Star-Phoenix from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada • 23

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TENNIS Australia Open: Early Rounds. 10 p.m. Itibufe to our champ By Cory Wolfe of The Star Phoenix Somewhere in Saskatoon on Wednesday night, dream-chasing boys and girls were defying the bite of Prairie winter to get in one more lap around the ice. At the very same time, the people of Saskatoon were celebrating just such a girl a girl who is now all grown up. Catriona Le May Doan came home Wednesday.

Enveloped by a warm hug of 65 Canadian flags each one symbolic of a medal, record or award from her speed skating career Le May Doan was feted by her family and her peers at Centennial Auditorium. "Catriona has become inseparable from our image of ourselves as Canadians," said master of ceremonies Scott Russell from CBC Sports. But the roots run so much deeper. Listen. Russell told of walking the streets of Santo Domingo last year with Le May Doan when she was part of the CBC broadcasting crew for the Pan-American Games.

"A Dutch man saw her," said Russell, "and he immediately dropped to his knees and said, 'Le May, Le May, Le as only the truly affected can." The Dutch man kissed her hand. "You are from Calgary," he said. "No," replied Le May Doan. "I am from Saskatchewan." So there she was Wednesday, back in her home town. Dignitaries took their turns gushing over the Olympic golden girl.

Video tributes rained. Mayor Don Atchison presented her with the key to the city. By the time Le May Doan took the podium, her voice quivered. Tears hung in her eyes. "I don't know which is going to work better," she said, "this napkin or the tissue from this box for the key to the city." She was sincere.

She inspired tears. She also inspired laughter in reference to her recent announcement that she and husband Bart Doan are expecting their first child around May 20 just two days before the one-year anniversary of her retirement from competitive speed skating. With an obvious belly as proof that she is eating for two, Le May Doan conceded that her secret would have been difficult to hide. "It's probably pretty good that we were able to make that announcement because somebody would've said, 'Oh, yeah. Retirement's treating her Russell set the stage for Le May Doan's presentation by continually citing her pride in her home town and her province.

To illustrate his point, Russell invoked a story from Lome Davis, a Regina-based scout with the Edmonton Oilers. "Out here," Russell said in quoting Davis, "it's so flat that you can watch your dog run away for three days. But you can also watch your dreams unfold under the big sky. "It seems that Catriona watched her dreams from this very spot. She caught up with them and she never forgot where she came from." Le May Doan, a model of integrity, gushed her own thanks for all who have supported her dreams and her journey to defending Olympic gold something no other Canadian has ever done.

She explained her reason for carrying a Saskatchewan flag with the Canadian flag after winning gold in both Nagano and Salt Lake City. "It wasn't because I felt like I should," Le May Doan said. "I had it because I knew this was home and I wanted everyone here to realize that." Earlier Wednesday, Le May Doan spoke to 8,500 students at SaskPIace. She sees such engagements as her duty for all that she has been given. "Any way I can repay that through the years (by working) with youth," she said in closing as her voice began to crack, "it will be my honour.

Thank you very much." mm 3 it, Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Montreal perform Wednesday Ice dance team in lead BEER AND BRAT BREAK German soccer wants a longer half-time break to sell more beer and sausage in stadiumsThe Bundesliga's front office confirmed Wednesday it has written soccer's world governing body and its regulations committee asking to change the break from 15 to 20 minutes. According to the Germany league, the current break between halves doesn't allow enough time for all fens to be served. A Schalke study said the change could generate an extra 300,000 euros ($492,340 Cdn) annually for the clubs. The extra minutes would also allow German television to jam in more commercials, following years of complaints that soccer is a huge draw in the country, but impossible to earn money on because there are no breaks for spots during the games. The Bundesliga's plan, if approved, would affect soccer around the world since the sport's regulators usually apply changes of this magnitude across the board, down to amateur matches.

da's third entry at the 2004 world championships, are in seventh place. Thirteen couples were required to lay down identical footwork patterns to music of a bouncy Yankee Polka that lasted less than two minutes. Skaters stayed close to their partners to minimize the shipping action generated by short precise steps and rapid turning movements. Unison and precise timing were required. Dubreuil, 29, and Lauzon, 28, of Montreal, were second in Canada behind Shae-Lynn Bourne of Chatham, and Victor Kraatz of Vancouver for three years before the 2003 world champions retired last spring.

Dubreuil and Lauzon assumed No. 1 ranking in Canada and they proved they deserved it by winning the nationals in Edmonton earlier this month. They train in Lyon, France, with coach Muriel Boucher-Zazoui, who steered Marina Anassina and Gwendal Peizerat to Olympic gold. "If we skate well and have good results here it could help us at worlds so it's a really important competition to us," said Dubreuil. "I was hoping (Belbin and Agosto) would be here.

It makes it more exciting for us." Americans Amber Corwin and Angela Nikodinov were 1-2 in the women's short program Wednesday night. CONT'D: Please see SkateC4 HAMILTON (CP) Canadian champions Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon edged U.S. champions Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agos-to in a 5-4 split of the judging panel in the compulsory ice dance at the Four Continents figure skating meet Wednesday. Dubreuil and Lauzon will attempt to retain their lead when the original dances are performed this afternoon. "We know it's going to be close all week," said Dubreuil.

It was encouraging start for Canada's champs, who were 10th at the 2003 world championships when Belbin and Agosto finished seventh. In Grand Prix competition this season, Dubreuil and Lauzon finished ahead of Belbin and Agosto once, and behind them once. It'll be a rivalry to watch through the 2006 Olympics. "It always feels better to me to be the underdogs," said a grinning Belbin, who wasn't the least bit discouraged to be second in the compulsory. "It's not over until the final second of the free dance music (on Friday)." Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe, who are No.

2 in Canada, are in third place. Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, who are No. 2 in the United States, are in fourth place. Josee Piche and Pascal Denis, who will be Cana "I'm not the next I'm the first Maria Sharapova." Maria Sharapova on being compared to Anna Kournikova due to her good looks Comeau leads Team Orr to Top Prospects win THE OTHER BEUCHICK There's more than one Belichick making news these days. Of course there's Bill Belichick, coach of the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots.

But there's also Belichick the horse named by co-owner and Pats fans John been a season-ticket holder forever," Gallo said Wednesday from his home on Cape Cod, Mass. "So when I got this colt two years ago when he got them to the Super Bowl, I said, 'What the heck, let's name him The names may be the same, but when it comes to winning there are no similarities. Belichick the coach enters the NFL title game with a 14-game winning streak; Be- lichick the horse will be trying to end a three-race losing streak Thursday in the $34,000 US al- lowance feature at Gulfstream Park. "We hope to start a streak, and then root for the Patriots to keep theirs going," said Bill Perry, the other owner. He also trains the four-year-old colt Belichick the horse began his racing career last year, winning his first start at Monmouth and then losing twice.

The colt opened this season with a third-place finish at Gulfstream on Jan. 3, an encouraging development for his first start in nearly three months. Belichick, made aware of his namesake Wednesday, said through a team spokesperson he was "flattered" to have a norse named for him. 15 all the scouts that turn out," Wolski said. "Everyone has to deal with it.

It's not just focused on one player. "It's a lot easier to deal with when you have 40 guys in the same situation." Justin Peters of the Toronto St. Michael's Majors started in goal for Team Orr and stopped 19 of 21 shots before he was relieved by Devan Dub-nyk of the Kamloops Blazers. Dubnyk stopped all 13 shots he faced. Shawinigan goaltender Julien Ellis stopped lOof 14 shots as Team Cherry's starter before David Shantz of the Mis-sissauga IceDogs took over, making six saves on eight shots.

Comeau, Schremp and Ladd, ranked No. 2 by Central Scouting, made up the best line of the game and combined to give Orr a 3-0 lead within the first nine minutes. The game became chippier and the hits became harder k.ter in the game as players looked for opportunities to make an impact. Saskatoon Blades defence-man Mike Green laid an open-ice check on Swift Current Broncos counterpart Dave Schulz in the scoreless third period that knocked Schulz's helmet off. Team Orr 6, Team Cherry 2 LONDON, Ont.

(CP) Kelowna Rockets right-winger Blake Comeau did everything he could to improve his draft stock and London Knights centre Robbie Schremp put on a bold performance in the Home Hardware CHLNHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday. Comeau had a goal and three assists to lead Bobby Orr's team to a 6-2 win over Don Cherry's team. Schremp contributed a goal and two assists and was named Orr's MVP for crowd-pleasing moves. Comeau, from Meadow Lake, is ranked No. 43 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the NHL entry draft in June, but he may have impressed scouts enough to improve his status.

"If they like what they see, they like what they see," Comeau said. "I just have to keep playing the way I'm playing." The 17-year-old got involved forechecking and showed some excellent playmaking abilities. He said he had butterflies before the game began, but after scoring on his first shift, he was off to the races. "It went a lot better than I expected," Comeau said. "Playing with Rob Schremp and Andrew Ladd, we definitely complemented each other tonight and it showed up on the scoreboard." Schremp, ranked No.

8, scored a highlight reel goal in the first period, and in the third period he picked up the puck on his stick, spun backwards and got a hard backhand shot off at the goal that deflected off the glass above it. Ladd of the Calgary Hitmen, Eric Hunter of the Prince George Cougars, Kitchener Rangers defenceman Boris Valabik and Moncton Wildcats centre Bruce Graham also scored for Orr, who took a 5-3 lead in his head-to-head series in Top Prospects games with Cherry- Wojtek Wolski of the Brampton Battalion and Adam Berti of the Oshawa Generals replied for Cherry's team. Wolski, ranked No. 3, by Central Scouting, was selected Cherry's MVP. "I guess there's a lot of pressure from I MM -CP Team Cherry' Roman Tesliuk, of the Kamloops Blazers, celebrates a goal Wednesday I.