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25 Sports Oakville Beaver 25 · Wednesday, March 10, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell 905-844-4444 I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D Broker of Record B R O K E R A G E SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 Blades earn split with Georgetown Two fierce rivals are delivering everything that was expected of them. The Oakville Blades and Georgetown Raiders split a pair of one-goal decisions to open the Ontario Jr. A Hockey League semifinals. All four of the regularseason meetings between the teams were also decided by a single goal. The Blades took Friday's opener with former Raider Mark McGowan scoring the game's only goal and Daniel Savelli turning aside 30 shots for his second postseason shutout in a 1-0 Oakville victory. McGowan scored three minutes into the second period with Mark Bennett and Ryan Murphy drawing assists. Oakville outshot the Raiders 37-30. Back on home ice Saturday, it was Georgetown evening up the series, holding off the Blades for a 3-2 win. The loss snapped Oakville's three-game winning streak against the Raiders. Oakville again struck first on a goal by Josh Ranalli. However, Georgetown scored a power-play goal in the final minute of first period and added another goal with the man advantage five minutes into the second. Georgetown then extended its lead midway through the period. Oakville held Georgetown to just four shots on goal in the third and Alex Cord's unassisted goal drew the Blades within one with 6:27 to play. Savelli, who made 25 saves, suffered his first loss in regulation in seven playoff starts. Only once has he allowed more than three goals in a game in the playoffs. Oakville again outshot Georgetown, holding a 33-28 edge in shots. Game 3 of the series was played last night (Tuesday) in Oakville. Results were not available at press time. Game 4 is set for tonight in Georgetown at the Mold Masters SportsPlex at 7:30 p.m. The series returns to Oakville Friday at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The Darkhorse MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER He didn't play football until he was 21, now Joel Reinders is on the verge of a pro career but a pretty short journey." Football an afterthought Reinders never even considered playing footTwo years ago, Joel Reinders' football knowl- ball until his third year at Waterloo. His sport edge was limited to the Madden video game and was basketball, a sport he was so proficient at what he saw on television. that he played two seasons for the Warriors varNow, the 23-year-old King's Christian sity squad. Collegiate grad appears on the verge of But playing basketball "Every once in a being drafted into the Canadian Football wasn't fun for Reinders at while, I step back and League. Waterloo, where he Reinders, armed with all of two sea- have a realization that received limited playing sons of experience with the University of yeah, this is pro foottime. He quit the team Waterloo Warriors, will show his stuff at ball I'm looking at." after his second year. the CFL's annual evaluation camp this It didn't take long for weekend in Toronto. Reinders to feel a void in Joel Reinders The 6-foot-8, 320-pound offensive linehis life. man says the media attention he's received "Part of me was misslately has made everything sink in, but admits he ing," he said. "I've always been playing (somestill has to pinch himself at times. thing). I played hockey in grade school, and "Every once in a while, I step back and have a baseball... I'd always been part of a team so it was realization that yeah, this is pro football I'm different not being on one." looking at," Reinders said. "Two years ago, I During Reinders' first two years at Waterloo, knew very little about football. Going from zero Reinders had bulked up. A lot. to where I am now has been a pretty big journey, He'd gone from a 180-pound "string bean" in By Jon Kuiperij BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR high school to a 250-pound mass of muscle in university, and friends had taken notice. "Someone suggested, maybe jokingly but I took notice of it, that I play football because I was a lot bigger," Reinders said. "I didn't really think anything of it, but then it stuck in my head, once I wasn't doing anything. Then I met some guys playing basketball with two of the football guys, and we got talking about football. They suggested I come out to the spring training session with the football team, so I did." Promising start Warriors coach Dennis McPhee saw potential in Reinders as a defensive lineman. He liked Reinders' size as well as his footwork, something Reinders had developed during all those years of basketball. Reinders returned to the Warriors' camp the following fall, excited about developing his ability to sack the opposing quarterback -- a defensive lineman's equivalent of a dog snatching a Tbone steak. See Reinders page 27