The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Celtics‘ forward Nathan Steffier makes a move on the short side of Waterdown goalie Matt Paton. on‘t blame St David Dteltics' head coach Dave Beaton if he‘s become a bit of a locksmith this season as he searches for the right combination of players to unlock his hockey team‘s early season potential. With 15 players not returnâ€" ing from last year‘s WCSSAA finalist squad, it‘s taken a bit of turning the tumblers to figure out where the 13 new bodies fit into the lineup. Some would say the experiâ€" menting has been successful so far as the Waterloo side enjoys a 3â€"0 record in league play, including a win against the defending playoff champions tting the puck in the net has Ix«,ome a struggle again for the Siskins as the Waterloo club managed to salvage only two points in three weekend games with a 2â€"1 win over Guelph Sunday night. The Siskins are six games into a scoring slump that has left them sevâ€" enth in goals scored in the 10â€"team Midâ€"Western Junior B league. That slump continued Friday night as the Siskins dropped a 2â€"0 decision to the Elmira Sugar Kings. The Siskins scored three times against Kitchener Saturday night. but still came up short in a 4â€"3 deciâ€" sion. The Siskins goalâ€"scoring strugâ€" gles looked like they were going to Siskins salvage two points Celtics on the march By Bos VRBanac By Bos VrBANAC "I‘m hopeful for the year, but we haven‘t played very well up to this point," he said. "We have to start playing all the time to win this year." The Celtics showed some of that inconsistency last week as they took part in the first annuâ€" al McKerlie Classic high school hockey tournament played in and around Waterloo. The Celtics opened the tournament, named after Ray McKerfie, a longtime coach at Grand River who passed away from cancer in September, with a 1â€"0 loss against the Waterlooâ€"Oxford Crusaders. But they bounced back to But Beaton said they haven‘t played up to their potential yet, especially in tournament play. from Grand River. catch up with them again Sunday against Guelph in their last home game before the Christmas break.. The Siskins‘ Chris Drexier got the homeside on the board early in the second on the powerâ€"play, before Colin Kropf scored the eventual game winner at 18:07 of the middle _ The Dominators led 1â€"0 at the end of the first, despite the Siskins outâ€"shooting the Royal City side 17â€" Even an empty net couldn‘t help the Siskins shake their scoring drought as they outshot the Dominators 35â€"23. In fact, if not for two spectacular saves by backup goalie Craig Lizun, including one with nine seconds left to play, the black and gold could have dropped another point. The Spartans edged the Celtics 4â€"3 in a game that came down to the wire. The Celtics edged the Vikings 1â€"0 on the strength of a the Dunbarton Spartans in the Beaton felt the Celtics finally showed the flashes of skill and speed in the tournament that was missing from last year‘s rock‘em and sock‘em crew. "There is more speed and skill throughout the lineup, and we don‘t have to rely on that type of play to be successful.," said Beaton, looking forward to a return to the WCSSAA finals. beat Waterdown, and made the playoff round where they faced the WCI Vikings in the semnifiâ€" Dave Munroe goal, and faced SPORTS Beaupre said the team has to fight the letdown that usually comes before Christmas when they face Elmira and Stratford this week. "He‘s played outstanding for us when he has played," said Beaupre about the local minor hockey grad. "Last year I had trouble bringing the win home for the team," said Lizun. "This years been different. I‘ve just got to keep making the key "We‘re just not putting it away at the opportune time," said assistant coach Chad Beaupre, who took over behind the bench while head man Jerry Harrigan stewed in the press box. "We just have to work harder." One person who hasn‘t let the team down this year is 16â€"yearâ€"old Lizun who has compiled a 5â€"1 record as Ryan Baksh‘s backup. The Vikings finally got on the right side of the ledger against _ Eastwood _ last Thursday, but even the runâ€" ning Rebels gave the Waterloo squad a hard time before WCI won it from the freeâ€"throw line late in the contest. Head coach Steve Maloney was still at a loss to explain what was going on with his usually fundamentally strong squad who continued to make uncharacteristic mistakes on the road against Eastwood. "We‘re struggling," said Maloney. "I don‘t know what we‘re doing. â€" How else do you explain the rough treatment the defending WCSSAA playoff champions have received in the early going of the 2000â€" 2001 league schedule. Glenview Park crowned the Vikings by 20 points to start the season, while crossâ€" town rivals Bluevale beat them by four in an overtime "We‘re still struggling to find that chemistry that was there last year, and helped us e Waterloo Vikings are I continuing to find out that when you‘re the king of the castle a lot of other teams think of you as the dirty Defending champs continue to struggle IROMYIGE By Bos VrBanac Chronicle Staff The Siskins‘ Jeff MacDermid and Matt Schnarr try to shake Guelph‘s Jason Blinkhomn pull it together in the final to win it." With a cast of veterans, including Scott Norster, Ryan Brooks, Ryan Roeder and Matt Kieswetter, Maloney said his club has to turn it around in a hurry if the Vikings even want The Vikings‘ Scott Norster pulls in a rebound against the Rebels. The Uiscover$ Never Euds 181 King St. S., Waterloo He‘s hoping a tournament in San Diego over the Christmas break gives the team the wake up call they need. "We‘ve got to step up, and I need my best players to take charge," said Maloney. to make the playoffs. BEER STORE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Monâ€"Fri 10â€"8; Sat 9â€"6; Sun 11â€"6