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34 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2008 Catch me if you can Third-period collapse pushes Buzz to brink East's top seed on verge of elimination from OLA playoffs By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR H MICHAEL IVANIN / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Oakville Crusaders junior player Nick Van Leuwyk (left) heads down the field with Aurora's Andrew Coe in hot pursuit during last weekend's under-12 rugby tournament at Crusader Park. Oakville's three entries fared well in the tournament, with the Arrows going undefeated and the Spears and Swords both posting 2-1 records. The Crusaders will celebrate their club's 40th anniversary this weekend; see page 35 for details. Eat breakfast with Adam van Koeverden For the next few weeks, Adam van Koeverden fans can eat breakfast with the local kayaker -- well, sort of. Van Koeverden, arguably Canada's top medal hope at the upcoming Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, is one of seven athletes to receive sponsorship from General Mills Canada. Each athlete will receive financial support and products from General Mills Canada to aid in their training, and each will appear, separately, on promotional cereal boxes and in-store display pieces throughout Canada. Also receiving sponsorship from General Mills Canada were swimmer Brent Hayden, mountain biker MarieHélène Prémont, wheelchair track-andfield athlete Chantal Petitclerc, rowers Jane Rumball and Jake Wetzel, and triathlete Simon Whitfield. aving emphasized conditioning all season long, the Oakville Buzz prides itself on being a thirdperiod team. But it was the Mimico Mountaineers who dominated the final 20 minutes Tuesday at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre, outscoring the Buzz 5-1 in the third period en route to an 8-4 triumph and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B Eastern Conference semifinal series. Oakville, the top seed in the East after posting a 173 mark in the regular season, will look to stave off elimination tonight in Mimico (an 8 p.m. start). Game 5, if necessary, would be played Sunday at Glen Abbey, "We wanted to also an 8 p.m. start. score early in the The Buzz appeared to have third, which we did. all the momentum going into the third period Tuesday, We were waiting receiving spectacular goal- for their goalie and tending from Cam Watts and their team to fall having rallied from two goals down, which they down to tie the game 3-3. did. We can't wait However, Mimico regained the lead only 26 seconds into to see them the period, then took control on Friday." with two more goals midway through the frame. The Mimico player Buzz's Connor Gamble scored Kevin MacRory a powerplay marker with 4:13 left in regulation, narrowing the gap to 6-4, but the Mountaineers responded a minute later and added an empty netter with 1:36 to go. Mimico captain Michael MacRory, who scored the eventual game-winner, said he and his teammates felt it was only a matter of time before they solved Watts. "In that second period, he was getting real lucky. We had a little meeting before the third and said if we get one goal, this boy's confidence is gone," MacRory said. "We came out and scored first shot, and I thought that was it right there. He (had been) pulling horseshoes out." MacRory's brother, Kevin, added, "We wanted to score early in the third, which we did. We were waiting for their goalie and their team to fall down, which they did. We picked the rough stuff up at the end, and we can't wait to see them on Friday." Both MacRory boys were involved in that rough stuff, with Kevin taking on Alex Kruse and Michael wrestling with Mark Runciman. Mimico's Josh Barrick added to the fireworks by jumping the boards in the final minute, taking off his helmet and challenging the Buzz players. Barrick then gestured towards his crotch before being hauled back PHOTOS BY LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER See Extra page 35 Only $3,700.00 per team! PLUS $625.00 in bar vouchers! www.icesports.com 905-845-6989