B3 - Sunday, February 12, 1984 - North Shore News RANDALL TOP SCORING DEFENSEMAN ‘Late bloomer’ comes of age FOUR YEARS ago, when Dave Randall was an anonymous midget B hockey player at North Shore Winter Club, you could have got some pretty good odds if you wanted to bet he’d be prospering in ma- jor American college hockey a short way down the road. By JIM JAMIESON But Randall, a fixture in his second vear with Nor- thern Michigan Wildcats, is the kind of athlete that makes oddsmakers go grey. He is the archetypal late-bloomer, the exception that proves the rule. SMALLEST ‘*He was one of those kids that developed late, always the smallest on the team,”’ says Mike Hodgson, who coached Randall from ban- tam through juvenile hockey at NSWC. ‘tHe just really grew into a good hockey player.”’ Grow he did. The 20-year-old Randall, who now packs a solid 180 pounds on his 5°10’ frame, is currently the highest scoring defenceman (six goals and !7 assists in 26 games) and shares second overall with the fourth-place Wildcats in the Central Collegiate hockey association. As well, the Car- son Graham Secondary grad sees regular duty on the powerpay and as a penalty killer. How does Randall, who was in town over Christmas, find United States college hockey as compared to the Canadian junior variety? WIDE OPEN “It’s much more wide open and disciplined,’’ says Randall, who played half of last season with the British Columbia junior hockey league’s Cowichan Valley Capitals before moving on to Northern Michigan. ‘‘Here, we have set plays and certain forechecking and back- checking patterns. In junior, there was much more free lancing. And the game's a lit- tle rougher here. The players are more uniformly good, so when you get hit it's hard "’ The U.S collegiate game ts designed to be wide open, by the way, as the centre red line 1s not used Because of this, very long passes trom deep in the defensive zone to the opposition bluctine are legal. Although Randall finds the hockey rougher, fighting is dealt with harshly: the . minimum penalty is ejection and a one game suspension. But if you're looking for a better gauge of the calibre of hockey, Northern Michigan recently lost a pair of games to rival University of Wiscon- sin (2-1 and 5-4 in overtime). These narrow defeats came just after Wisconsin had beaten the U.S. Olympic team. As well, Northern Michigan alumni Tom Laidlaw and Steve Weeks (New York Rangers) and Steve Bozek (Calgary Flames) are currently earning their living in the National Hockey League. INDIRECT Of course, Randall didn’t step directly from midget B to Northern Michigan. Perhaps the most significant step was Hodgson’s swit- ching of Randall from for- ward to defenceman in his last year of midget. ‘*Skating and puck- handling were his assets,”’ says Hodgson. ‘‘By putting him on defence, | could put him out there every second shift. He could take more control of the game.’”’ From midget, Randail went on to the juvenile A squad. That team made it to the national final in 1980 and won the championship the next year. At both = tour- naments, Randall was selected most valuable defenceman. That attracted the attention of Cowichan Valley and it was in his short sunt with the BCJHI team that he caught the eye of Nor- thern Michigan's scouts Does Randall have any desire to follow Bozek, et al, into pro hockey? “Hf lo ever get the oppor. tunity to try out, TH take it,” says Randall, who -- although he ts a free agent — has been scouted by Chicago, Dectrow and tdmonton of the NHL “But | definitely plan to play in burope when my collegiate Career is over” Race tightens LARRYS MONED unto oa fourth (place tie wath the Blucs ap they beat the Leafs 21 oon the weekend The beats were trying to bobd on to seventh place avert the weekond ditty MA Phersan and Brian Casper scored for farrvs as they won thea fifth Ina row Goer ey Ott hk spread ed the shutout foe the beats Beavers spoiled the Driiters chance Of ros aiig up an tye Standings witha § ltie Reith Nestor seoredd owith fous scons Comming FO mae the Beavers (whe are out of UPve pdasvcrt sy cates tte tne John Mattines and Muariay C thatwon abse scored for the Beavers while Kay Martin Roy Collins and Pat Kothen bush rephed for the Drilhers Bob Hodgson scored five Roabs to keep the Bucs an tog Sproat Also oscortap for the Bucs were Doug Coun hon Brent Bremner and Deccan Ashdown as they whipped the Hlawks 4 4 Hlawhs were looking to the final playotf spot Stewart) Marshall and Dave Watson pot the only goals forthe Hawks [cading seorce Bill McQuay got hour assists for the Dethers Crootys pot poals from six different plavers as they bad litthe teouble downinp Super Nalu G4 Nitc Wayne Coray Brad Pebbert Csentille. Brent bhughes Mike berguson and Clay White helped keep Caoolys un a tre for first place Super Nala got goals from Hob Hho fsmeth [Don Hafsenith and barry Beno yaein as they slipped ftucther inter seath prlace fies Barnes scored two Beals to lead caghth place Meee se Records te therm ose Comd owitt oth oa cow as they upset forth place Bluacs Steve John Mit won got the ooly poal past Phil Sacks, who played cacctlently in the netg for Hreese y With Love fot your VALENTINE FLOWERS y , from Seycove florists Dollar Shopping Centre 929-4822 World-wide Delivery Open Sun. 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