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By STEVE SEMBRAT
Thursday, November 17, 1994     Page: 1B

Times Leader Assistant Sports Editor
   
MOOSIC — One of the four Most Valuable Players from Wednesday’s Wyoming
Valley Conference Field Hockey Coaches Association College Classic needs no
introduction.
    The other three, on the other hand, are top-notch players who might not
immediately come to mind.
   
Together, they shared the common bond of sparkling brightest among the
Senior All-Stars who played in the game in front of fans and visiting college
coaches at Lackawanna County Stadium.
   
Crestwood’s Laura Phelan grabbed one of the four MVP awards. She was a
dominant force on the field, as she has been all season for the Big Red
Machine.
   
The other three MVPs were Bishop O’Reilly’s Megan Kopicki, Nanticoke’s
Joanne Lazarski and Honesdale’s Teresa Gorel. Those players didn’t gain the
notoriety of Phelan during the regular season, but that changed somewhat after
their All-Star performances.
   
The purpose of the game was to give visiting college coaches a chance to
look at the WVC’s top seniors. To make things easier for all involved, the
seniors were divided into four squads: North, East, South and West. The North
and South squads, then the East and West teams, faced each other for one
45-minute half. The North/East ended up battling to a 2-2 tie with the
South/West. After the contest, one player from each team was honored as an
MVP.
   
Kopicki scored one goal and set up another by Wyoming Valley West’s Jaime
Martin as the South grabbed a 2-1 lead in the first half.
   
“I played midfield all year and they put me at right wing,” Kopicki said.
“Working in with people of the same ability as me took some adjustment.”
   
Yet Kopicki made it, and showed some outstanding skills on the artificial
turf.
   
“I thought it was much better than a regular field,” Kopicki said. “You
could do dodges and a lot of things better than you could on grass.”
   
Martin also received MVP votes from the WVC coaches, who made the
selection, as did Abbey Diven of Abington Heights and Michelle Myers of
Honesdale.
   
Lazarski, the MVP for the North, shared a common bond with Kopicki. She
played a different position than she had all season.
   
“I usually play defense,” said Lazarski, who played midfield and forward in
the All-Star game. “I watched some of the other players and I did what they
did. That’s how I adjusted.”
   
Also receiving MVP votes for the North was GAR’s Christine Klepaski, who
scored a goal and had a strong overall game. Nanticoke’s Colleen O’Brien also
turned in a good performance for the North.
   
In the second half, Phelan was amazing at center halfback. She set up a
goal by Coughlin’s Megan Burke, who also got an MVP vote, but it was Phelan
who dominated the field and was a near-unanimous choice for the East.
   
“This is nice,” said Phelan, who is up for All-State and All-America
honors. “I’m very pleased with our whole season.”
   
Actually, Phelan had hoped to be preparing to play in the state
championship game, but Crestwood was knocked off in the playoffs by Council
Rock in an amazing state quarterfinal game. Disappointed, sure? But she
stepped right in with some old and new teammates and turned in a sparkling
performance.
   
“It was a surprise how well we worked together,” Phelan said. “It was
everybody just setting everybody else up. Actually, we should be able to play
with anybody out there.”
   
Burke had a nice game for the East, as did Lake-Lehman’s Judy Sichler and
Richelle Kovach, Crestwood’s Chrissie Nemshick, Christine Gensil and Pam
Truszkowski and Coughlin’s Shelly Lepore and Lisa Price.
   
After Burke scored, Gorel did an excellent job of keeping the score tied.
She hopes to continue playing in college, and the award definitely boosts her
resume.
   
“This was great,” Gorel said. “Hopefully, it will get coaches to look at me
a little more.”
   
Gorel was outstanding all season for Honesdale, and turned in a sharp
performance stepping in with new defensive teammates.
   
“I wasn’t sure if I should yell out to my defense,” Gorel said. “I ended up
just doing what I normally do out there. I just yell out numbers instead of
names.”
   
Danielle Chwiej of Wyoming Valley West and Megan Bovine of Tunkhannock also
received MVP votes. Also having sharp games for the West were: Wyomin