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ByScott MacDonald CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR FOR Billy McMillian as new faces abound on the ice for his hockey Panthers. McMillian, in his sixth season as head coach, had a busy off season, recruiting nine new players to join a fairly youthful hockey squad. The addition of these individuals coupled with a strong veteran nucleus assures hockey fans that the P’s will do much better than last year’s 5-7-4 season, which ended with a loss to UNB in the first round of the playoffs. With all of the new bodies on the roster, expect the team to take sometime to gel. They'll bea much better team once everyone has acclimated themselves with their new teammates.

Last season’s MVP captain K.J. White isback for his fourth year onthe right wing, and will look to continue on the pace which made him last season’s top point getter. Fellow linemate, the hard hitting John Nelson has been named assistant captain, and the 5°11", 205Ib center has been chalking up the points early this season, highlighted by a 6 point outing (3 goals, 3 assists) against Moncton last week. Another offensive standout has been Newfoundlander Cory Power, who had a hat trick against Acadia two weeks ago, and an- other in an exhibition game against Moncton. Power ( and John Crawford) will miss time because ofa two game suspension after picking up gross misconducts in last Sunday’s win over Moncton.

Left winger Jim Somnez is another big body on the frontline who can blast away from the slot orcrunch bodies on the boards. Somnez and Nelson spent their summer together coach- ing a team of local allstar hockey talent, doing very well in a tournament in Toronto. On the opposite side of the ice, right winger Ronnie Clough lends veteran leadership tothe younger members of the team.

Two Newfoundlanders head up the blueline corps, as Brian Grouchy returns for his sophomore season, as does Greg Webber. Grouchy is a talented stocky BA student who played with the Windsor Cataracts Sr. team in NFLD, while Webber did time with the Junior Celtics of St. John’s. Grouchy is a physical Player who is not afraid of picking up a penalty for the team.

The most highly touted of the first year

UPEI Hockey tear Overview

players is 5’8", 190 Ib centerman Mike Harding, whois the all-time leading scorer for Ontario’s Peterborough Petes. He scored 361 points in 3 1/2 years with the Petes, and added 86 points last year in 55 games with the Junior Red Wings of the OHL. Tyler Ertel has con- siderable experience with pro camps, having been drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1990, and attending camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ertel played last year in the EKHL, and also played a half season for the University of Waterloo.

Brett Kowan and Clarke Trolley were teammates last year, playing Junior B withthe Oshawa Legionnaires. Kowan is one of sev-

eral new defenceman on the team, and he’ll use his 6 foot 185 Ib frame to patrol the blueline this year. Trolley isa left winger who has seen some playing time so far this season. Daryl Lavoie, who scored 39 points for the Windsor Spitfires last year, has come in and made his presence known scoring in the P’s 10-5 victory over Mount A. Dave Lemay, possibly the most talented of all the new blueliners, has lost his appeal with the CIAU board and has been deemed ineligible to play this season. Lemay must sit out this season and will be ready to play for the 1995-96 campaign. Defenseman Marty Kelly of Charlottetown has yet to see action this season as a result of a suspension he earned last season while playing for the Abbies. Kelly is lauded for his puck clearing skills.

At goalie, Monte Emery joins holdovers Kevin MacDougall and Troy Barr between the pipes. Emery shone in the Moncton game, allowing only one goal. MacDougall has quick reflexes, and loves to make the spectactular save. :

The Panthers started off the year slowly, losing 10-2 to Dalhousie, in a game where they took several needless penalties, playing the majority of the game on the wrong end of the power play. Next they played a solid game at Acadia, before dropping a 7-4 loss. They then headed home for two games; exploding for 19 goals in a two game set against Mount Allison and Moncton. The Panthers played this past weekend at home against UCCB and St. FX.

***Women’s soccer AUAAs have the top four conference teams playing at the home field of the first place club on the weekend of November 4th-6th.

*+**The Men’s hockey team plays in Halifax at SMU on Saturday Nov Sth.

***Women’s volleyball plays a pair

Upcoming Games

of matches at Moncton on Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th.

***Men’s basketball plays a pair of exhibition games with American rivala U. Maine Machias on Satur- day the 5th at 7:00 PM, and on Sunday the 6th at 1:00 PM.

*+** Congrats to the womens field hockey team as they picked up their first two goals of the year in a 2-2 tie with the league leading UNB Varsity Reds on the weekend. Ironically, UPEI was the first team to score against UNB all season. Scoring for the Panthers were Jennifer Lea and player of the game, Angela Cormier.

***The mens basketball team were named cham- pions of the UNB Fall Classic tournament last weekend, beating Bishop’s 81-59 in the ‘cham- pionship’ final. The win was a excellent way for the team (picked to finish seventh in a local coaches poll) tobegin their year. Curtis Robinson dominated witha 33 point 17 rebound effort, and Greg Lucas hada 10 rebound night offthe bench. Fifth year guard Craig Walker suffereda sprained ankle in Sunday’s game against Bishop’s, which may hamper his high flying style heading into this past weekend’s tournament at Queen’s.

+#**Joe Ryan had better hope that the injury bug doesn’t strike his women’s volleyball squad this season, as he only has nine players on the roster. With only three subs, expect plenty of playing time for everyone this year. The team is very young, the only player with more experience than two years is fourth year setter J anice Burns. Ryan landed 5’11 middle Nanci Forgeron, of Cape Breton’s Riverview high school, who was one of the top recruits in the Maritimes this past offseason. He also recruited 5’10 power Rachel Larivee of Colonel Gray. They'll help out last year’s Panther rookie of the year 6’0 middle Tish Rose.

HEY KRAMER:

We didn't realize that you

wrote sports. Maybe we

should get you to replace Scott!

Prepare yourselves! The World Champion- ships of Ping Pong are coming to UPEI on Friday November 4th at 1:30. Well, not really, but it is open to the students of UPEI in five talent levels, so the veteran table tennis freak can have as much fun as the inexperi- enced novice. Categories are: women, open, beginner, doubles (M/W/COED), and of course, the varsity division. The varsity divi- sion will witness such luminaries as basket- ball’s Curtis ‘‘big money’’ Robinson squar-

ing off against all challengers, including soc- cer’s David ‘‘bet the ranch on me”’ Thomson.

Prizes will be provided by Labatt’s. Registra- tion deadline is November 3rd at noon at the front desk of the Fieldhouse. For info call Ron Annear, or the always colourful Dave ‘**“ROOP”’ Rupert, who just loves to talk up a storm.

If you love hockey but can’t afford equipment, or just can’t skate, try indoor ball hockey. This league will run on Thursday nights from 8-11, on a trial basis for first semester. Ifdeemed successful by Intramural commissioner, the highly respected Ron ‘*Bettman’’ Annear, it'll run fulltime second semester. There is a $30.00 team fee, or a low $4.00 individual signup cost. There will only be 6 teams in the league so get your entries in right away. Call Ron at 566-0715 for more info.

Squash house league begins on No- vember 7th, and they are using a ladder format. The court time for the house league will beon Monday and Tuesday evenings, and runs until December 7th. Call Ron or Tom Carlaw for info, or simply register at the Sports Centre’s front desk. By the way, there will be prizes.

[November |B 994