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Waterloo Wolves earn trip to Air Canada Cup finals Wrestling diva Trish Stratus holds a bouquet of flowers from a fan, Saturday in Kitchener. elieve it or not, one of Bthe highlights of wrestling diva Trish Stratus‘ high school career was dissecting various specâ€" imens in her advanced biolâ€" ogy class. "I was a total tomboy growing up," said the 27â€" yearâ€"old Toronto native, who was in Kitchener Saturâ€" day morning to promote an e Waterloo Wolf Pack l was howling again on the weekend when the Midget Triple "A" hockey team became the first local team to ever qualify for the Air Canada Cup finals. The Midget Wolves were only a team on paper last August when it was decided to relaunch the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association‘s flagship _ Worms, bugs, eyeballs â€" nothing was too gross for her. _ Called "Wolf Pack a New Beginning," it sounded more like a nature movie than a colâ€" lection of local hockey players looking to do big things. And the expectations were modest to start the season, with head coach Randy Harâ€" bach expecting a .500 season from a team made up of Showing some ‘Stratusfaction By Anprea Bamey Chronicle Staff By Bos Vesanac. That passion led Stratus to the biology and kinesioloâ€" gy programs at York Univerâ€" sity in Toronto, and the dream to one day have the title of ‘Doctor‘ accompany her name. But fate had other plans. After a strike hit the uniâ€" versity in 1997, Stratus was left questioning her future. upcoming wrestling show. "I was even nerdy in that I was so exploratory. But there must have been some magic in that mixture as the Wolves started to nip at the ankles of their major competiâ€" "We used to have a ravine behind our house and I used to go down and collect bugs. Iloved it." "They have good chemâ€" istry," said Harbach. "I‘ve never coached a team where the kids get along so well. By Christmas, the team had won a couple of major tournaâ€" ments and were close in some ers like Ottawa and Missis __ "They bought into the sys tem and they‘re just a hard working group of kids." That momentum carried them into the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario Champiâ€" onships where they beat Camâ€" That earned them a berth in last week‘s Air Canada Central While working as a receptionist at a local gym, Stratus was offered a chance to try her hand at fitness modelling through a publiâ€" cation called Muscle Mag International. With her academic future still uncertain, the timing couldn‘t have been better. "I‘d been approached before about modelling by (organizations) like Miss Teen Canada," she said. "But back then I didn‘t think Continued on page 27 Then one day, opportuâ€" nity knocked. _ teams like the Sudbury Nickel Capitals and Gloucester. Harbach thought the team should have been at least 5â€"1. "We lost two games that I thought we could have won," That put them behind the eightâ€"ball heading into the playoffs facing the top ranked Mississauga Rebels from the Greater Toronto Hockey (Ontario) Regional Champiâ€" onships in Arnprior, Ont., where they once again faced the province‘s best teams. "We sat down as a coaching staff a put a plan together and the kids bought into it," said Harbach. "And we did it to perâ€" fecton" They finished the roundâ€" robin with a disappointing 3â€"3 record despite outplaying The Wolves bounced back SPORTS The Wolves‘® hunt for the title culminated with a 3â€"2 win aver the Sudbury Nickel Capiâ€" tals. Rob Hanson scored twice for the Wolves while T.J. Parkes ::, . (!;..:-.}e"s y w 5e SOCELT Unmmameee e " ... The Waterloo Midget Woives beat Sudbury to earn the city‘s first berth to the Air Canada Cup April 21. from an eartier 5â€"1 defeat to _ had a goal and two assists That _ Ste. Marie starting April 21. The win 7â€"5. game can be seen on Rogers _ finals of that tournament will The Wolves® hunt for the _ Cable 20 this Saturday at 2 pm. _ be shown on TSN and Harbach title culminated with a 3â€"2 win The win and its impact still _ said his team wants to be there. ven an ice storm couldn‘t Em the enthusiasm that rganizers, players and the public showed as the Canadian Ringette Champiâ€" onships wrapped up play Satâ€" urday in Waterloo. "The success of the tournaâ€" ment went well beyond our wildest dreams," said tournaâ€" ment coâ€"chair Ed Goddard. "It went so smoothly despite the weather, and we got such a great response from the comâ€" munity that it went beyond our expectations." When inclement weather HRONICLE | An Alberta skater flips a pass between two Ontario players during the Open finals Saturday. By Bos Vrranac day, tournament organizers _ the Waterloo Memorial Recreâ€" Chronicle Staff were worried that some games _ ation Complex, more than would have to be rescheduled. _ 1,000 fans were coming out to ven an ice storm couldn‘t Instead, Goddard‘s said the _ the games. Em the enthusiasm that _ community‘s canâ€"do attitude The tournament titles were rganizers, players and _ shone through as volunteers _ won by Alberta in the Open the public showed as the _ and RIM Park workers made _ division, Ontario in the Belle Canadian Ringette Champiâ€" _ sure that all the games started _ division and Manitoba in the onships wrapped up play Satâ€" _ on time. Junior final. rolled in last Thursday and Fri Ringette nationals a hit The win and its impact still hasn‘t settied in for a team now off to the Air Canada Cup national midget finals in Sault "Everybody was there," said Goddard. "That summarizes how smoothly the tournament "Even an ice storm couldn‘t shut us down." The level of play on the ice also opened some eyes and put some fans in the seats by the end of the tournament. By the time the champiâ€" onship finals were played at www.vwwaterioo.com The tournament titles were won by Alberta in the Open division, Ontario in the Belle division and Manitoba in the Junior final. Alberta beat Tearm Ontario 8â€"3 to take the most senior title. In Belle play, Team Ontario bounced back in the Belle final from an earlier defeat to British Columbia to win 10â€"7. "We‘re going to give it our best in representing Waterloo and Ontario," said Harbach. CLICK HERE Volkswagen New & Certified Preâ€"owned Cars Volkswagen Waterloo Team Ontario also gave Manitoba a run for their money in the Junior finals Continued on page 27