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“Registrations from the northern part of town,“ Kenny said, “were up significantly due in part to the fine efforts of Mrs. DeJong and Mr. Shephard.” Another innovation in 1977 was the minor squirt division primarily for boys and girls under seven. That’s the word from outgoing RH- MSC president Ed Kenny in his year- end report. There were other firsts: Four additional club league teams plus a new venture â€" Senior Ladies â€" were formed. The year 1977 was one of “firsts” for the Richmond Hill Minor Soccer Club including a 20 per cent increase in registrations for a total number of 534 boys and girls. Hill soccer alive and doing great Roffey‘s major handicap in hockey has been his lack of size although he’s never lacked muscle. GAINING WEIGHT “I've been with the Jewellers for three seasons,“ he said. “The first year I weighed 153 pounds, the next year I got up to 168, and now I’m 172 pounds.” He admits he was something of a rowdy “my first season because I had to prove myself. I’d fight anyone who came near me. “But I’m going to give it a good try. I love playing hockey more than anything and I don‘t want it to just end against a blank wall. As Pete told me, you never say anything's impossible and there's always some scout out there watching you." Roffey put on thé weight by “lifting weights and eating a lot. If I miss a meal, I’m in trouble." “There‘s nothing wrong with carrying a lunch pail and working in a factory if that‘s all [you can do. I just felt it was wrong for me, I wanted something else. NEVER TOO LATE “I figured maybe I was too old to go back to school but I talked to Pete (coach Artemchuk) and he told me it was never too late to get an education." Roffey’s other reason in going back to school is to aim for a hockey scholarship which, he admits, might be tough to get. V Roffey got his job and a car but two and a half years later things had changed. “I figured going out and getting a job and buying a car was what life was all about. School was just getting in the way.” “I guess [just realized I’d made a mistake,” states 19-yearold Roffey. “I‘d quit high school in Grade 11 because I lost interest in it. I was missing classes and the teachers were bugging me. The 5' 7". '172-pound Roffey is anything but studious while plying his trade on the wing for coach Pete Artemchuk's Jewellers. He‘s rugged and determined and has been known to be less-than-gentle against op- posing sweaters. So why the soft introduction? Simply because that’s the way it has become for Dale after he hangs his sweater and skates up in the dressing room. BACK TO SCHOOL He’s gone back to school. After two-and~half years of absence. If you described Dale Rolfey of the “But I started to level off last Oak Ridges Dynes Jewellers junior season and I‘m really good this hockey team as a bespectacled, season. I‘ve only had two fights and studious type, you‘d probably cause one of them was more a waltz than some of his opponents to choke on fight. their morning cereal. “I just started to figure things out. Come to tfiink of it, Dale would probably choke on his own cereal. DALE ROFFEY Back to Books NEW LEAGUE Wednesday, November 23, 1977 Meet a book worm \5,_ The junior boys (under 18) reached the North York Cup final; the Atom girls became the first Richmond Hill team to reach an Ontario Cup final. The Mosquito Girls won the North York Cup. Finally. Elsie of the Oak Ridges Dynes Jewellers hockey team boosters club informs me they have a Christmas Dinner and Dance coming up December 2 at the Bond Lake Arena . A . a hot dinner. Tickets are $7.50 per person. Get out and buy a couple of ducats. "Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still fight. Anywhere, any time. I don’t mind a fight. When someone’s hassling me I just go up to him and say let’s cut the nonsense. Drop your gloves and we’ll have a go." The Richmond Hill organization also provided the first president of the new league, Les Trotman. TITLES Kenny noted that the Richmond Hill teams walked off with six league championships and five cup ones together with four second place finishes. 'l‘he Baifers are raising money for the trip via a dance next Saturday at Richvale Community Centre. It goes from 9 pm. to 1 am. Tickets are $5 a person. With that Roffey slipped into his spectacles and got back to the books. JUST MARY NOTES Let's see now. Got to get organized. The word‘s from Paul Ortiz, president of the Richmond Hill Men‘s Softball League, to the effect he‘s the proud father of a new bouncing baby (is that how you say it?) girl, uh, boy, that is. Paul tells me that‘s number eight for him. He adds he has enough people for a starting line-up if he inserts himself as playing coach. Congrats, Paul. But isn't it about time you got your television fixed? One of the biggest highlights was the formation of the Region of York Inter- District Soccer League. This in- troduced some 600 boys in the Region of York to competitive soccer for the first time. Roffey has had numerous op- portunities to sign with other clubs and could be playing Provincial A hockey. LIKES OAK RIDGES “I like playing for Oak Ridges and that‘s why I‘m here. Pete’s really helped me and I feel this is the place for me." “I just hope when I leave here it will be on a hockey scholarship,” he concluded. “I’m going to give it my best shot anyway." The momentous event occurred last Friday at 6 am. (a rather outrageous hour) at St. Mike's Hospital. The fellow’s name is Geoffrey and he weighed 3800 grams at time of berth. Grams? Make that eight pounds just to be civilized. His mother, Terry, is doing just fine, too. Another note from Ed Sackfield re the Richmond Hill Cadillac-Baif Peewees trip to the Quebec Inter- national Hockey Tournament. “I just started to figure things out. You’re not much good to the team in the penalty box. Besides, I like to score goals and get assists.” But just in casé some of the op- position takes too much heart from the above philosophy. Roffey bones up on his math and other studies during bus trips out of town. “The guys are good at helping me. Especially Tony Robinson and Steve Sherman. Tony‘s in university and Steve’s in Grade 13.” Dale comes from a long line of Roffeys in Oak Ridges as well as cousins. The word is that if the Roffeys and their relatives ever left Oak Ridges it would turn into a ghost town. “That’s where you get your points. You get the puck out to the shooter." Back to education: “I felt strange when I first went back to school,” he said, “but now it’s fun. I’m getting good marks but I have to study a lot." A pause, “Except in math. I’m horrible in that subject.” LOVE THOSE CORNERS Roffey’s big asset is his love of the corners. “I like mixing it up in the corners. Some guys are a little shy when it comes to corners." Not Roffey. He loves to eat his lunch in a corner. fred Simpson The winnahs The struggling Richmond Hill Rams kept on struggling last week managing only one point in two games as they tied Wexford at home and lost 5â€"2 to Guelph Platers in Guelph Friday night. Tie, lose Wexford Raiders’ Mike Soehner (right) is about to pull the trigger on a helpless Rich- mond Hill Rams’ goalie Dan Gunning in . . . In Jul)? we hosted the Sella Club from Mexico and it was a memorable visit for all concerned.“ The RHSC also continued its program of encouraging both representative and club league teams to participate in exhibition and tournament play. TOURNAMENTS This year the Hill Club will be represented at both boys and girls levels in the two largest soccer tour- naments in the world â€" the “Robbie” in Scarboro and the “Orange Bowl" in Miami. “Our representative teams competed in 15 tournaments and club league teams competed in five tournaments The Rams keep struggling “We also sponsored a referees’ clinic for both experienced and new referees and contributed the funds needed to maintain the Coaches Association." States Kenny: “At the club league level, competition was intense with the 10 championship trophies being divided among seven different teams in the five divisions. INTENSE The above gals show the poise that won them the annual W.A. Stephenson Ladies In-Club championship last week at The Richmond Hill Club. They are Sue Bailley and Marie Rice (standing) and Peggy Welsh and Pat Jurczak (kneeling). That game saw the Guelph team firing 52 shots at the Richmond Hill twines while the Rams were managing only 27 in the other direction. Mark Aitken was the big thorn in the ED KENNY Soccer’s booming Goal coming up last week‘s 6-6 tie while Mike Ham (9) also looks on helplessly. Soehner scoredfla total Firefighters lose 0n la te-game tally Etobicoke then got a Shorthanded goal on a breakaway with two minutes left in the game. Etobicoke jumped into a 2â€"0 lead early in the first period and held that margin until Rod Chapman scored in the middle of the second from Terry Haviland and Pat Goode. The Richmond Hill Firefighters lost a close, hard fought hockey game to Etobicoke 3-2 with the winning goal coming while the latter squad was Shorthanded with only two minutes left in the game. The 1655 dropped Richmond Hill into fifth place. One minute later the same Chapman tied the game from Haviland and David Sephton. It was a close game from then on with both teams having numerous scoring chances but neither able to break through. When the fog had cleared it was Kruze being assessed a fighting and game misconduct along with Kewley; and McPhee sharing a fighting penalty with Campbell. Richmond Hill side with three goals with the others going to George McPhee and Don McLeod. The Rams attempted to fight back on a goal by Mike Ham from Bill Coville; and Larry Kimble from Phil Wood and Billy Stephenson. It was Ham’s ninth goal of the season. Tuesday night of last week’s game against Wexford saw the Rams carry a 6-5 lead until the final eight minutes of the game. The Rams still had a chance to pull the game out on two occasions. The first one saw Mike Ham carrying down ice with four minutes left and then drib- bling the puck by the corner as he fell. ROWDY MOMENTS The game had its rowdy moments particularly in the opening period when Richmond Hill‘s Gary Kruze and Dave Campbell did battle with Guelph’s McPhee and Ted Kewley. Then it was Mike Walker going right in only to have Wexford‘s Andy Buppert making a nice pad safe with a little less than two minutes to go. TRIPPING BUBBLE BURST That bubble burst when Wexford’s Mike Soehner scored on a slap shot at 12:20, It was his third goal of the night; The money will go toward equipping an intensive care ward and provide wheelchairs in the paediatrics section. SOCCER POPULAR Kenny noted that the “popularity of soccer continues to grow and expansion of the Region of York is a distinct possibility. BEST FLOAT The RHMSC also won the “best float" in the Richvale Lions Club May festival, organized two very successful dances, manned an excellent display booth at “Discovery Days” and Rich- vale Community‘Centre. The “Soccer-é-thon” provided $2,300 to the York Central Hospital. Kenny said the idea of a soccer program in conjunction with the York County Association for the Mentally Retarded will be further discussed. “Discussions have taken place with regard to some of our stronger teams competing in Metro Toronto while we would still enter competitive teams in the Region.” Richmond Hill then ran into a trip- of three goals in the game including the one that tied the game in the final 20 minutes. He thanked all outgoing members of the executive for their “considerable time, effort and money spent in the development of the sport in Richmond Hill." He also thanked Director of Parks Dave Hamilton for “his cooperation and continuing efforts on our behalf." “Condolences were also extended to executive members Bob Rockarts and Tony Lott on family bereavements.” SURPLUS Kenny also reported a club surplus of almost $2,500 in the year’s operations and an accumulated surplus of almost $4,000 available to carry into 1978. “Graham was one of the finest soccer players to wear a Richmond Hill uniform and in his memory the club presented a championship trophy to the Region of York and will dedicate the ward in York Central Hospital. GRAHAM HOBBS Kenny also touched on the death of Graham Hobbs, a member of the Rich- mond Hill junior team. Richmond Hill put on the energy in the final 20 minutes with Phil Wood tying the game at 1:04 from Stephenson and Kimble who was playing his second game after returning from an extended injury. Previous action saw the Firefighters downing Dundas 4-1. It was the first time they’d beaten that team in three years. i It was Terry Haviland opening the scoring from Chapman and Geode after only 30 seconds. Then it was Paul Gallagher tying the game at 4-4 from John Dewar and Kruze only to have Wexford’s put Wexford in front with only 10 seconds remaining in the period from a scramble around the net. ON THE ROAD The local firefighters go on the road for two weeks before returning home December 5 to take on Hamilton in a 10:30 am. game at Richmond Hill. ljundas tied it but Chapman put Rich- mond Hill in front from Haviland and goalie Bourget. The local firefighters really put on the pressure in the third period and it was Haviland getting his third goal oi the game from Goode and Blair Rob- SO". Jubilation was the order of the day when Rams‘ Ham got the go-ahead goal at 10:31 on a nice play as he broke into the clear, deked the goalie, and shoved the puck home. The play started when Jones emerged from the penalty box to grab the puck and fire it over to Ham who was in fullâ€"flight. \The Rams are in Newmarket tomorrow night (Thursday) and are at home the following Tuesday to North York. Gametime is 7:45 pm. ' Haviland écored five minutes later on a perfect pass from David Sephton and Gary Vass to make the scoye 3-1. Richmond Hill started coming on in the second period with Randy Hughes- Guest picking up a rebound at 7:50 and slapping it home. The score was 4-2 for Wexford going into the second on goals by Soehner, two. Ross Belcher and Larry Marson with replies from Rams‘ Bob Else and Danny Jones, his 15th goal of the season. ping penalty with 577 seconds remaining and were happy to settle for a tie. Photo by Hogg)