PLAYOFFS 2002 NEWS

WAXERS SEASON OVER AFTER TOUGH 5-3 LOSS
Sunday night the Waxers got goals from Ben Cottreau (two) and Mark Menonte but the Buzzers came out on top to end the Waxer season prematurely. [recap]

WAXERS DO EVERYTHING BUT WIN
Saturday night the Waxers dominated the game in every respect but the scoreboard showed St. Mike's 4, Markham 3 when the final buzzer went. Jesse Boucher with a pair and Mark Menonte supplied the offense in a disappointing loss but one that should give the Waxers some momentum as they had the Buzzers playing on their heels for large stretches at a time. The puck drops in St. Mike's Sunday night at 7:00pm for game four. [recap]

WAXERS DOWN TWO HEADING INTO SATURDAY NIGHT'S REMATCH
Friday night the Buzzers defeated the Waxers 6-2 to take a 2-0 series lead. The Buzzers did a better job of cashing their chances as Markham's attack has yet to hit full stride this series. Kevin Cribari and Greg Peacock scored for the Waxers. Game three goes less than 24 hours later, Saturday night in Markham at 8:15pm. [recap]

BUZZERS TAKE OPENER
Sunday night's contest in Toronto opened the Waxer-Buzzer Conference Semi-Final series and St. Mike's recovered from a first period Waxer blitzkrieg to score a 6-2 victory. The opening period saw the Waxers execute well at both ends of the rink in a dominating frame and the Markham 1-0 lead at the intermission was more a reflection that favourable bounces/breaks were going to be especially hard to find this evening. Jesse Boucher redirected a goal mouth feed from Mark Menonte from the left boards as the Waxers' persistence finally paid off. The shots were recorded as 13-6 in favour of the Waxers who contained the Buzzers effectively and Waxer keeper Chris Lawrence wasn't severely tested. The first intermission was probably the last thing the Waxers needed as Markham somehow got out of sync the rest of the night. A lack of execution, a tendency to make the game more complicated than it needs to be resulted in the wheels falling off.  The Buzzers capitalized on enough of their opportunities (second period shots were 20-11 St. Mike's) and by the time the Waxers had hit paydirt again the scoreboard was lit up five straight times by the enemy camp. With a powerplay in the third, the Waxers pulled their keeper and with the manpower advantage Menonte blasted home a slapper from the high slot, making good on a feed from behind the net by Kevin Cribari. A late Buzzer goal capped the scoring for the evening. Clearly the Waxers are going to have to work for everything they get, nothing is going to be handed to them. There's every reason to expect the Waxers to hit the ice for game two (whenever that might be) with the appropriate intensity and cohesive team play that has become the trademark of Waxer successes. [recap]

WAXERS-BUZZERS TO OPEN ON SUNDAY
Game 1 of the second round will be played on Sunday, February 24 at 7:00 pm at St. Michael's Arena.  The rest of the series will be scheduled at that time and posted ASAP.

RANGERS VALIANT EFFORT FAILS TO "RE-WRITE HISTORY"
Friday night the Waxers faced off against the Rangers in the contest that would decide which club would see a premature end to their season after the Waxers dominating performance in North York that evened up the series at 3-3. Markham didn't exactly deliver a duplicate of the effort on Wednesday night but it was good enough to win and advance to the conference semi-finals against St. Mike's. The Waxers and Rangers were tied 1-1 apiece after two periods of hockey that lacked any real flow, partly due to penalty woes. With just over seven minutes left in the opening period Ben Cottreau wristed home a shot from a very bad angle that clanged home off the crossbar to give the home team the lead, Joey Grasso and Matt Neely with the helpers on the PP goal. The Rangers tied it up in the second period beating keeper B.J. Van Mierlo finally, after he'd turned away numerous scoring attempts until that point, good netminding is essential for success and Van Mierlo has proved to be a "real find". The third period saw the real Waxers show up for the first time this night and they thoroughly controlled the play the rest of the way. Forty seconds into the final period Cottreau scored the eventual game winner, his second of the night from Grasso and Neely, also a PP marker. Around the midway point the contest was iced away with Jason Duffy's goal from Cottreau and Grasso to make it 3-1. In the dying seconds of the contest Mark Menonte the puck from just outside of his blueline into the empty Ranger cage, Albert Ferrante with the lone assist. That third period effort was a fitting capper to a very  up and down series that saw the Waxers break out of their "slump" and was a valuable lesson for the next round. Markham transformed themselves from a group of individuals to a uniquely cohesive unit, many years later these young men will have memories to cherish as this "Band of Brothers" looks to pull off an upset over the heavily favoured Buzzers. [recap]

WAXERS FORCE SERIES DECIDER IN MARKHAM
Wednesday evening was an eventful one at North York Centennial as the Waxers shutout the hometown Rangers 6-0 to even up the series at 3-3. Jesse Boucher slapped home the first goal of the night from Kevin Cribari and Matt Neely on a PP with just over a minute remaining in the opening frame to set the wheels in motion. Just over a minute later Mark Menonte won a draw deep in Ranger territory and Boucher whacked home his second of the night for a 2-0 lead, Neely drew the other helper. The Waxers would add one more around the eight-minute mark when Cribari knocked in a rebound (on a PP) from Boucher and Menonte to make it 3-0. The second period saw the clubs take to the ice with no flood as zamboni troubles arose. After the second the problems persisted and finally around 45 minutes after the close of the period the machine sprang to life and the ice was resurfaced for the final period. A minute into the final period Cribari wristed home his second of the night, Ben Cottreau and B.J. Van Mierlo with the assists. Steve Nobili's shorthanded marker at the five-minute mark from Joey Grasso and Michael Diamond accounted for the fifth goal. The scoring was completed when Pat Porretta slapped home a bullet from the face-off dot (Cribari with the assist) with just six seconds remaining, the third Waxer PP goal. Despite the 3 Waxer powerplay goals they found themselves playing a man or two short for much of the night but excellent PK and solid netminding from Van Mierlo earned then a well deserved shutout. Game seven goes in Markham as history repeats itself (see 1999-2000 Waxer-Ranger playoffs) with the faceoff set for 8:00pm. [recap]

WAXERS COMEBACK FLURRY COMES UP SHORT
Friday night the Waxers found themselves in a deep hole trailing at one point 5-2 before they closed the gap to 5-4. A nail-biter to the end the Waxers came as close to equalizing as they could without actually depositing the puck in the net, an empty net goal with a few seconds left finished out the scoring. Wednesday night the Waxers head to North York, bringing back memories of  the same two clubs in a series exactly two years ago that saw the Waxers in the exact same spot, trailing 3-2 before they turned it around with back-to-back wins in North York and then at home. [recap]

SECOND PERIOD CHARGE CARRIES THE WAXERS OVER THE RANGERS
The Waxers powered by the Rangers 5-1 Friday night to even the series at 2-2. The outcome was never really in doubt, the Waxers' pressure wore out the Ranger defenders. The score remained close until Markham exploded for four goals in the middle period and put the contest out of reach. The clubs go at it again tomorrow night (Sat.) at 8:15 in Markham for game five. [recap]

WAXER ATTACK LACKS FINISH IN DISAPPOINTING LOSS TO THE RANGERS
Markham and North York met for game three Wednesday night and the Rangers skated to a 3-1  victory as Steve Nobili scored the lone Waxer goal in the loss which tilts the series to the Rangers advantage at 2-1.  The Waxers will be looking to regain their intensity and high-powered attack that more often than not had their opponents reeling from an offensive blitzkrieg that was powered by not only skill but a will to succeed. The series resumes after a one-day break at Markham Centennial Friday night at 8:00pm. [recap]

SERIES TIED 1-1 AFTER RANGERS WIN AT HOME
The Waxers and Rangers are now tied at 1-1 in their best of seven series after the Rangers defeated the Waxers by a 3-2 score in game two.  Ben Cottreau opened the scoring for the Waxers in the first for a 1-0 lead, and Mark Menonte tied the game 2-2 briefly in the second period before the Rangers scored the game winner in the same period.  Markham outshot North York 15-1 in the third but it was too little too late and they were stonewalled by the Rangers tender. [recap]

MARKHAM DRAWS FIRST BLOOD AS SECOND SEASON GETS UNDERWAY
The Waxers took a 1-0 lead in their first round playoff series with the North York Rangers behind a 3-1 victory Friday night.  North York scored the first goal of the game and Markham bounced back with a goal in each period for the win.  Mark Menonte, Pat Porretta and Jesse Boucher had the goals while BJ Van Mierlo stopped 33 shots in net for the Waxers. [recap]

WAXERS TO FACE RANGERS IN OPENING ROUND
In a rematch of a Round 1 playoff series of 1999-2000, the Markham Waxers will square off against the North York Rangers when this season's playoffs begin next week.  The schedule has now been finalized and the series opens Friday, February 8 in Markham. [PLAYOFF SCHEDULE]

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