..FROM THE DESK OF MIKE HAYAKAWA..
JANUARY 29, 2002
If the Markham Waxers had their way, they would know by now who their
upcoming first-round opponent will be when the Provincial Junior A Hockey
League begins postseason action late next week.
However, with five teams battling it out in the leagueıs south conference to
determine who finishes fourth through eighth, a mystery still surrounds the
third-place Waxers as to who they will face off against when the leagueıs
second season commences.
While the Waxers canıt have their cake and eat it too, head coach Russ
Herrington says his charges must take care of their own business first and
not worry about any potential opponents.
The Waxers did that on Monday and made a statement of sorts against a
potential first-round opponent when they edged the host Vaughan Vipers 6-4.
The victory ran the Waxersı undefeated streak to four games and was their
sixth win in their last seven outings.
Jesse Boucher and Derek Doucette, each with a power-play goal, keyed the
Waxersı victory. Pat Porretta and Ryan Steane added singles for the Waxers,
who improved their league record to 25-17-4-1.
³Itıs tough as a coach to prepare a club when you donıt know who you will be
facing,² Herrington said of the dilemma he faces as a coach in preparing for
the postseason. ³But we feel that with our team and our experience, the
majority of games that weıve played are decided by how we play and not the
opponent.
³Right now weıre fine tuning bits and pieces of our game.²
In Mondayıs outing, Herrington said there were facets of the game that still
need some adjusting and some areas that he saw improvement in.
In particular, he was impressed with the way his charges turned the momentum
of the game in the second period after they trailed 3-2 through 20 minutes
and turned it into a 5-4 advantage after two periods.
³I thought we made the game interesting on ourselves,² said Herrington.
³There were times when we werenıt focused on the game and we let them in the
game and when we did stay focused we were able to come back and dominate the
game. Thatıs a good sign.
³Over the last few games everything is getting a big better. Sure, weıve
made some mistakes, but thatıs a part of what goes on at this time of the
year. But weıre playing smarter and executing better.²
With nothing at stake for his club, Herrington also used the game to do a
little experimenting with his roster. Sitting out of the game for
precautionary medical reasons were: Jason Young, Steve Nobili and Mark
Menonte.
Herrington started Chris Lawrence in goal and replaced him near the halfway
point with newcomer B.J. VanMierlo, who went the distance in last Friday's
10-2 win over the Ajax Axemen.
While Van Mierlo allowed his first shot into the net, he was steady the rest
of the way and made a couple of key saves in the third period to help
preserve the win.
³He did a good job,² Herrington said of VanMierlo. ³It's tough to go in cold
halfway through the game and the only goal he allowed wasnıt his fault. But
he made some big saves when we needed them. He²s asserting himself.
³And Lawrence made some big saves when he was called upon,² Herrington
added.
At this juncture, Herrington refused to tip his hand as to which goalie will
carry the brunt of the load once the postseason begins.
Playing their final regular season home game tomorrow against the St.
Michael's Buzzers, the Waxers will honour six players who will be donning
the blue and white uniform in their final year of eligibility. Those include
Matt Neely, Joey Grasso, Nobili, Lawrence, VanMierlo and Boucher. Game time
is set for 8 p.m. On Sunday,the Waxers will conclude their regular season on
the road at North York at 2:30 p.m.
While the Waxers might not know who they will face as late as next
Wednesday, club general manager Larry Herrington said the club will
definitely use next Friday as one of their home playoff dates in the first
round at 8 p.m.

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