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Red hot Blades prepare for RaidersBy Jon Kuiperijinto the playoffs. The top six teams in each conference BEAVER SPORTS EDITORwill be idle for the first round as the seventh-to-tenth-place finishers play best-of-three series to determine Mark Jooris cant believe the Ontario Junior Hockey the final postseason qualifiers.Leagues regular season is already over.But Jooris isnt too concerned, noting that the It just flew by, the Oakville Blades head coach layoff until Saturdays quarter-final series opener said. I was just telling my wife the other day that it against Georgetown is just one day longer than most just flew. Its crazy.weeks in the regular season.The regular season may feel like it began just last This is the fourth straight year that the Blades and week, but it seems like an eternity since the Blades Raiders are colliding in the playoffs. Oakville elimi-opened the campaign with just nine wins in their first 18 nated Georgetown each of the past three postseasons.games. That might be a desirable record for the leagues The Blades also got the better of Georgetown dur-bottom feeders, but it was cause for concern for a squad ing regular-season play, claiming the last four meet-shooting for its third Royal Bank Cup national champi-ings after the Raiders won the first two.onship tournament appearance in four years.Perhaps predictably, Jooris pointed out that regu-To say the Blades addressed their early-season lar-season results dont mean much when playoffs issues would be a radical understatement. Oakville come around. But he also conceded that the Blades won 27 of its last 32 games, finishing the regular sea-have had Georgetowns number the past few years.son third in the North/West Conference with a 36-12-2 I think we match up well. Last year and this year, record. The Blades will enjoy home-ice advantage they have had a tough time with us, he said. But we when they open the playoffs this weekend against the cant take anything lightly. Were going to come in Georgetown Raiders.there giving 100 per cent and expecting a real battle.Im really proud of the way the kids bought into our (The Raiders) are looking for redemption. They system. They never got discouraged. There was always want to turn it around against us, just like we want to talk and expectations of (the Royal Bank Cup) and every-keep it going.one was questioning (us), Jooris said. There was a new NOTES: Mark McGowan scored twice and added coach, new players, and a new rink (the Olympic-sized three assists in the Blades romp over Milton Sunday. surface at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex) but the play-Kyle Lysaght added two goals and a helper, Tyler Karius ers stuck with it. We believed in them and they believed potted a pair and Brandon Denham and Drake Wilton in our system and we did alright.also tallied. Lysaght earned two points in the final The Blades concluded their regular-season sched-three minutes of the game, including an assist with nine ule last weekend with a pair of wins, downing the seconds left, to win the team scoring title by one point GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVERBrampton Capitals 5-4 in overtime Friday at Sixteen over Stefan Thompson McGowan had the overtime HAWK TAKES FLIGHT: Blake Roubos of the Oakville Blades takes a hitMile Sports Complex and then trouncing the Milton winner Friday against Brampton, his second goal of the from an airborne Milton IceHawk, Kyle Cecchetto, during Sunday's Ontario JuniorIceHawks 8-2 Sunday in Milton. Oakville has earned contest. Kyle Blaney, Karius and Denham had Oakvilles Hockey League game. The Blades won 8-2 to finish the season with a record of points in 13 straight games and 21 of its last 22.other markers The Blades allowed 2.62 goals per game 36-12-2 and will meet the Georgetown Raiders in their opening playoff series.Now the challenge is carrying that momentum this season, the third-lowest total in the league.March Break Soccer Camps Focus on skill/developmentPre/Post care availableFun and friendly environmentComplimentary T-Shirt and Friday lunchMarch 14 18 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. $395 per week*Available for ages U7 (born in 2004) to U16 (born in 1995)*Pre/Post care not includedNew members register in person at the Oakville Soccer Club, returning members register online or in person. 1520 Pine Glen Road, on Third Line, one block south of Dundas Street.For more information visit www.oakvillesoccer.caProud sponsor of the Oakville Soccer Clubwww.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 16, 2011 18