PAGE 24, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRiUARY 8, 1989 SCORING STA TS GO UP Confidence boost for Roberts By Mike Johnston In a season in which the coach- ing staff of the NHILs Calgary Flames' are stressin ga more defensive game, Gary Roberts is the exception to the rule. The Whitby native, in his third year with the Flames, is showing e can score goals as well as outmuscle opponents with 17 goals and 13 assists in 50 games. "Confidence for me this year is a big thing. And playing with (friend and fellow Whitby native) Joe Nieuwendyk and Hakan Loob, the skill level is a lot _higher," said Roberts from his Calgary home during the all-star break. Last year he was on a line with Tim Hunter and Steve Bozek, one of the toughest lines in the National Hockey League. He says Calgary coaches took him aside this year and said he was not expected to fight with every tough hockey player in the lea e. " was glad to hear that. My job now is to go into the corners and get Joe and Hakan the puck. Whenyou are playing with two slike that you don't want to einthe - penalty box all the time." While he has toned down on his fighting, Roberts says he is still playing aggressive and with the same high intensity he always has. "I don't expect to score goals like Joe, but if I can get 25 or 30 goals this year I will be happy," says Roberts, who was Calgary s first round draft pick in 1984. The more defensive style was initiated by the Calgary coaches after the Flames lost four straight games to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year. "We are a much better team because of that," says Roberts, who believes the Flames can get past the Oilers this year. GREG ROBERTS Roberts remained in Calgary during the all-star break after escaing injury in a car accident last Saturday. He was driving when he hit a patch of ice and lost control. "The car is a write-off, but me and my fiancee were unhurt," says Roberts, who is not the only hockey player in the Roberts family. His younger brother Greg is a eft winger and center for York University. An aggressive player, Greg choose to play university hockey when he was overlooked in the junior A draft. "I was surprised I wasn't taken in the draft," says Greg, who played four years of junior B hockey with Pickeringanthers and attended Henry treet High School. "But the scouts are still here and I want to get an education." Greg is taking psychology and physical education and hopes to get into the field of sports phsy- cology. Greg, 20, who stands 5 ft., 9 inches, and weighs 175 lbs. is unsure of a career in the NIL, preferring instead a wait-and-see attitude. He is in his second year with York and missed much of his first year with a knee in.jury. WHITBY native Gary Roberts is a tough, hard- working winger on one of the NHL's best teams Photo Courtesy of BRAD WATSON Tlhree Whitby precision teams are first in North York Three Whitby precision skat- ing. teams were first in their divisions in a recent competition in North York. Whitby Ice Elusions won the masters (aged 21 and over) divi- sion. The team, coached by Cathy Dalton, had previously won an international meet in Elusions members are age 27 to 61 By Debbie Luchuk Fourth overall in Canada last year, Whitby Ice Elusions, a women's precision skating team is a higbly successful group of women ranging in age from 27 to 61 Supported by the Whitby Figure Skating Club, the team practices two hours a week on ice, and one hour on a floor (choreography) learning the moves for the ice. "We started the team as a recreational thing 10 years ago and we did not compete in our first year," manager Cheryl Snowden said. Precision skating, Snowden said,"is new within the last 10 years. We do some figure skat- ing, but mostly it's (figures) with the whole group, like chorus lines. "We go fairly fast, and we have very different levels of ability in the group." Some of the members were figure skaters in the past, and some were simply recrea- tional skaters beforejoining. Any woman over 21 can join the club, regardless of skating ability. Two members of the group of note are over 50, and perform on an equal energy and precision level as their younger team- mates. Helen McGovern, 59, mother of two, had been a figure skater with the Oshawa Figure Skating Club for 10 years. She bas been in the club from its inception. "I like competition. It's a lot of hard work because now we're more com petitive. Theyre a great bunh of girls, an dwe've been very lucky so far," McGov- LOIS HELEN BONE MCGOVERN ern said. She could not imagine being inactive through the winter months. "Everyone needs something to do. I just couldn't become a couch potato. It's wonderful to exerc- ise." Lois Bone, McGovern's sister- in-law, is the eldest member of the group at 61. She is the mother of seven. Bone's skating career began at the Oshawa Figure Skating Club, where she skated for 1 years before her marriage. "I SEE PAGE 26 Lake Placid in January. Whitby Ice Fyre, also coached b Dalton, captured the senior (al ages) division. The team, Canadian champion last year, had laced third at Lake Placid. itby Ice Angels also boun- ced back from a fifth-place finish at Lake Placid to win the novice division at North York. The team, coached by Diane Cornellison, defeated the reign- ing Canadian champion Bramp- ton Angelettes in the competi- tion. Whitby Ice Pix placed fifth in the pre-novice final. The team was third at Lake Placid. HOST SWEDISH TEAM Team Surprise, senior and junior precision skating teams from Sweden, performed at Iro- quois Park on Sunday ni ht as guests of Ice Fyre and Whitby's ICE ELUSIONS, Whitby masters' precision skating time in a local arena. team, practise their moves weekly or two hours at a precision skating program. Whitby deputy mayor Marcel Brunelle presented a Whitby fiag to the Swedish skaters and Ontario riding MP Rene Soetens presented a anadian flag dur- ing ceremonies Sunday night for the visiting team. Ice Fyre has plans to visit Sweden in December. CTV TO FILM CTV has selected Whitb Ice Fyre as the subject of an hour- long documentary on precision skating. A television crew will begin filming the reigning Canadian champion team on Feb. 22. Film- ing will continue until the Cana- dian finals in April. The Whitby senior team was selected, said Dalton, since CTV wanted to focus on a team that was likely to be in the final.- Free Proeu phoïo