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Acton Sabres coach Fred Buchanan was not behind the Sabres bench last Wednesday when his club toiled with the Georgetown Gemini He was the stands observing trying to find ways to get his slumping Sabres back on the winning track In his absence Dave McKnight held the reins McKnight coached the Sabres back when they were Junior C and then in their first season of Junior B Last season s All Ontario Zone Champion Major Atoms last week received rings to commemorate their victory in the final over Milton There was a small problem en countered in receiving the rings by mail and it wasn t until last week that the rings could be presented by Larry When Acton Sabres and the Georgetown Gemini skated onto the ice at the community centre last Wed nesday people couldn honestly believe the hockey they were about to witness was going to be close to hockey Streetsville and Burlington Cougars might supply but it did prove to be interesting The Gemini and the Sabres are currently sitting in the last two spots in the Central Ontario B league and although the hockey t be good the outcome would be in doubt Right from the time the teams and referee stepped on the ice you knew that there could easily be trouble With a losing hockey team tempers seem to flare rather easily The game was between the rival Hills clubs and with what I feel has to b one of the league most incompetent working the game things were destined to erupt The referee was Allan Dawe and the Sabres had seen him on two previous occasions He was in Acton the night the Milton Flyers topped Acton In that game the officiating was by no means good with several cheap shots and slashes thrown but it was a darn sight better than his debut in Acton On that particular night the Oakville Blades were in town supplying the Sabres opposition It had to be one of the poorest officiating iobs of the season that I have seen Players on both benches were literally laughing at as they hit fought high slashed and did anything else they could get away with until the point where nine players were ejected from the game after a mass brawl at centre ice It was evident to me during the Blades game that Dawe was not capable of the tumor level of hockey or he was having a very bad night Even a referee can have a bad night just like a player The answer came out on Wednesday night The slashes were endless and the cheap shots became ever so much more evident as the players on both sides realized what they could get away with There were a total of minutes in penalties given out by Dawe as he tried to take the players to the penalty box two at a time I could not believe my eyes at times as watched and then waited for retaliation fan reaction or anything else he could find It seemed he t want either team playing a man short There is a five minute high sticking rule which is used to curb sticks making contact above the normal height of the shoulders An Acton player was making his way to the players box for a quick change and a Georgetown stick made contact in such a way over the players helmets that it could be heard all over the arena Maybe it was an accident but from where I was standing it looked more like a Whoops Gotcha than a Whoops Sorry However the Acton player turned around objecting to the in fraction and striking back with a slash of his own saw fit to give each player two minutes The Acton in fraction granted deserve much more than two minutes but I must question the official decision of two for the Georgetown player Things like that continued all night long Hit and slash hit and slash But that wasn the thing that got the Sabres and fans up the most Continued on WEDNESDAY JANUARY 3 One Hundred and Fourth Year No 27 Firefighters take consolation crown at New Hamburg Christmas Tourney Bantam were the first from the Acton or Hockey Association to bring home silverware this season The team wis in New Hamburg over the past week tor that town Christmas Tournament The iref ightcrs fell in their first round game A to Exeter but then put everything together as they mide the run to the Consolation Champion ship and trouncing the host New Hamburg team for the title with a 1 win In reaching the final Acton topped Monk ton by a 7 score and The storing came quick in the opening game loss for the Firefighters as they netted two of their three counters and Exeter three goals in the first period jumped into a two goal lead over the first two minutes and then Tim to net Acton first of the day from Gord and Ken Acton allowed Exeter to regain the two goal margin be fore Mark Duval scored from Rob and Wayne McMillan before the period ended The Exeter second period counter was what proved to be the winner as they regained their two goal lead for the third time Rob Vermculen scored from Mark Duval at the midway point of the final frame but the Acton club could not find the equal The team ployed one of its poorest games of the said coach Steve Marshall of the game It took the Firefighters a while to get go in their first round con solnlion match with Monkton After a scoreless first period the bantams ex scoring three in the second frame and Tim Evans netted the first Acton goal from Ken and Rob Vermeulen at the 31 of the frame Rob Vcr meulen scored one of his own at the mark from Rick to give Acton a two goal lead Tim Evans found the mark for the second time in the period to round out the Aclon scoring from Tim Ferguson and Mark Duval Gord added two goals in the final frame with Wayne McMillan and Mark Duval adding singles Duval assisted on two of the goals with Tim Evans Tim Ferguson and Rob adding sing les One of and Mark counters came while the irefightcrs were Coach Marshall felt his team moved the puck well and had miny more good scoring chances The Firefighters third game of the tournament was a definite mismatch as Acton scored seven times in the first period en route to a over Rock ton opened the scoring with his first of two from Rob Vermeulen at the one minute mark A minute loter Wayne the game before Tim McMillan found the range scored from Mark from Tony and Oava before the first Mark Duval period had ended Prospect Park not a place to swimming roller skating and sun bathing some find the winter a popular time for such things as cross skiing ska tins Terr and Randy found some time to do a little last week Terry enjoys his machine and is making plans to race One most popular uses for Prospect Park during tht Inter has hern the use of the like for Dim I and sonic friends made a ramp on the north side f 1 and jnert It meant slight spill At that point the until the six minute mark of the period when they really exploded Over the last four minutes of the period the Firefighter found the goal five times Mark Duval started Ihlngs with a goal from Wayne McMillan Rob Ver Ken and Andy Vaivods scored other goals Mark Duval Brad Manes and McArthur picked up assists Firefighters found the mark only once in the se cond period that coming off the slick of Mark In the third period Acton got goals from Wayne McMillan and Brian Canary to bring the total to ten Duval ass on two of the count with Vermculen adding on another out In the Consolation Championship game with New Hamburg the Fire fighters struck early getting goals from Tim Ferguson and Mark in the first 1 11 of the hockey game Gord McArthur assisted on the Ferguson goal while Wayne McMillan and Andy Vaivods assisted on the Duval counter New Hamburg got back McArthur and Tim Evans added second period goals to put the game out of reach for the host club Duval assisted on both goals with helping on the McArthur scored the only of the third period as the Firefighters recorded the win up the silver medals crests and the Con Championship donated by the New Hamburg Fire fighters Coach Marshall was pleased with the way his team carried out the game plan in the final dumping the puck in and forcing New Hamburg Into many mistakes M pointed out Tim vans Gord McArthur and Mark Duval as the outstanding players over the four tournament games TheBuntnmsnow return to league action Next home game for the iref ghters is January when Lion will be the visitors Team members include Tim Baker Bruce Tom Shannon Mark Duval Rob Vu- Brad Mines Tim Evans Ken K Wayne McMillan Tony Sheppard Tim Ferguson Hick Brian Canary Andy Fred Dean Hughes and Jeff Coach Move Marshall manager Barb Losses to Gemini hurting Sabres as playoff spot moves further away If the Acton Sabres could do like the rest of the teams in the Central Ontario Junior Hock League and beat the Georgetown Gemini their chances of catching a playoff spot would have been greatly enhanced The Gemini have now won five games in the Junior season three the expense of the Sabres If Ihe Sabres had won the three matches with the Gems they would have a point total of That would be good for eighth spot in the stand Bantams edge Woolwich Acton Rotary Minor Bin tarns captured their fourth league win in a row in Woolwich last week The bantams played what coach Ed Hillier thought was the clubs best game of the year scored a win to move Into a second place tie with Ihe defeated Woolwich team Paul opened the scoring for Acton from Mike at the one minute mark of the opening frame Wool came back less than two minutes later to tie the game The garni remained tied for a period and a half before Wayne Mc Mill an scored to give Ac ton the lead for the second time Mike assisted An unassisted goal by Brian 33 seconds remaining sec the Acton win The losses leave the Sabres in eleventh spot with 10 points A total they have carried for six weeks The Sabres fell to the Gemini by a count in the latest Hills battle giving the Gemini the town for the third successive year the teams ir only four times a season and the Gems have won three of three In other action the Sabres fell by a wide count to the Onlha The Sabres home contest with the Georgetown team was marred by fights with he game being held up on several occasions as players met In fisticuffs The hockey could not be considered sensational either The two bottom placed clubs provided hockey that demon riled missed passes checks and goals Neither team could much of an advantage through out the contest as teams battled evenly The game looked as if It was going to be the end of the Sabres losing streak as they scored goals from Denis Charbonneau and Paul Salvisburg in the first ten minutes to jump up on the Gems Glenn Murray assisted on the counter with Wade Vickcry helping on Salvisburgs Georgetown came back with goal from Bob Alll son before the frame end ed The Gemini tied the game as Gary Thompson found the distance to open the second period The Sabres regained the lead when Denis Charbonneau was credited with an assisted goal as he tried to reach one of his players with a pass in front of Ihe Georgetown net The pass was intercepted by Gemini nctminder Chris Saija and inadvertantly redirected Into his own net The Gemini tied the game with six minutes re maining in the period and then took the lead for the first time on a powerplay goal with remaining Georgetown scored again at the midway point of the final stanza to take a two goal lead Mark came back to net the twine from Neil Anderson with six minutes re maining to set the stage for a thrilling ending The thrilling ending wasnotthchoekey it was how the Gemini got their last goal Each team had two players in the penalty box yet Georgetown apparently carried an ex skater on the surface Greg Thompson stepped over the and found the corner over the Georgetown coach Harold Schoolcy said after the game he didn t know how many skaters he hod on the ice and to be truthful he said I don t know how many I should have had Dave who was filling in for Fred Buchinan behind the Sabres bench was upset thai the official caught the number of Georgetown skaters It poor when he off icial can t count to four in 15 seconds That he amount of time McKnight feels it look Georgetown to score after the Acton bench had directed the officials attention to the player numbers The goal gave the Gemini a wo goal lead and margin of victory Schoolcy felt the reison his Gemini came back to win after the Sab res jumped into a lead was Acton non aggress over the final or minutes Sabres coach Fred Buchanan was busy keeping stat during the contest and when asked what happened he Just pointed to the stats sheet It showed the Sabres giving the puck away times in first period and counting for hits At that point a lead In the second period the Sabres gave the puck away almost twice as many times and had only eleven hits The Gemini them in that frame J In the final frame the Sabres managed only four hits and gave the puck away times Buchanan expects his club to amass GO hits per game if they expect to win They made contact only 39 times Kent stopped IS shots in each of the three periods Satja block Sabre drives The long trip to Onllioimust have taken some of the teams skating legs away from them as they could stay with the Trovelways for only the first half of the game The scored three unanswered in the first frame but Acton up the fight Wade Vickery scored from Neil Ander son and Brad Buchanan o start the middle stanza and Kelly Shaw hit from Glenn Murray before the period reached its mid point From then on it was all Onlha as they the Sabres 1 in the last half of the contest After the Sabres pulled to with in one came back with three goals to hold a second period lead rive more in the final frame brought their total to 11 The Sabres only counter in last minutes came off the stick of Glenn Murray Mark Schmkel assisted Tile added insult to injury when they The last goal came while the Sabres had a two man advantage Bob Morlcy and Steve Simons combined stop Sabre shots while Rob blocked the same number in the Acton net Tlie Sabres will be look ing regain the winning way that they started the season with when ihey return to the place all began in their first game of 1979 Central Ontario Junior B standings Acton Kent Moffat must wonder Ihe rest of his forced to make stops as the Gemini topped Acton for the third teammates at the arena last Wednesday time In three meetings IhU time In other action the Sabres fell night The Sabres leave Kent to do all the work but he was to 11 Team OP 1 A P Burlington 1 204 55 Streetsville 0 Oakville 19 11 0 143 15 11 158 35 Orillia 14 13 4 157 Brampton 14 15 143 145 31 Thornhill 14 131 29 Milton 10 18 Dixie 16 5 156 23 10 19 1 134 181 Acton 2 132 201 10 Georgetown 32 25 213 12