's coming to town and to the tennis courts, so grab your racquet and head on down to the courts for 15 minutes or more and enjoy fun, exercise and hitting that ball!! Starting at 10:00 a.m. throughout the day and evening, players will be at the courts. Cof- fee and calorie-laden goodies will be served to those who feel it after such a workout. A sign-up sheet will be posted at the courts for you to sign and these names phoned in throughout the day. If you have always thought you'd like to try tennis but don't have a racquet, then don't stop now as there are balls and racquets available. A ball machine will also be set up to challenge your ability of return- ing all those shots. Also everyone who signs in has the opportunity to win a fluorescent PAR- TICIPACTION hat! The rain and cold ruined 4 lof of. . Be sas plans over the long weekend, in- cluding the Fun Tournament, so we're trying again for this Sun- day. Remember to wear your fluorescent clothing, the wilder the better as.it just might throw your opponent off. We've even waived an entry fee to make it more fun so plan on partaking in this event this Sunday. The Wednesday morning ladies league is going to 'give it a go' again this week, weather permit- ting. Home-made muffins and fresh perked coffee will be serv- ed for the official kickoff for the season. On the lighter side of tennis, sweat bands are groups of musical tennis players who get together to jam immediately following a rousing five-set match. Remember to participate and .§ee_yon.on. the courts, | dros from Sault Ste. Marie, Cor- nish feels the coaches and man- agement had their sights on the Memorial Cup. "You just don't trade five players and give up $80,000 (the price for Lindros) and not aim for the top," he said. And just what's it like to be a member of the same team as Lindros, the 17-year old sensa- tion touted as "can't miss, for the National Hockey League? "He's the best player I have ever been with or played against," said Cornish. He was impressed not only with the way Lindros performs on the ice (his skills and tough- ness) but the way he handles things off the ice, the media at- tention, the personal appear- ances and endorsements, and his school work. Now that the euphoria of the May 13 Memorial Cup win is fading (slowly) Cornish will be concentrating on his grade 12 and 13 subjects at Henry Street High School in Whitby. He and othér members of the team missed a fair amount of 'school, especially during playoffs and the week in Hamil- ton. After boarding in Oshawa all winter, he's moved back home to Port Perry, and once school is over will work part time this summer at Lake Scu- gog Lumber. He's playing some ball hockey and is on a strict sum- mer training program (running and weights) to keep in shape and build his strength. In August, he'll be back on skates for high intensity power skating sessions in Toronto de- signed for Major Junior and NHL players. As for next season with the Generals, Cornish said "IT just can't wait to get back to the rink." And he's looking forward to September when the team members will be presented with their Memorial Cup cham- pionship rings. When things get tough, as they do from time to time at any level of hockey, Cornish no doubt will glance at that ring and recall that moment in the Copps Coliseum the long night of May 13 when the dream be- came areality. Cowboys win 10-4 On the season opener between Cow Boy and Philp Pontiac the teams soon settled back into baseball form. For the Cow Boy team, Adam Davidson and Cameron Cook each had two hits. Tyler Hughson also had two hits and played strong at second. Rodney Greenough had a strong game at first and Jamie Irvine pitched two scoreless innings. For Philp Pontiac, John Bab- cock had a strong game at short along with Kevin Hobbs, who had a strong game in the infield. Nick Kutlik had two RBI's. The final score was Cow Boy 10 and Philp Pontiac 4. Memorial Cup win was thrill of a lifetime to get back to the rink." (see story for details) Gamblers cold as the weather The Greenbank Gamblers Fastball Club started the 1990 season by dropping their first two league games and wasted some fine pitching by Wayne Wells and Mark Goreski. The Gambler bats were as cold as the weather as they dropped a 3-0 decision to Stouffville Juniors at Greenbank and then were edg- ed out 2-1 by the Port Perry Eagles. Trevor Till, Paul Goreski and Wayne Wells were the only Greenbank batters to hit safely off Stouffvilles' Scott Evans in the home opener at Greenbank but the Stouffville defense played superbly as their outfielders ran down several long drives from the Gamblér bats. Wayne Wells struck out 13 Stouffville batters while Scott Evans set down 5 Greenbank batsmen via the strike out route. At Port Perry last Thursday night the Gamblers were nipped by a 2-1 score by the Eagles, as Mark Goreski did not allow a hit to Port Perry but still suffered the loss. A pair of walks and a couple of errors gave the Eagles the two runs they would need to edge the Greenbank Club. The Port Perry pitching was also stingy with base hits as Brad Bricknell, Randy Underwood and Lawrie Williams combined to stop the Gamblers on only two hits, with Trevor Till and Paul Goreski hitting safely. This will be a busy summer for the team as they are competing in the Oshawa '"A" Division, the Richmond Hill Interlock Schedule and the 1.S.C. Travel League. This combination will bring the best fastball clubs in Ontario into Greenbank Park this summer in- cluding the Owen Sound Canadian Tire team who are the reigning Canadian Fastball Champions. The Gamblers invite everyone to Greenbank Park on Monday nights at 8:30 to view the best fastball in the country. There is no admission charge or collection taken but Greenbank Gambler Booster Club tickets are available from any Gambler player for $10.00. The team is hoping for Booster Club support from the sport fans in the-area. - - -. .. Port Perry native Clair Cornish was on 'cloud nine" last fall as a rookie when he cracked the line-up of the Oshawa Generals. Little did he ever Imagine that the season would come to an end in front of 17,000 fans, with the Generals winning the Memorial Cup. Though he saw limited ice time during the Cup tournament, Cornish is more than pleased with his season personally, and told the Star he "can't wait Te