..FROM THE DESK OF MIKE HAYAKAWA..
JANUARY 21, 2002
With back-to-back Provincial Junior A Hockey League contests against the
Pickering Panthers last weekend, the Markham Waxers wanted to make a
statement.
Not only did the Waxers set out to win both outings in an effort to gain
momentum with the regular season winding down.
But with the postseason looming around the corner and a mere five points
separating the fourth-through eighth-place clubs in the south conference,
the third-place Waxers could see the Panthers as a possible first-round
playoff foe.
Based on what transpired on the weekend, the Waxers might want to face the
Panthers in the first round as they prevailed in both outings which included
a 7-4 verdict at Centennial Arena on Friday and 9-4 at the Pickering
Recreation Complex on Sunday.
The two wins improved the Waxers¹ record to 23-17-4-1.
³We said going into (Sunday¹s game) that not only are Pickering a potential
first-round opponent, but they could threaten our own position in the
standings,² cited Waxers¹ head coach Russ Herrington upon conclusion of
Sunday¹s outing. ³We talked about an eight-point weekend and we¹ve still got
North York and Vaughan to play on the road and they could also be
first-round opponents.
³The teams ahead of us (in the standings) have to know we¹re playing good
hockey and we¹re trying to send a message to teams that are below us as
well.²
In Sunday¹s outing, the Waxers broke a 4-4 tie through 40 minutes with five
unanswered goals in the third period.
Ryan Steane delivered the hat trick for the Waxers. Included in his efforts
were two power-play goals, one of which was the game-tying goal with 26
seconds remaining in the second period. Jesse Boucher added two goals while
singles went to Derek Doucette, Travis O¹Rourke, Joey Grasso and Ben
Cottreau.
Herrington was extremely happy with Stean¹s effort and was quick to point
out he picked up the slack when several regulars were forced out of the
lineup due to injuries. Among those included Pat Poretta (stiff neck), Jason
Young (flu), Steve Nobili (minor concussion) and Mark Menonte (foot caught
in a rut) each suffered first-period injuries and were kept out of the game
for precautionary measures after the first period.
³Ryan¹s had his chances (to score) and he¹s played well. Considering what
he¹s come back from (a serious neck injury he incurred in August, 2000 and
missed the entire 2000-2001 season), he needed to step things up and he did
it,² said Herrington. ³I just told him to Ogo to the net and you¹ll score.¹
Sure enough he did and that was nice to see. He¹s a big part of the team.²
Herrington said the effort put fourth by Steane and several other lesser
lights has been critical in the club¹s recent success.
³If we want to play hockey in the spring the other guys have to step up. We
feel the depth of our team is our strength and the recent wins have shown
that we¹ve got goals from some of the so-called lesser lights.²
While happy with the two wins, Herrington admits he¹s still concerned with
the goals against aspect.
On Sunday, Kevin Sit started the game in goal but was pulled after the
Panthers scored their fourth goal late in the second period in favour of
Chris Lawrence, who provided shutout netminding the rest of the way.
While Herrington didn¹t put the finger on Sit¹s effort, he pointed out a
large part of his club¹s defensive woes lies in some careless play with the
puck in their own zone.
³Turnovers at the blue line have cost us. On Friday it cost us two goals and
(Sunday) it cost us a couple of times.²
On the subject of goaltending, the Waxers made their final move with one
card that they had remaining when they signed B.J. VanMierlo. The
20-year-old North Bay native played this past season with Antingonish of the
Maritime Junior Hockey League and was dealt to Campbellton, N.B. at the
trade deadline. However, Campbellton had a goalkeeper come back from the
Quebec Junior Hockey League which in turn made VanMierlo expendable. Last
season, VanMierlo played with Summerside, P.E.I.
With VanMierlo on the roster, Waxers¹ general manager Larry Herrington said
he will keep three goalkeepers for the remainder of the season.
In Friday¹s win, Kevin Cribari and Menote each scored twice while Boucher,
Nobili and Cottreau added singles.
The Waxers resume league play Friday when they host the Ajax Axemen at 8
p.m. On Jan. 28, the Waxers take to the road for a game against the Vaughan
Vipers at 7:15 p.m.

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