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Members of the Waterloo Y gathered on Monday to receive plaques and teeâ€"shirts celebrating the total number of miles they have run. Starting with the bottom row (from the left) are: Doug Wolfe, John Hemphill. Howie Bast, Bill Manning., and Scott Moss. In the second row are Rich Hobson, Bill Hiebert, Gerry Dickson, Tom Briggs. Jerry Knorr, Jim Van Evra and Horace Bralen. Alex Whorwood, Bob Lazenby, Jack Reid, Frank Hess, Peter Mostert and Ross MacLean. Top mileage was 3,829. Jack Reid received a special plaque for running 50 miles at once on Oct. 7. Brill did not hedge when explaining the shocking move, and I term it shocking because for the most part this year Siskins have played fine, entertaining hockey. ( In case you haven‘t heard, last Monday Waterioo Siskin general manager Peter Brill dismissed coach George Knisley despite the fact that Siskins were tied for first place with Stratford Cullitons in the Midwestern Ontario Junior B. He simply stated that Siskins weren‘t playing up to their potential in the past few weeks, that they were capable of playing much better, and that he felt they should be playing better. Hence, goodbye Mr. Knisley. And enter Mr. Brill, coach and general manager. Without attempting to delve into the internal workings of the Siskin organization, I must admit at first I highly questioned the move. After all, Knisley had a proven track record with the team over the past two years. Last year was a prime example. â€" â€" O _ It involves two men, a hockey team, and a very delicate situation. Siskins, behind in conditioning, got off to a slow start in the Waterlooâ€"Wellington Junior B. But they improved as the season advanced and Knisley brought them to a peak in the playoffs where they lost out in the finals to the awesome Stratford Culâ€" litons, the eventual provincial champions. This year was somewhat different. Siskins started the year like they were shot out of a cannon, knockâ€" ing off the Cullitons in the first week and grabbing hold of first place well into the season. But as the year has progressed, so have the talâ€" ents of Siskins opposition. A case in point is the Hespeler Shamrocks who had an atrocious start but who have come on like wildfire in recent weeks to close the gap on Stratford and Waterloo. Cullitons have developed into another wellâ€"oiled machine, and Elmira has shown flickers of hope. As Brill himself said Sunday night, "the league is tightening up." . Because of this fact, Siskins have enjoyed only moderate success in recent weeks, and although on the surface Knisley never seemed alarmed, I guess Brill was. f He had to be, to make the move he did. "It wasn‘t totallyâ€"unexpected," said Knisley as a spectator at the Stratfordâ€"Siskin game Saturday This is not going to be an easy column to write. Y JOGGERS "It‘s an uncomfortable feeling,"‘ responded Knisley to a question about his status as a fan rather than a coach. "I came to the game with mixed emotions, but once I got here I found myself cheering for Watâ€" erloo. Knisley might not be a fan for very long, because as he inferred at his dismissal time there‘s always room in the game for a good hockey man. _ _ _ _ night. ‘"Let‘s face it, Pete is at one end of the specâ€" trum and I‘m at the other."‘ ‘ ‘"Let‘s just say I‘ve had a couple of feelers," Knisley hinted Saturday. "I might wait until next season but I‘ll be back. "A couple of guys in Kitchener want me to help with their minor hockey teams. I‘ll have to see... ‘*You can bet I won‘t take anything stupid though."‘ That‘s fine for Knisley. Now what about Brill? For a man with no coaching experience, Pete is stepping into a very delicate situation. Under Knisâ€" ley Siskins won 16 and tied five of 23 games. Not a bad record, not bad at all. > ‘"You just can‘t forget the guys you‘ve worked with the whole year."‘ â€" â€" Yet Brill was quoted as saying that he thought the Siskins should be six points up on Stratford. Which translates into about a 22 â€" 1 record. Oh. Well, as they say, Brill has made his bed. Now he has to lie in it. And I for one think he‘s doing an admirable job. ‘"‘The first couple of practices were mindâ€"boggling. It was the first. time I‘ve been on skates since my playing days in the early ‘60‘s," said Brill. "But my assistant Chuck Niessen has really helped." ‘"I‘m enjoying coaching, I just try not to make any mistakes,"" said the new boss. ‘"There‘s a lack of conditioning now, but I hope to see a completely different hockey team in two or three weeks."‘ It showed in the first period Saturday when Sisâ€" kins were all over Stratford in the battle for first place. Granted Siskins sagged for a while later, as they did against Elmira Sunday, but most imporâ€" tantly they showed they want to play for Brill as much as for Knisley. As far as I can see, it should only take those same two or three weeks for Waterloo fans to decide whethâ€" er Peter Brill made his biggest mistake before he ever stepped behind the bench. Just seeing Knisley jump up and down in his seat Saturday made one ever aware of the geniune inâ€" terest he had in the Siskins as players and young men. Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday, December 21, 1977 â€" Page 11