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WAXERS LEARN FROM
HOME-OPENING LOSS But considering that the Provincial Junior A Hockey League regular season is still in its embryonic stages, a loss can sometimes turn out to be a positive factor. Taking to the Centennial Arena ice on Friday for its home debut against the Wexford Raiders, the Waxers got off to a slow start and paid for it in the end with a 5-4 loss. The lesson learned from that game appeared to pay off for the Waxers on Sunday as they defeated the Kingston Voyageurs 4-3 as part of the league's annual college weekend tournament, held this year in Mississauga. "I wasn't overly happy with the way we played on Friday," acknowledged Herrington of the club's weekend effort. "The one single reason was that the guys didn't come out to play in the first period and that cost us. Wexford's got a good team and they played for 60 minutes and that's why they won." "Yesterday (Sunday) we played for the entire 60 minutes and we came out on top. I was happy with that. I hope it's a lesson well learned." In Friday's game, the Waxers trailed 2-0 in the first period before Lawne Snyder cut the deficit with 27 seconds left in the frame. Both clubs exchanged a pair of goals in the second period and one each in the third. Jimmy Ball, Jim Ulcar and Kevin Tompkins added singles for the Waxers. Markham native Mark Johnson scored one goal and earned an assist for the Raiders. Not one to make excuses, Herrington did not want to say that playing a hard-fought game the night before in Huntsville might have taken its toll on the club. Nor would he say that the home opener would give his youthful players some jitters.
What Herrington felt hurt his club against the Raiders was a lack of mental preparation. "The body might be ready but the brain might not be. I don't think the guys took advantage of the warmup for that." On Sunday, the Waxers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on power-play goals from Andrew Robillard and Tompkins. Both clubs exchanged a pair of goals in the second and the Voyageurs added one in the third but could get no closer. Tompkins added his second of the game and Chris Bahen rounded out the scoring. In assessing Sunday's triumph, Herrington praised his penalty-killing unit, which staved off 12 shorthanded opportunities while surrendering no extra-strength markers.
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