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Majors Edge Gens
October 12, 2003
Story by: Armando D'Andrea
TORONTO - Coming into Sunday's game against
Oshawa, having lost their last three, the
Majors did what struggling teams are supposed
to do. They looked to their captain to show
them the way.
And Majors captain Tim Brent did just
that, scoring two goals including the winner
with two minutes left in the game, to lead
his team to a sorely needed 3-2 win over
the Generals Sunday afternoon. Keeping true
to their renewed commitment to team defence
the Majors killed off six penalties and
refused to fold despite having Oshawa come
back to tie the game up twice.
Head coach Dave Cameron was pleased with
the result and gave credit to his captain
and his inspiring performance.
"I though this was a big win. We've
been struggling a bit lately and this was
one of our better games in a while. Tim
had a great game today. He was our go to
guy last year and it's the same thing this
year. How we go all depends on how he's
going."
The game was marked by some chippy play
at both ends. Two vicious hits were laid
out by Oshawa forward and Phoenix Coyote
pick Ben Eager, who, in the eyes of many
irate fans, was a bit liberal with his elbow
in knocking Majors forward Darryl Boyce
out for the game.
Brent, who himself was crashing into every
white shirt in front of the Generals goal
most of the afternoon, said that the Majors
weren't put off by those antics.
"We're not the biggest team in the
league, but nobody is running us out of
our own rink", said the Anaheim Mighty
Ducks draft pick. "We know how to take
care of ourselves fine."
Aside from Brent's individual performance
the entire team did indeed take care of
itself. Along with suffocating the Generals
powerplay St. Mike's allowed a meagre 21
shots on net, none of which were particularly
difficult, with goalie Justin Peters putting
in a quiet day at the office.
"This was a huge character win for
us," said the seventeen year old goalie,
now the number one netminder in place of
the departed Penguins pick Andy Chiodo.
"We needed this to get back on track.
Defence is a big part of our game, and it's
always great when we put in this kind of
effort."
St. Mike's drew first blood midway through
the first when Nathan McIver and Brent roared
in on Generals goalie Ryan Gibb. Brent tried
to slide it across the crease and banked
it off the goalie's pads, making it 1-0
St. Mike's. Oshawa tied it in the second
with Justin Donati replying for the visitors,
but minutes after that the Majors' Greg
Foster pounced on a loose puck in the slot
and buried a wrist shot past Gibb to pull
St. Mike's ahead again.
Tampa Bay Lightning Pick Paul Ranger tied
it for the Generals in the third after taking
a sharp pass from Donati, but with two minutes
remaining in the game Brent took the puck
off a faceoff deep in the Generals end,
skated into the high slot and blasted a
shot behind a screened Gibb to ice the win.
Testament to the faith the team puts in
its captain, Brent stayed on the ice the
rest of the game to preserve the victory.
"Any good player knows how to play
under pressure," said the team's leading
scorer of his responsibilities as the on-ice
general. "We know we get looked at
when we're losing, but there's a sense of
pride when we're winning. We just have to
keep it up".
The win improves St. Mikes' to 3-6-0-0
record on the season, while the Generals
drop below .500 at 4-5-0-1. The Majors next
play another GTA rival in the Brampton Battalion
on Thanksgiving Day at 2:00 p.m.
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