PAGE 18, WHITBY FREE PRESSP WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987. SPORTS Precision teamsseek torelm tites WHITBY'S Ice Angels and Ice Crystals precision Saturd ay, part of a tune-up performance before the skating teams put on a show before the home crowd national championships this week. Free Press photo Whitby skaters make Up the teams to beat in the Canadian precision skating championships this week in Laval, Quebec. Whitby's Ice- Crystals junior team and Ice Angels novice teamý have ail the winning ingredients as they seek to reclaim the national tities they have won the past -two years. Connie Rich for the novices and Cathy. Dalton for the juniors provide the fine coaching. A former Whitby. junior coach, Stephanie Flanagan, now directs a, Kanata (near Ottawa) team that is expec- ted to mount a challenge for the, titie.. With skating startmng at the pre- novice level, both the Angels and Crystals have members with a lot of experience. "Some of the girls have been doing it for eight years," says Dalton of her junior squad. Dalton herséif coached the -Ice Angels for eight years before müoving to.th Ice Crystals. L The special edge that puts, Whitby skaters on top is their com- petitive ability: "They work hard and thçyywant to win" saysDalo. Hard work may include practice sessions that begin at 5 a.m. some days, during a season which begins in September.- Meanwhile, team members also attend -figure skating SEE PAGE 19 Atoms a win. away from champions hip Brian Dillon is hoping that his minor atoms l9th playoff game will be the one that gives them an On- tariotitle. After beating Wexford 8-7 last Thursday night, the Whitby team advanced to the Ontario finals against Kitchener. They have won the first two against Kitchener with the third to be played at 7 p.m. Wednesday (tonight) at Iroquois Park. Ini the first game Saturday night, Whitby dominated to win by a com- fortable 7-1 socre. Wayne Primeau got' the puck rolling for the atoms scoring the first two goals of the game. Paul Brooks and Craig Talent assisted, on the first while Jeff Montaigue and Paul Brooks set up the second. Brooks, with help from Paul Dillon and Jim Brown, scored the third goal of the game then Brooks, with an assist fromn Primeau, scored his second of the game. Before the first period was over Dillon added to the score with help He also believes the team has the from Talent. three best atom centres in ail of On- According' to coach billon, the tario - Maroîs, Primeau and Dillon. team then took total control of the game, outscoring Kitchener 2-1 the rest of the way towin easily . Primeau had his third of the game in the second period while Matt Muir scored in the third period. The second game was much dloser when the series returned to Kitchener Sunday afternoon. ,Whitby built up a 4-1 lead going into the third, then hung on to win 4- Scoring for Whitby were Andre Marois with two, Derrick Young and Jon Racicot. "I arn fortunate to have a team like this," says Dillon, head coach for the past two years. He says the team is excellent in ail areas. But it is goalie Stephen St. Amand who the coach says plays a major role in the team's success. ** "He is the icing on the cake, says Dillon. Tonight's game will be the team's l9th in playoff action. Dillon notes that the team has only lost one of their past 18. "I think we'Il win it Wednesday night, " he predicted. Major bantamis win Georgetown tourney Whitby major bantams made up for a disappointing showmng in On- tario playdowns by going un- defeated to win the championship at an international tournament in Georgetown last week. Whitby, an AA team, not only won the AA division of the 32-team tournament but also, upset the Michigan Nationals AAA team in the final. "The kids reaily played well," said coach Mike Pruneau. Whitby won their first game 7-1 agamnst Oakville, then 5-1 over Hamilton, 6-3 over Windsor, 6-5 over Waterloo, and before a packed SEE PAGE 20 WAYNE PRIMEAU of 'the Brooklin- Whitby minor atoms escapes the checking of a Kitchener forward durmng-second period action in the first game Saturday of the Ontario final* series. Free Press photo