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..FROM
THE DESK OF MIKE HAYAKAWA..
WAXERS
SPLIT WEEKEND
Looking at it from the outside, an 8-3 win by
the Markham Waxers over the visiting Huntsville Wildcats on Monday had the
makings of a one-sided Provincial Junior A Hockey League game.
While Markham Waxers head coach Russ Herrington acknowledged that sooner or later his club would see its winning ways come to an end, he did not like the way in which an eight-game undefeated streak came to an end Sunday.
Nursing what appeared to be a comfortable three-goal lead in their road contest against the St. Michael's Buzzers, the Waxers let their guard down by enabling the Buzzers to score five unanswered goals in a 5-3 loss.
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"He'll bring some leadership to the dressing room and we made the moving knowing what type of kid we were getting. It will help our chemistry."
Russ Herrington on Steve Nobili |
"Having won eight games in a row the odds go against you the further along you get. We were due for a loss," Herrington conceded. "But I wasn't happy with the way it happened."
"The guys didn't prepare for (Sunday's game) mentally. They went in with the attitude that we were 8-1 and we just had to show up. Even when we were up 3-0 in the game were weren't playing well. We just happened to capitalize on our chances."
Herrington is hoping the loss will serve as a wake up call as the Waxers prepare for a gruelling haul which will see them play seven games in nine days starting with tomorrow's game against the Oshawa Legionaires at Centennial Arena at 8 p.m. On Saturday, the Waxers play at Thornhill at 7:30 p.m. and then go to Ajax the next day for a 3 p.m. contest. On Monday, the Waxers return to Centennial Arena to face the Spirit of Stouffville at 7:30 p.m.
"Hopefully the guys will get focused. It will be a real test of our mental desire and will moreso than the physical side of it."
James Regan, Paul Robinson and
Mark Menonte each scored once for the Waxers, who led 2-0 after one period and 3-0 early in the second before the roof fell in.
Herrington noted that were it not for the work of Dan Leclair between the pipes, the outcome could have been worse.
On Friday, the Waxers racked up their eighth straight win with a 6-3 decision over the Pickering Panthers at Centennial Arena.
Robert Burrows, Kevin
Tompkins, Mark
Menonte, Robinson, Jesse Boucher and newcomer
Steve Nobili each scored once for the Waxers, who overcame a 2-2 first-period tie to take a 4-2 lead through 40 minutes.
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| This article was written by Mike
Hayakawa and published in the Markham Economist and Sun. Minor edits
may have been performed to the original article.
This has been reproduced with permission. |
The win by the Waxers avenged an earlier loss they incurred at the hands of the Panthers on opening night.
"It was nice to get a little revenge against Pickering," said Herrington. "We played a little tight at first, but got better as the game went on."
Nobili's presence in the Waxers' lineup came last week as part of a three-way deal. A 19-year-old left winger and centreman, Nobili is no stranger to Herrington having played with him in Thornhill three years ago.
"He'll add some depth up front," said Herrington of Nobili. "He'll bring some leadership to the dressing room and we made the moving knowing what type of kid we were getting. It will help our chemistry."
The Waxers sent the rights to Dan Beaudoin, a 20-year-old, defenceman-forward to Ajax and defenceman Jim Ulcar to the Brampton Capitals. Brampton in turn sent the rights of one of its players to Ajax.
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