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Thursday, November 20, 1997

Canadian youth hockey friends reunited on the ice -- in Texas

By AMY HETTENHAUSEN / Austin American-Statesman

AUSTIN -- "It happens all the time," Ryan Pawluk explained. He and fellow Ice Bats rookie Tim Findlay still cringe, though, as a teammate walks by and laughingly ridicules them for telling their life story -- again.

These 21-year-olds are special because their stories intertwined in 1985 and 12 years and 3,000 miles later, have yet to diverge.

Findlay and Pawluk's long friendship is evident. In the course of telling their shared tale, each picks up the other's faltering sentences and explains his inconsistencies with effortless familiarity.

The connection is equally obvious on the ice. The Bats are in third place in the Eastern Division of the Western Professional Hockey League at 10-3, and Findlay and Pawluk, playing on the Bats' second line, have combined for 27 of the team's 69 goals this season. Findlay leads the team and the league with 18.

With Pawluk on the left wing and Findlay in the middle, the two often

assist each other. It's been that way since they were 9-year-olds in Ontario, Canada.

"I first heard about him in summer hockey," Findlay said. "We were only nine, but you know how dads talk. I'd heard he scored eight goals in a game."

"When I was a kid, the hockey association that was a few blocks from my house closed down," Pawluk said. "Since Tim and I were pretty much the best players in our area and we knew Windsor was a good team, we decided to join

together."

They matured quickly as players on the junior league team and, last year, went their separate ways for the first time. Pawluk spent last fall with the Canadian Olympic team, and Findlay attended the Detroit Vipers (International Hockey League) training camp.

"We trained hard, but unfortunately we were both released," Pawluk said. "Then Tim called me; he had just gotten a call from Jim (Burton, Bats coach)."

"He caught me off-guard," Findlay said. "I was just sitting in my hotel room in Detroit, thinking about what to do next. I'd never heard of the league and didn't know anything about Austin."

Burton's next call was to Pawluk.

Findlay and Pawluk made independent decisions. But, as had happened so

often already in their lives, their verdicts were the same.

"Jim made me an offer I couldn't refuse," Findlay said. "It was our

first year out on our own, and the team had a really comfortable atmosphere. My goal is to improve and move up to the next level, and you have to have ice time to do that."

Pawluk and Findlay were perfect choices for Burton, who wanted a faster, more dynamic team this year. The 6-foot, 190-pound rookies are agile and

explosive and quickly have become fan favorites.

The respect is mutual.

"I had no idea the fan support would be like this," Findlay said. "I

thought maybe we'd have 200 or 300 people. My parents can't believe it when I call and tell them what a hit hockey is in Austin."

"Whenever we go out, to a restaurant or something, I always ask people if they know about the team," Pawluk said. "It seems like everybody has either been to a game themselves or their friends have."

It makes the two feel like they belong in a strange city that has 80-degree November days. Pawluk and Findlay aren't complaining; they spent a recent

weekend jet skiing on Lake Travis.

They've come a long way from home, but not alone. They share an apartment in North Austin and still enjoy what Pawluk calls the "healthy competition" they began as kids.

"If Tim goes out and gets three goals, I want to do the same. I would

never wish he hadn't gotten them," Pawluk said. "I'm happy for him; I

couldn't think about it any other way. But he pushes me."

"It even continues into the summer," Findlay said. "If Ryan can bench (press) a certain amount, I have to be able to do it, too."

Their story complete, Findlay and Pawluk grow quiet. They are alone in the arena, their jesting teammate having disappeared long ago. Before leaving, they take one more turn around the oval of ice that drew them together years ago and bonds them now.

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Distributed by The Associated Press