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; Brian McNair > heavy heart % ■ ; ' 6 Dan Turple has a heart, there's no question. question. _ * In addition to being one that's capable of luming a good goalie into a great goalie, Jt's also, unfortunately, one that's a lot •heavier than it should be for someone his *ge. t, The extra weight comes from losing his mother long before anyone should have to, at 19, shortly after he was dealt from the Oshawa Generals to the Kitchener Rangers Rangers last season. Hockey, thankfully, has provided him with somewhat of a refuge from the pain, although he admits he still thinks about her every time he straps on the pads. Joanne Turple passed away at 45 just over a year ago, following a battle with cancer and a stroke. "You're always thinking about it," Turple said after backstopping, the Rangers to a 3-1 win over his former team in Oshawa Jan. 29. "The hockey has helped to keep my mind off things, just going out there and having fun." Thanks to the strength of the Rangers this season, Turple might just be able to honour the memory of his mom with a Memorial Cup ring this season. If so, the 6-foot-5 overager will certainly play a big part,'something he was denied fast season after dislocating his shoulder in the playoffs. . 1 Turple, as Generals' fans will no doubt recall of his incredible finish in 2004, doesn't allow opponents much mesh to work with at the worst of times, and is almost unbeatable at the best of times. Heading into last night's game against the Generals in Kitchener (after our deadline), deadline), Turple was at or near the top of the list in every statistical category: first in goals-against average (2.37) save percentage percentage (.922) and shutouts (5); and second in wins (29). Although it looked like a good enough deal for the Generals at the time, there's little question, in hindsight, that it's been a steal for the Rangers. Defenceman Devereaux Heshmatpour quit the Generals Generals shortly after arriving and goalie Carlo DiRienzo was cut at the start of this season before being called back, playing better, but still inconsistently. Turple admits he was struggling prior to being dealt and had complained about ice time, but says he didn't ask to be traded, not even to be closer to his Hamilton home due to his mother's illness. "I was dealing with it (in Oshawa)," he says. "It wouldn't have made much difference difference where I was, but it was nice to be closer to home... I was happy the deal was made, especially because it was to Kitchener." Kitchener." A sixth round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers, Thrashers, Turple hopes to reach the pinnacle of • junior hockey with Kitchener this season, then embark on a professional career with the AHL's Chicago Wolves next season. ! Mom will be with him every step of the way, firmly entrenched in that big heart. Brian McNair's column appears every third Wednesday. E-mail: hmcnair@durhamregion.com Mills misses third straight cut SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The good news is Jon Mills was the best of four Canadians playing at the PGA's FBR Open last week. The bad news is it still wasn't good enough for the 27-ycar-old Oshawa native to make the cut in Arizona. Rounds of 72-72 left Mills two-ovcr- par and three shy of the cut, though ahead of better known Canucks Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and Ian Lcggatt. Mills has now missed three straight cuts in his rookie season on the PGA Jour, alter opening the season with a $,10,914 payday at the Sony Open, Tic's back at it again this week, playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro- Am in California. Bowmanville clinches first place after going undefeated in final 16 games BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor BOWMANVILLE - The opportunity for redemption was just too good for the Bowmanville Eagles to pass up. Needing a victory on Sunday afternoon to clinch first place in the East Conference, Conference, and with it' home ice advantage. throughout the playoffs and as a bonus, avoiding a semifinal against the Wellington Wellington Dukes, the Eagles turned in a dominating performance, blanking the visiting Kingston Voyageurs 5-0. The season finale marked the 16th game in the row that the Eagles avoided a loss, closing out the regular season on WHERE THEY STAND Ontario Provincial Jr. A * Teams completed a 49-game season last night (after our deadline). TEAMS GP W L T OTL GF GA P BOWMANVILLE 49 39 .5 5 0 255 95 83 PORT HOPE 48 38 6 4 0 291 108 80 WELLINGTON 49 33 8 6 2 261 120 74 PETERBOROUGH 48 25 18 3 2 200 194 55 KINGSTON 49 ' 23 23 ' \ 2 1 153 179 49 OSWEGO 49 17 26 4 2 150 193 40 TRENTON 48 17 25 4 2 141 191 40 LINDSAY 48 13 29 6 0 139 200 32 BANCROFT 49 11 35 1 2 144' 282 25 COBOURG 49 6 40 3 0 114 297 15 an incredible 14-0-2-0 run. Interestingly enough, the last time they tasted defeated defeated was way back on Dec. 11, when the Voyageurs eked out a 5-4 victory at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. A similar result on Sunday afternoon would have been deemed a monumental collapse for the Eagles, who positioned themselves for first place after beating the Wellington Dukes 6-4 and 3-1 in a home and home series last week. "That could and can happen," said general general manager Perry Bowles of a potential setback on Sunday in the 49th and final regular season game. "Kingston won the last time they were in Bowmanville, so we had to be ready. There was a lot of incentive for us to play well." Much of that incentive comes from getting a seemingly easier road to the East Conference final. As it stands now, providing there aren't any post-season upsets, the semifinals would paiLMp.wi V second place Port Hope PredattifS.Miil third place Wellington, while tffejMjtjfefc ' are likely to draw either the Perapi Slough Slough Stars or Kingston. ' But, before any dates for those,spit*; • can be established, the quarterfinal^ the first order of business, with; Eagles drawing the eighth seeded say Muskies in the opening round)) opener of the best-of-seven ! scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 Bowmanville, with the remainder) series still being worked out. The expect to use Wednesday as .tbEi home date, while Lindsay is/ii secure Tuesday and Friday. In five meetings this season, til registered a victory each time scoring Lindsay 21-4, postifl shutouts in the process. Those S suggest a short series. With two of the final three*, against Wellington to close out'! .. See EAGLES page 14 A.J. Groen/Metroland Durham Region Nose for the net OSHAWA - Clarington Toro William Minnema applies pressure on Toronto Red Wings goalie Adam Stein during a Major Bantam tournament n the Legends Centre in Oshawa. The game against Toronto was the first of four for the Toros, who dropped a 6-1 decision. Things didn't get much flffpr that. HQ the Tnrnc htcl tn Ttlirlinofnn Punirai Hnlarm AJi anrl Vaimltmi tt A after that, as the Toros lost to Burlington 6-2, Central Ontario 4-1 and Vaughan 8-0. Veteran the key for UOll University announces head coaches for varsity athletic programs BY SHAWN CAYLEY Staff Writer OSHAWA - Building from the ground up takes a lot of time and patience. That's why, when Ken Babcock, the Athletic Director of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, ended his head coaching search for the new varsity programs, he opted to go with experience to guide the Ridgebacks. In Gary Pitcher, Marlin Muylacrl, Rob Millikin and Ken Crosina, he has found just that. And the four men couldn't be more excited with the quest they are about to embark on. Crosina, a former professional men's tennis player, will head up the men's and women's varsity tennis program, which is slated to hit the clay courts on campus this fall. "This is outstanding," said Crosina, an Oshawa resident, of being named head coach. "This is really a great step forward \j idin for tennis in the region and we are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us." Babcock didn't have to look too far to find his tennis coach as Crosina was working as the campus Tennis Centre's Director. "I was fortunate enough to he chosen as the first ever tennis coach at UOIT, and I look forward to building this program," said Crosina, who has coached at several different levels including provincially and at the Canada Summer Games. Several years ago, the thought of a rowing rowing program at what would eventually become UOIT was planted by Rob Millikin. Millikin. So, with that, to head up the rowing program, Balxmck looked no farther than Millikin, president and head coach of the Durham Rowing Club. "When I first heard the university was coming to Oshawa, I talked to Ken Babcock Babcock about entering into a community partnership with the rowing club," said Millikin, an Oshawa resident with more than 30 years of rowing experience. "We have been talking about a rowing club on and off for seven years now and (Monday) is just the first phase of that," With excitement around campus growing growing by the day, there is no telling what the buzz will be like in the fall of 2(K)7 when the men's and women's varsity hockey programs drop the puck for the first time. At the helm of the men's squad will be the current coach of the Junior C Port Perry MoJacks, Marlin Muylacrl, The Port Perry resident hopes die some of the success he hsti the Guelph University Gryphons program where he led them to eigMfiOjt division titles, two QUA chanr'"^* and a CIS National title in 1997 While, he is aware of the m task before him, Muylaert is 1 ward to developing UOIT into powerhouse program. "No coach has had the op. start a university program frotik like 1 have here... in your'coachinfi you get very few challenges of 1 nitude," he said after a Mot conference. "I look forward to: lenge." Gary Pitcher, who is currently the bench of the DC-UOIT extramural hockey club, will be i to take the helm of the varsity . The Whitby resident, who is the of Student Rights and Respoi 1X3 and UOIT, has coached in I and Whitby Minor Hockey A and four of those teams have to Ontario Provincial Cham previous years. "What an opportunity this, Pitcher. "It's such an exciting) and I am glad to be a part of It." Experience goes a long way inV „ ing success, so with that, UOtT athletics appears to he in gtxxi ùï