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The Leader & Kalkaskian



Sports

PUBLISHED: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Reps sew-up conference title



TRAVERSE CITY Ð For the third year in a row the Traverse Bay Reps co-op hockey team sits on top the Northern Michigan Hockey League as the league champions. The Reps finished the league schedule with a perfect 6-0 record, four points ahead of second place Cheboygan (4-2). The Reps clinched the title outright by shutting out Cheboygan 5-0 in a matinee game at Centre Ice on Saturday, Feb. 17.

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ÒItÕs a small conference, but it gives us something to play for. ItÕs kind of nice to think weÕve kind of dominated it. This team has come a long way this year and this game is a pretty good indication of how weÕve progressed. They beat us 4-2 in the Thanksgiving Tournament, but we beat them two games in the league,Ó said Reps coach Rex Luxton.

The Reps never let the Chiefs get into the game as they scored three goals in the opening period and twice more in the second period to forge the five goal advantage.

ÒWe tried to jump on them quick, because they had to play the night before, and we did that,Ó said Luxton.

KalkaskaÕs Dan Tinkle got a hat trick to lead the way against the Chiefs. Tinkle got the Reps on the scoreboard at 3:29 of the first period with the assists going to Jake Mills (Elk Rapids) and Andrew Zelinski (Traverse City St. Francis).

Tinkle added goals at 14:21 of the first, from Zelinski, and 11:02 of the second, from Adrian Ringlever (ER).

KalkaskaÕs Tim Dixon scored at 9:21 of the first period, from Dan Fisher (TCSF) and Mike Kowalski (TCSF), while Fisher scored an unassisted goal at 2:10 of the second to round out the scoring.

Bay Reps 5 Mid Michigan 1 Five different players scored when Traverse Bay clinched at least a tie in the league by downing the Mid Michigan Storm 5-1 on Friday, Feb. 16. Andrew Walukonis (TCSF), Kowalski, Tinkle, Fisher and Dixon all tallied one goal each to account for the Reps scoring, Assists for the game went to Dixon, Ben Videan (TCSF), Zelinski, Tinkle, Ringlever, Tyler Wilson (ER) and Grayson Mayas (K). Jake Mills made 17 saves to get the win in goal.

ÒIt was a chippy kind of a game with a lot of hacking and slashing. We had to go a long way to put it away and we had to kill off seven penalties along the way, but we managed to get it doen,Ó said Luxton. Traverse Bay will travel to Big Rapids on Friday, Feb. 23.

The Reps will face off against Mid Michigan at Centre Ice on Monday, Feb. 26 in the pre-regionals, while Traverse City West will take on Manistee at Howe Arena in the second game. The winners will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 28, for the right to advance to the regional final in Sault Ste. Marie on March 2.





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