36 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2009 Jr. A hockey showcase this weekend If you're looking for an opportunity to take a look at the revamped Ontario Jr. A Hockey League, this weekend provides your best chance. All 15 teams in the league will be in action at Joshua's Creek Arenas over the next three days for the College Showcase Weekend. The games give scouts from U.S. college and Canadian university programs, as well as the Ontario Hockey League and the NHL, their first opportunity to assess the league's players. "We'll play our first two league games and we'll get a chance to see all the other teams and assess their strengths and weaknesses," said Blades general manager Carlo Coccimiglio. There will be four games on Friday, with Buffalo and Trenton getting things started at 3:30 p.m. Games follow at 5 and 6 p.m. on the two rinks, with the Blades and the Kingston Voyageurs meeting in a rematch of last year's league final at 7:30 p.m. Six more games will be played Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and five more on Sunday, also beginning at 1 p.m., capped by the Blades' clash with the Aurora Tigers at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for a single day or $30 for the entire weekend. With the former Ontario Junior Hockey League splitting into the Ontario Jr. A Hockey League (OJAHL) and the Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL), Blades fans will have their first opportunity to see the Blades' new rivals. Eight of the 15 participating teams were not part of the Blades schedule last year. The showcase weekend had been held in Bowmanville the previous two years but, with the Eagles joining the CCHL, it became available and Coccimiglio jumped at the opportunity to host. "It's important for our organization," he said. "When the discussion came up, we had the arena facility to play the games and with the restaurant (between the ice surfaces), it was a perfect location and it will help businesses in the area. We felt it was a perfect opportunity." -- Herb Garbutt RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER TOP GUNS: Pictured left to right, Mike Ingoldsby, Dustin Alcock and Mark Bennett are three returning players the Oakville Blades are expecting a lot from this season. Ingoldsby will captain the Blades, who open the season tonight against last year's Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Kingston Voyageurs. Returning Blades hope to go out on top By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF fter spending the past five seasons as teammates, Michael Ingoldsby and Ryan Murphy are hoping to end their junior careers with a trophy hoisted above their heads. The duo will play a significant role in how far the Oakville Blades will go this season and, ultimately, if or what hardware the team captures. Ingoldsby will inherit the Blades' captaincy and anchor the team's blueline, beginning tonight (Friday) when the Blades open the Ontario Jr. A Hockey League season against the Kingston Voyageurs (7:30 start at Joshua's Creek Arenas). Murphy, the only returnee among Oakville's top five scorers a year ago, will be looked upon to lead the charge offensively after a 34-goal season. "I've known him since Grade 1," Murphy said of Ingoldsby, "and we've played every year of junior together. He's a good friend." And though they went to school together, they weren't teammates until midget. The two have been inseparable since then. Ingoldsby and Murphy graduated from minor hockey to their local Jr. B team, the Stratford Cullitons, where they played two years before joining the Blades last season. They even share the same billet in Oakville. Former teammates recommended Oakville It was another pair of Cullitons that led them to Oakville. Former Stratford teammates Trevor Eckenswiller and Nick McParland were part of the Blades' league championship team that went to the Royal Bank Cup tournament in 2008. They had nothing but positive things to say about the organization so when Murphy and Ingoldsby looked to make a move to the Jr. A ranks, they arrived in Oakville's camp last A year. Oakville general manager Carlo Coccimiglio said making sure players have an enjoyable experience is an important part of the recruiting process, something that was even more important given that the Blades have just seven returning players this season. "Players today have a lot of choices -- there's 36 Jr. A teams in southern Ontario," he said. "Players talk. "As we saw (Mike They want to go somewhere that's going to help their career as well as helping the Ingoldsby) grow as Oakville Blades." an athlete and Murphy is a prime example of that twomature as a person, way street. He led the Blades in gamewe thought he winning goals while putting up 81 points would be a prime in 49 games to help Oakville win the MacKinnon Division title. His play also captain." earned him a scholarship at Niagara University for next year. Blades GM Fourteen players from last year's team Carlo Coccimiglio had already moved on to higher levels (four to Division I U.S. colleges, five to Division III, three to Canadian university and two to the OHL). While that stripped the team of many of its veterans, Coccimiglio feels he has a strong leader to guide the team. After missing three weeks with an early-season injury, Ingoldsby developed into a steady presence on the blueline. He also showed offensive promise as the season progressed, matching his regular-season 18-point output in 28 playoff games. Coccimiglio said his development as both a player and person made him an ideal candidate to have the `C' on his sweater. See Loss page 38