Game Reviews 
Game #21 --------
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July 8/98Whitby 10, St. Catharines 7 --------------------------- By Ben Knight -- Radio Free Cabbagetown Gavin Prout notched 3 goals and 3 assists, and the Whitby Warriors rode a 5-0 second period to a 10-7 win over the St. Catharines Athletics Tuesday night at the GearBox. Paul Sallie chipped in with 2 and 3, and Steve Voituk added a pair of goals. Sean Howe led the way for the Athletics with 2 goals and 3 assists. Whitby came out ahead 3-2 in a dull first period, then completely outhustled the A's, building an 8-2 lead after two. But St. Kitts came out flying in the third, and some excellent passing and incisive outside shooting, particularly by Pat Banning, cut the lead to 8-5. Whitby recovered, but were clinging to a precarious 9-7 lead when A.J. Shannon fired the clincher home into an open net. The A's hadn't actually pulled goalie Corey Quinn on the play, but the net was open because Paul Sallie had spirited the ball away from him in the side face-off circle. Funniest moment of the night came when an enraged Ryan "Rumbler" Harris of Whitby lunged at Quinn with a vicious two-fisted cross check -- which the St. Kitts keeper didn't even notice. Harris ended up with five minors on the night, all of them nasty and self-indulgent, and was granted early parole. Referees Gary Martin and Don Brockie struggled. Martin seemed particularly adept at missing two-handed slashes right in front of him. A good win for Whitby. I remain unconvinced that the A's can win a playoff series.
Game #13 --------
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June 16/98Braves squeak by St.Catharines ------------------------------ K-W 14, St.Catharines 13 Brett Ritchie and Aaron Wilson each scored three goals to propel the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves to a 14-13 victory over the visiting St. Catharines Athletics on Tuesday. The teams were tied after one period, but the Braves outscored the Athletics 6-2 in the second and hung on for the win. Braves captain Colin Doyle finished with a game-leading seven points, including the winning goal. Kelsey Orth fired two goals for the winners, while teammates, Brian Rooney, Phil Parsons, Josh Black and Trevor McLellan had one each. Sean Howe and Rob Taylor scored three apiece for St.Catharines. The win improves the Braves' record to 10 wins and four losses and snaps a two-game losing skid. The Braves play Sunday in Peterborough and host Burlington Tuesday.
Game #11 --------
June 11/98A's Slip, Slide, Surge to Win ----------------------------- St.Catharines 13, K-W 6 By Ben Knight, Radio Free Cabbagetown -- ON TOUR!! Mike Fishleigh fired four goals, and Chris Mackie added a hat trick, as the St. Catharines Athletics turned in one of their best efforts of the year, pulling away late to trounce the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves 13-6. The score had been tied 3-3 after one, and 6-6 after two, before the A's put together a stunning 7-0 whitewash in the third. As strong as they were, St. Catharines got more than a little help from a wet, slippery Burgoyne Arena floor. Twice in the final frame, in quick succession, K-W players were foiled on clean breakaways when they lost their footing and fell. Jamie Dubrick led the Braves with four goals in a losing effort. The onus in now on KitchWater to come up big in next week's rematch at the McCormick. They would have stood alone in first place had they won tonight's game. As it is, they remain tied with Whitby and Six Nations, and both those teams have games in hand. A great win for the Athletics.
Game #10 -------- June 9/98ATHLETICS GRAB ROAD WIN ----------------------- St. Catharines 12, Peterborough 9 by thistles forever At times it wasn't pretty, however St.Catharines still got the job done in Peterborough Sunday evening. They prevailed over the hometown Lakers 12-9 in a cleanly played, though sometimes sloppy game. The contest opened with the lead shifting back and forth. Gradually the Double Blues took control and won the first period 6-4. The second frame was wide open, with plenty of end to end action. Only great goaltending kept the score down. Corey Quinn was solid, despite allowing 3 goals. Between the Peterborough pipes black helmeted Jamie McIntyre replaced Paul Konkle. The rookie sub was outstanding. After last Wednesday's 7- shot 9 goal nightmare against Scott Komer, the last thing the St.Catharines shooters needed was another hot goalie. It took them 16 minutes to beat the Petes' freshman, their only marker of the period. The A's defence stepped it up in the final frame. They limited the Peterborough offence to virtually no scoring opportunities. A pair of Jamie Yale goals was all that the Lakers could muster. The visitors managed 5 and cruised to a 12-9 victory. The backbreaker came midway through the period. With the score 9-8 St.Catharines, Chris Mackie and Rob Taylor scored seconds apart to make the game safe. A credible job from referees McDonald and Spies. If a remember correctly, McDonald worked the 18-10 KW/Bram game a couple of weeks ago. 28 goals, yet the contest was still completed in under 2 hours. A sign of good officiating. Sunday's game also finished in less than 120 minutes. The only chaotic moments arose late in the second period. Corey Quinn set a pick for Lindsay Plunkett and the pair bumped hard. The St.Catharines netminder promptly dropped his gloves and the fight was on. Quinn used his size to end it with a WWF body slam. Clearly he has been attending Terry Preston's Reducing School. As that was going on, Tom Hajek left the bench, grabbed a Laker face mask, then rushed back to the bench without being caught. Predictably, there was another fight before the period ended. Those were the only incidents in a relatively tame affair. A failing grade for the Peterborough youngsters. They've got to be the worst frisbee tossers in the league! To make it easier, the Laker organisation stole Sarnia's baby pool. The kids still pitched a shutout.
Game #8 ------- June 3/98RETURN TO TED REEVE ------------------- by thistles forever After a four year absence, Toronto Beaches are back home. It's a new look Ted Reeve. The floor has been fixed up so it is no longer necessary to use orange balls. The glass around the boards is new and higher. That will prevent any penalty box brawls but is an added obstruction for spectators. Yes Ted Reeve still has the worst sight lines in lacrosse. In order to see the entire floor one must stand. Of course it has always been that way. What has changed is that the 30 second clocks are in the corner and invisible to fans on the south side. Take my advice, stand behind the player's benches. Another difference is the consession stand. It's gone and with it those $1.25 hot dogs. The whole dining area has vanished. It looks like the American barracks in Heidleberg after the Red Army Faction blew them up twenty-five years ago. The saddest difference is the crowd. Though a decent number of people attended the game, the carnival like atmosphere of past years is no more. That was what used to make a trip to Ted Reeve so unique. Perhaps, in time, the enthusiasm will return. For the Beaches, it was a tough night. Their first home loss of the season came courtesy of St.Catharines by a 17-10 score. The A's led 5-4 after one period, then extended their lead to 12-6 through two. It was another methodical victory for the Double Blues, however the much feared fast break of past St.Catharines teams is no where to be seen. Sean Howe was back in uniform and gave a strong performance. Yet the star of the night was Ryan Gray. Toronto has three good players: Gray, Scott Crombie and Scott Reiart. The trio work well on the power play. Overall, an interesting game, however both clubs still need to improve if they're going to meet their pre season goals.
Game #7 ------- May 28/98St.Catharines Crushes Sarnia ---------------------------- By Pierre "Joe Feta" Kountouris The Athletics shelled out a thrashing last nite to the hapless Pacers 25-6 in front of 300 fans at Bill Burgoyne Arena in St. Kitts. The goals for St. Catharines came fast and furious. There's really not much to say about this game as it was a rather tame affair that was very lopsided. Sarnia had a new coach on the bench as the team had fired their head coach the nite before. The Pacer players didn't seem to want to play at all last nite. The St. Catharines power play was 8 for 10, their man down scored at will as did the even strength. The true story of St. Catharines's might will be revealed next week(Wed June 3) when Jim Brady's Burlington Chiefs come into town. Now that should be a game. Till next week The Greek
Game #6 ------- May 24/98ST. CATHARINES Beats Brampton ------------------------------ by thistles forever Sunday evening St.Catharines defeated Brampton 21-7 in a well paced, cleanly played game. The Excelsiors played the Athletics even through the first period, however two Double Blue goals in the last minute gave St.Catharines a 7-4 lead. They added another pair in the opening minute of the second, then coasted home from there. Brampton's offence was active but their defence too passive. Their goaltenders both struggled as well. A goal using the hidden ball trick was the low point of the night. Of course the A's showed how it should be done: two players numbered 41 and 42, roughly the same size. A short time later, they had the cheek to try it again, using numbers 21 and 27, but without success. It was a workmanlike win for the Double Blues. Strong efforts were given by Mike Fishleigh, Rob Taylor, Todd Luey and the ever reliable Andy Turner. New man Kevin Fildes also impressed. St.Catharines were without Sean Howe(hamstring injury) and could be minus their star for up to two weeks. For the lamentable Excelsiors, their difficulties continue. With Lipinski, Robinson, Francey and MacDonald the offensive talent is there, however defensive intensity is sadly lacking. What Coach Webster needs is a sixty minute effort. Eighth place is still available but the Brampton players must come up with a quick attitude change.
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