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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, October 2, 2013 | 18 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports A H L A C T I O N "Connected to your Community" I N O A K V I L L E OSC technical director resigns by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Dino Lopez has stepped down as the technical director of the Oakville Soccer Club, citing philosophical differences with the club's executive as the reason for his decision. Lopez's resignation will take effect Friday, Oct. 4. Rafael Carbajal has been named the club's new technical director on an interim basis. "I felt that my interpretation of our strategic direction, as it pertains to high performance, differs from the board's. Ultimately, the board's decisions trump my decisions," said Lopez, 44. "I felt if I had to step up and be the face of all the high-performance decisions, I would need to believe in everything. I just think the club will be better served by having someone in place who is more aligned with what they want to do at the high-performance level." Lopez, a former national team player, said his decision was not based on one particular issue. He stressed that the club is doing an excellent job of developing players at the recreational and competitive recreational levels, and suggested the OSC has the best collective coaching staff in the Dino Lopez province. "I don't think that the board is doing a terrible job by any means. I just felt some of (our) policies make it difficult for us to bridge the gap from good rep player to national team player," he said. "There have been decisions made along the way that, for me, it's been increasingly hard to put my name beside them." Lopez's resignation came shortly before last week's announcement that the Ontario Soccer Association had denied the OSC entry into the Rafael Carbajal Ontario Player Development League, an 18-club high-performance association that will begin play next year. "We have to be focused on everything. I just think the OPDL is the high-performance league, based on if you believe what the OSA is saying -- and they're our governing body, so you have to," Lopez said. "If you're not in the OPDL game, you're not in the high-performance game. That's part of it." Dave Harris OSC executive director Dave Harris said it is not uncommon in sports for managers and executives to have opposing visions of how to do things. "People have different belief structures. To be fair, this is a very educated, very knowledgeable board. These people are all very successful in their businesses outside of here," Harris said. "They're all parents, they all have kids. I've seen (differences in philosophies) a million times in other sports... Quite frankly, (Dino) is entitled to what he believes, but so (is the board)." Lopez is the second OSC technical director in the last 16 months to step down from the position. The long-time Oakville resident inherited the job from Jason deVos, who left the OSC last May to focus on his broadcasting career. see Interim on p.19 Hamilton Bulldogs netminder Mike Condon stops a wrap-around attempt by the Toronto Marlies' Andrew Crescenzi Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The Marlies won 5-3 in an American Hockey League pre-season contest that kicked off last weekend's Ontario Junior Hockey League Governors' Showcase, hosted by the Oakville Blades. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Blades put on a show at Governors' Showcase The Oakville Blades took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase their abilities. Oakville scored five first-period goals on its way to a 7-3 rout of the Burlington Cougars Saturday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The game was part of the Ontario Junior Hockey League's annual Governors' Showcase event, hosted this year by the Blades, that exposes all of the league's teams to college scouts at one location. Oakville defenceman Vince Palermo may have impressed scouts the most, drawing four assists. Ross Sloan and Scott Goodman both had a goal and a helper, while Mark Bzowey, Sean Kohler, Joe Seney, Greg Campbell and Marcel Fatovic also tallied in the win. Evan Buitenhuis stopped 27 of 30 shots to record the victory in net. Next action for the Blades (3-3) will be a visit to the St. Michael's Buzzers Wednesday in Toronto. Oakville is not scheduled to play at home again until Oct. 11. Other results from the Governors' Showcase: Mississauga 5, Buffalo 4 (shootout); Cobourg 3, Aurora 2; Kingston 4, Stouffville 3; Trenton 4, Pickering 0; Toronto Lakeshore 3, Milton 2 (shootout); Georgetown 4, Toronto 3 (overtime); North York 7, Orangeville 2; Wellington 6, Newmarket 0; Whitby 4, Lindsay 2; and St. Michael's 6, Hamilton 1. AHL pre-season game in Oakville The Governors' Showcase weekend kicked off Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex with an American Hockey League pre-season contest between the Toronto Marlies and Hamilton Bulldogs. Toronto's Spencer Abbott scored to break a 3-3 tie with 1:48 to go and the Marlies added an empty-netter in the final minute to down the Bulldogs 5-3. A pair of Oakville residents, Stuart Percy and Stefan Legein, played for the Marlies. Legein, signed by the Marlies last month, drew an assist on Toronto's second goal of the game. Approximately 1,200 people attended the contest. Oakville Blades blueliner Vince Palermo (right) drew four assists in a 7-3 win Saturday over the Burlington Cougars at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. | photo by Michael Ivanin -- Special to the Beaver