The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

> * PAGE 16 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ JUNE 15,2005 durhamregion.com Brian McNair Reddox has grown into quite a player Chalk another one up for the little guy. The fact Liam Reddox is among the 44 players invited to the selection camp for the Canadian national junior team offers another example of the age-old adage: you can't measure the size of a person's heart. Chances are Reddox's is rather large. When he was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League- by the Peterborough Petes in 2002, Reddox was a shade over 5-foot-9 and 170-pounds when soaking wet -- which likely explains how he was stolen in the third round, 51st overall. He has since grown closer to the oft- exagerated listed dimensions -- draft information had him, at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds -- but in hockey terms, he's still smaller than your average bear. Regardless, Reddox has so far proven himself at every level. Born, raised and still living in Whitby in the off-season, Reddox was moved to the Greater Toronto Hockey League for major novice, thinking it would be better for his development. After getting drafted by the Petes from the Toronto Young Nats, he spent à full season in Tier II with the Wellington Dukes, picking up 64 points in 45 games. He finally got a crack at the OHL the following season, and didn't disappoint, finishing second in rookie scoring with 64 points in 68 games. This past season, he was lied for 10th in league scoring with 82 points. How does he perform under pressure, you ask? Well, pretty darn well. Reddox was a ' big part of the Dukes' provincial championship championship run in 2003, led Canada in scoring at the World Under-18 Championships in 2004 and was the Petes' top producer in the playoffs this spring. It's all added up to some well-earned attention, most prominently front the Edmonton Oilers, who selected hint in the fourth round in 2004, and of course the junior national team's braintrust, who will take a closer look at hint this August in British Columbia. "I just want to get my. foot in the door and try to turn some heads," says Reddox, the OHL's third team all-star at left wing this season. "Getting to the summer camp is a great step." Reddox attributes his success to hard work and determination, but it doesn't hurt that he's quick, shifty and has a nice nose for the net, Like many players of his stature, Reddox Reddox is encouraged by the fact smaller players are getting more of a chance to strut their stuff in the NHL -- Martin St. Louis being the prime example. "You see a lot more smaller players in the league making an impact," he notes. "That's really got my spirits up." Here's hoping it lifts him all the way to the World Junior Championships arid a lengthy pro career. A.J. Groen/The Canadian Statesman Chrincton Green Gael Luke Carson (10) and Miniico Mountaineer captain Scotty Patterson let off a little steam during last week s OLA Jr. B lacrosse TSZ G ™t KriS. Complex. The Green Gaels won the game convincingly, 134, bnt it was the only vtctory |.e club has been able law teams above the .5011 mark. A couple of more tests come this week at home Thursday to Halton H.lls (8 pan.) and , Friday with a return engagement against Mimico. Slide continues! Green Gaels 1-3 during tough' stretch. BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor BOWMANVILLE -- Heading into à six-game stretch against quality opponents opponents with records above .500 was supposed supposed to give the Clarington Green Gaels some answers as to how they measure up against the rest of the OLA Jr. B league. Instead, after another setback Sunday in Oakville, this sequence has produced more questions than answers about the ability of the Founder's Cup champions to defend their coveted title. ■ A 12-9 loss in Oakville to the Buzz dropped the Green Gaels to 11-4-0 overall, overall, but upon closer review, the loss leaves the club with a disappointing 1-3 mark with just games Thursday (at home to Halton Hills, 9-5-1) and Friday (at Mimico, 11-4-0) left in the difficult stretch. Granted, co-coach Jason Crosbie is quick to point out that the Founder's Cup Canadian championship isn't won at the start or in the middle of the 20-game regular season, so there is no need to WHERE THEY STAND OLA Jr.B Eastern Conference ,4s of June 13 GP W L y; GF G A • ■ . '• Plggl MID EAST ...... , CLARINGTON 15, 11 4 0 : 164 80 . 22 : : BARRIE 15 8 7 0 • 174; 115 16 MARKHAM ! §ii 17'V?' 7 1 ' 10 O' .150 153 | 14 HUNTSVILLE :FAREASt||S| 14 3 zmtBQ ' -11 . immi 0 CO 0. 170 ■ 1-J6 .; ... AKWESASNE 14. 13 1 : 0 166 72 : 26 NEPEAN ~ - Eli | 10 m 77 : les Hi GLOUCESTER SOUTH EAST OAKVILLE / MIMICO HALTON HILLS TORONTO reach for the panic button just yet. But on the flip, side, if the club can't beat these teams now, what evidence is there that they will be able to reverse the trend once playoffs open in just a couple of weeks? - ' "Whenever you get into a six-game stretch like this against good teams, 4-2 is a good mark to strive for, but it's not going to end our season if we don't get there. These games are just stepping stones," said Crosbié after his 15 16 13 2 15 11 4 " 15 9 5 12 111. 15 0 75 250 0 1 x>3&m mm&l 1 180 117 27 0 161 -'95 22 1 134 108 19 0 76 137 2 team's only win during this stretch, a convincing 13-4 home floor victory over Mimico last Thursday. "We've had a bump in the road and that can be good sometimes to have a loss here and there to refocus and say 'you know, what, we need to work on some things.' Guys can get complacent here, , sometimes. "These games are just to see where we're at this point of the season." Indeed, rolling up a KM mark against mostly inferior competition èarly in the season did little to prepare the Green Gaels for the tougher competition that 1 was ahead. Once the next two games ( are completed- on consecutive nights ' beginning tomorrow, it will be back to playing against the bottom feeders of the league, closing out with games against Toronto (1-11-0), Huntsville (3-11-0) ; and Gloucester (0-15-0). ,... THE SCOOP -- Thursday's 'game' , against Halton Hills at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex has an 8 p.rri. start...At the league's annual all-, star game Saturday in Windsor, all three. i representatives of the Green Gaels made' an impact. Joel Weber started in goal | for the Eastern Conference, allowing just ., four goals in a period which his team led 1 11-4. James Barton popped in a couple!! ' of goals while A. J. Ward won the hard-!! est shot portion of the skills comped-' tion, clocking in at 140km/hr...Veteran . Coady Derks has left the team, and is ! • not welcomed back, at this point, says general manager Doug Luey...Sunday 1 in Oakville, Janies Barton, Phil Mcll- hone, Justin Fox and Luke Carson had two goals each with Shane Sargent ' chipping in the other. Steve Hutchins, had three helpers. Dodgers sweep away the Storm Oshawa beats Stratford 16-5, 4-1 in Intercounty play BY BRIAN MCNAIR Staff Editor ' OSHAWA -- With two-thirds of the season still remaining; it seems the Oshawa Dodgers are already a safe bet to make the playoffs this Intercounty Baseball League season. They have the Stratford Storm to thank for that. In a meeting of the league's bottom two teams Saturday at Kinsmen Kinsmen Stadium, the Dodgers improved to 4-9 and dropped the expansion Storm; to 0-14 with a doubleheader sweep, winning 16-5 and 4-1. So it seems Stratford has a solid lock on last place, which means the Dodgers would be among the other eight Intercounty Intercounty teams heading to the post-seqson. Oshawa manager Troy May has set his sights a little higher, however. • ' "Our goal is to finish sixth," says May, pointing out his club was just a game- Troy May and-a-half away from that spot after the weekend. "If we finish sixth, we'll miss the first two teams (in (he first round of playoffs), which 1 think will be Toronto • and Guelph." It seems, indeed, that' Toronto (11-4) and Guelph . (11-3) are again the class of the league, although Kitchener Kitchener (10-3) is right there, too. May's hope is to avoid the powerhouses and advance through at least a round of.playoffs for the first time in the team's five-year ' history. "Once the playoffs start, anything can happen," says May, who finally has a full roster to work with. "Everybody now is starting to jell. We're starting to come together as a team." Darryl Reid led the way in the opening opening game blowout Saturday, with four hits, including a home run, and four . RBIs. Junior call-up Kevin Wallace (1-0) allowed four runs -- two earned -- on six hits through five innings for the win. Brian Sewell (2-4) tossed a seven-hit ' f complete game for the win in the second ^ half of the twinbill. ^ 1 The aptly-named Greg Speed had five | • hits over the two games, including a tri-'j pie in the opener, and stole three bases, 'j The Dodgers were supposed to play" Sunday in Hamilton, but the game was;' postponed due to poor field conditions. They were in Stratford last night (after'; our deadline) and will send Scott Rob-' inson to the mound for his first start of ^ the season tonight, 7:45 p.m. at Kinsmen . Stadium, against Guelph. Mills moves up the money on Jason Liebregts/The Canadian Statesman Shouldering the pain BROOKLIN -- Former Clarington Green Gael JelTTsnji (18), now of the Brooklin Merchants Sr. B team, is blocked from getting past a Kitchener Kotlinks defender during a game Sunday afternoon. The Merchants lost this game 10-8, hut were victorious in overtime 8-7 over the Mohawk Stars Saturday, finishing the weekend with a 6-5 record on the season. GLENVIEW, III. -- Jon Mills where lie needs to be, but perhaps perhaps not as high as he would like .on the Nationwide Tour money list right now. The former Brooklin resident was in the hunt at the LaSalle Bank Open on the weekend, but dropped • from second to ninth with a final round 72 in Illinois Sunday. Mills has been close to winning winning on three occasions already this season, blit each time had a higher round on Sunday than Saturday to eomc up short. is still Still, lie's putting together a fine season, season, now 15th on the Order of Merit with $93,408 in earnings in 10 events, The top-20 at season's end will earn their PGA Tour cards. Rounds of 67-70-67-72 left Mills cight-under-par for the tournament, seven strokes back of winner Chris Couch, who pocketed a ■ season-best $135,000. Mills took home $19,500. • Jon Mills The Knoxville Open is next tip on the.Nationwide Tour, beginning tomorrow. CHASING A PGA TOUR CARD The top-20 on the Nationwide money; list at season's end automatically earn a PGA Tour card.