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Efje Catmbtmt Statesman Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 December 18, 2002 infodurhamregion.com Brian Legree Sports Editor blcgivc@durhamrcgion.coni Horton among first cuts of junior national team When you watch Nathan Horton on the ice, it's very easy to forget that lie's just a raw 17-year-old kid. A special 17-yeai-old in terms of hockey, no doubt, one who possesses possesses a considerable number of skills, the rare package of size, strength, skating ability and superior offensive offensive ability. But the Oshawa Generals' sophomore, sophomore, who has a chance to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NHL draft, tasted rejection for the First time in his young hockey career over the weekend, when he was among the first cuts from the Canadian Canadian national junior hockey team selection selection camp in Halifax. To his credit, after Horton got the word early Saturday morning, he hopped on a plane, was back in Oshawa Oshawa around lunch hour, boarded the bus with his teammates and scored a goal as the Generals beat the Colts 4-3 Saturday night in Barrie. Barrie. Horton, who, incredibly, played Junior B hockey as a 13-year-old, will get another chance with the national national junior team next year and will undoubtedly stick. But the snubbing has stung Horton, Horton, who was added to the roster only after another player went down with an injury. To be blunt, he believes believes he really didn't get a fair look from Marc Habscheid and the rest of the national junior team coaching staff. "I did pretty good, I thought," said Horton, when asked to assess his own play. "I didn't haVe much of a chance, I guess, but it was a lot of fun. Lots of great players over there, I came up short, I guess, but that's what happens." ' After recording 67 points as a rookie a year ago, Horton started this season as a dominant force in the Ontario Hockey League, averaging averaging about two points a game until a Thanksgiving Monday meeting with the Kingston Frontenacs. Late in that game, he traded punches with Anthony Stewart, a player he still calls a friend from their time together together with Canada's under-18 team. Unfortunately for Horton, Stewart landed a few solid punches, breaking breaking a bone in his jaw and sending him to the sidelines for 13 games. Since returning, Horton has been merely good, not the dominant force lie was early on. How much the injury injury ultimately impacted his chances with the national team will never really be known. All Horton knows, is that when his country first ignored him, than came a-calling, he answered the bell. But whether it's totally accurate accurate or not, Horton left Halifax with the distinct impression he was never a true candidate to be on the final roster. "1 really couldn't tell you, it was, their decision," he says of being among the initial cuts. Asked if he fell he was given a legitimate shot, Horton simply says: "When 1 got the chance to play, 1 played pretty good. I was kind of the odd man out, but things happen like that, and you just deal with it." Horton also says the entire scenario scenario of being initially overlooked when the invitations went out to 34 players across Canada, and then being added to the rosier two days later, only to be among the first group of cuts, has been a hit of a mental minefield lie's trying to cross. "I guess it could be," he says of the emotional roller-coaster lie's endured endured over the past couple of weeks. "It's nothing to worry about now, ■ I just have to concentrate down here with Oshawa, I've been having a pretty good season, things are going pretty good," 'We're not good enough just to show up' Eagles' coach Curtis Hodgins expects better effort from his team in tonight's game against Bancroft Hawks BY BRAD KELLY Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - A quick look at the standings would illustrate that the Bowmanville Eagles are a slightly better team than the Bancroft Hawks. But that might be a little deceiving as the teams prepare to lock up in a Provincial Junior A Hockey League game tonight (Wednesday) at the Garnet Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex at 6:30 p.m. The 16-13-5-1 Eagles are two points up on the 16-11-1-3 Hawks for fourth place in the East Conference and have home ice advantage for tonight's tilt. But the advantages end there. Bancroft has played four fewer games this season and has posted three consecutive victories over the Eagles, including a relatively easy 7-3 decision Friday night. "Things are so tight in the East, you can't give away two points," says Bowmanville coach Curtis Hodgins on the importance of tonight's game. "We definitely owe them. I expect our guys to bounce back. We can't help but put a better effort in (than we did this past weekend)." A three-games-in-three-nights stint started and ended poorly for the^Ea-. ■gles. After dropping Friday's game in Bancroft, the Eagles posted a 4-1 win in Peterborough over the Bees Saturday Saturday night, but were humbled 5-1 on home ice Sunday by the Trenton Sting. When all of the weekend results were in, only two points separated the fourth place Eagles from the seventh place Lindsay Muskies. Frustrated with the losses, especially especially Sunday's lacklustre effort against Trenton, Hodgins was sympathetic to the fact his team was playing its third game in three nights, but wasn't willing willing to accept the poor work ethic. "We were lucky to get two points Saturday night," says Hodgins of the disappointing weekend. "(Sunday) we were outworked at both ends of the rink. It's frustrating. I know we have a lot of new bodies in here and they are getting used to the system and our defence is a mess right now with the bodies we've got back there. But you can always control how hard you work." Storm stops Top Vinyl CLAR1NGTON - A pair of goals in both the opening and closing frames of a game against Top Vinyl was enough to allow James Insurance Storm to emerge with a 4-3 victory. It was the seventh win of the season for the Storm in Claringlon Recreation Hockey League atom play. The game was tied 2-2 entering the third when James Marlowe busted loose for two markers to lead the Storm. Other scorers were Brady Richards and Kyle Snowdy. Collecting assists were Waylon Duboy, Zachary Shields and Chris Niles. Making Making several key third period stops for the Storm was goaltcndcr Kylcr Gilbank. Trenton built a 5-0 lead Sunday before before the Eagles responded with a Matt Carroll goal with just 2:21 remaining in the game to spoil Trenton goaltcndcr Tyler Bond's shutout bid. It was evident early that the Eagles were disinterested in the game, which is a common theme with this year's hockey club, says Hodgins. 1 "The first 10 minutes dictate if our guys are willing to compete," he says. "We're not good enough just to show up. Maybe the guys think we are a little better than we are and we can just go through the motions. "I hope it sinks in soon that we have to work our tails'off to be competitive." Following tonight's game with Bancroft, the Eagles visit Port Hope Saturday and host Cobourg Sunday at 6:30 p.m. before taking a Christmas break that will last until Jan. 3 with a game in Wellington. THE SCOOP - Matt Caruana scored three times and Steve Cornelis- sen had the other in the 4-1 win over Peterborough. Jason Speight and Sean Brackin had three assists each. Derek McGrath, Chad DcsRoches and Erik Petersen scored in the 7-3 loss to Bancroft...After tonight's game, only 13 remain in the regular season, which ends February 3...On Sunday, Dec. 29, the hockey club is inviting fans to skate with the Eagles from 7-8 p.m. Fans will have an opportunity to meet the players, get autographs and take pictures. The cost is $2 per person, person, with all proceeds donated to cancer cancer research. sa sag r- asa» aBHam M ERRY CHRISTMAS | TO EVERYONE \k Best wishes Jbr a holiday that !v off the charts! JUSTIN 0-0 OPTICAL BARRY 30 King Stroot West Bowmanville, ON L1C1R3 905-623-3132 RON PIETRONIRO/ Statesman photo Matt Carroll (25) and Derek McGrath (11) crunch a Trenton Sting player into the boards during Sunday's game at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. The Eagles lost two of three weekend games, including a 5-1 setback to Trenton. The Provincial Junior A Hockey League team is hoping for better results tonight when it hosts the Bancroft Hawks at 7:30 p.m. CORRECTION NOTICE Dite to an error on thë'part'ôf Oshawa Whitby This Week, the General Motors Ring In & Win guaranteed minimum prize of $1,000 was incorrectly advertised as available until January 13, 2003, when in fact it expires January 2, 2003. 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