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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 28, 2009 - 19 Snowboarder played it safe Continued from page 18 competing against the world's best snowboarders, Batchelor is taking full advantage of a semester away from school. He went to Korea with a plan. Do a safe run first and guarantee himself a good score. On the second, go for broke. But the early falls called for a change in plans. With his funding on the line, there were very real consequences SILVER SMILES: The Oakville peewee A Rangers won the International Silver Stick tournament last weekend in Port if he were to fall again. Batchelor decided to play it safe, execute the Huron. run the best he could and live with whatever result it produced. Peewees win Silver Stick crown Dan Johnson and the Oakville peewee A Rangers don't expect to sneak up on anybody in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association playdowns. Not anymore, following the team's performance at last weekend's International Silver Stick tournament in Port Huron, Michigan. The Rangers became the first Oakville team in the Port Huron tournament's 47-year history to claim the championship, winning all six of their games by a combined score of 26-6. Oakville locked up the Silver Stick title with a 1-0 win over the Woodstock Jr. Navy Vets. Woodstock is one of several teams at the Silver Stick that Johnson thinks the Rangers will have to deal with again during the OMHA playdowns. "Everyone will think we're the team to beat, for sure," said Johnson, the Rangers' coach. "I'm sure it could make our job a little more difficult now that they know us and they know our players." Strong team defence was the key to Oakville's Silver Stick championship. The Rangers allowed more than one goal only once in their six games -- a 6-2 semifinal victory over the Nepean Raiders -- and were able to make Daniel Cubric's first-period marker stand up in the championship game. Cubric led all tournament scorers with 12 points, including two goals and two assists against Nepean. "He's just a tremendous player," Johnson said. "He's a leader in the change room, he's a leader on the ice, he's a very coachable kid. All the guys look up to him." Jake Smyth and Zach Moll were the Rangers' Even he didn't expect to reach the podium. "If you see the video (Batchelor's silver medal run can be viewed at cbc.ca), you can see my reaction. It's like, `Are you kidding me?'" More encouraging is that Batchelor knows he's still got his `go-for-it' run in reserve -- the one that can bring even higher scores and secure his spot on the Olympic team. And with 13 months until the Olympics begin, Batchelor doesn't mind putting off booking his trip to Vancouver a little while longer. other main offensive contributors. Smyth had six goals and three assists to finish third in tournament scoring, while Moll was fifth with a goal and six helpers. Patrick Leon and Reid Blackwell split time in goal for Oakville, earning three wins each. Leon recorded the shutout in the championship game. Oakville's other wins at the tournament came over the Valley East Rebels (3-1), Brewster Bulldogs (3-1), Phoenix Jr. Coyotes (5-1) and San Jose Jr. Sharks (4-1). Going into the Silver Stick tournament, Johnson liked his team's chances. The Rangers easily won their Tri-County league division this season with a 24-2-2 record, won two tournaments and knocked off some tough teams in the Silver Stick qualifier. "I really did think we had a shot. The team's been doing so well this year," said Johnson. The peewee A Rangers are the second Oakville team to win a Silver Stick championship in as many seasons. The minor peewee AE Rangers won their division at the international tournament last year, ending a 10-year drought for local squads. Other members of the peewee A team are Matthew Cochrane, Ben Everett, Seth Franceschini, Tyler Hipple, Connor Holly, Brad Johnson, Patrick Leon, Alex Marceau, Ian Mason, Tyler Newton, Adam Power, Erik Rittershaus and Jacob Serensits. Gord Smyth is the Rangers' assistant coach, Frank Moll and Joe Serensits are trainers, and Brian Leon is manager. -- Jon Kuiperij Blades post three more victories The Oakville Blades virtually assured themselves of a top-two finish in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's MacKinnon Division regular-season standings with three victories in the past week. Oakville defeated the Brampton Capitals 6-4 Thursday in Brampton, then took a pair of games from the Streetsville Derbys. The Blades won 6-3 Friday in Oakville before pounding the Derbys 10-2 Sunday in Streetsville. Captain Jeremy Welsh paced the Blades with six goals and five assists in the three games. Ryan Murphy contributed three goals and six helpers, while Dustin Alcock had two goals and four assists. Also tallying for Oakville were Jordan Smith, Adam Simms, Mike Ingoldsby, Kyle Badham, Lindsay Sparks, Luke Moodie, Tyler Leimbrock and Chris Muise. Matt Hache recorded all three victories in goal. The Blades host the division-leading Georgetown Raiders Friday, a 7:30 p.m. start at Joshua's Creek Arenas. THE A E BIGGEST SEVLR! E FREE CENTRAL AIR Plus: NO Payment NO Interest For 6 Months O.A.C. (Installation Extra) Purchase a Hi Efficiency Furnace and Receive a OVER 60,000 SATISFIED CUSTOMERS Reserve now and you will receive a central air absolutely free. This is a great opportunity to replace your old inefficient furnace and air conditioner with high-efficiency and greatly reduce your utility bill. 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