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OAKVILLE TITANS Register on-line at www.oakvillegridiron.com and pay through PayPal. For more information call 905-338-2291 Oakville MINOR FOOTBALLill I F T LL Oakville Titans = Oakville Football ATOM U11 2000-2001 PEE WEE U13 1999-1998 BANTAM U15 1997-1996 Spring 2011 Starts December 2010 FALL SEASON STARTS AUGUST 26 REGISTER ONLINE NOW www.oakvillegridiron.com Congratula tions to the Oakville Ti tans Junior Varsity Tea m on their winning se ason and Finalists in the OFC Champions hip. w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , A ug us t 1 9, 2 01 0 2 4 Major midget As capture COBA championship By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Oakville major midget As may have a bright future ahead of them, but they are making the most of the present. The As, with 11 of their 14 play- ers eligible to return next season, edged the Mississauga Twins 6-5 to win the Central Ontario Baseball Association title. Oakville won all three of its games to claim its first tournament victory of the season. Mark McIntyre singled, doubled and drove in two runs in the final game and Andrew DiMarco, Justin Mattiussi and Dave Venturi each had an RBI. Spencer Pecar picked up the win in relief of Matt Regan while Evan McBride notched the save with a perfect final inning. Though it was a pair of wins over Mississauga that clinched the title, it was a 7-3 victory over the Georgetown Eagles in the opening game of the tournament that set the stage. Oakville lost both its regular-season meetings against the Eagles and had a rough start in the tournament as Evan DiMichele surrendered three runs in the first two innings. Oakville would get those runs, and more, back in the third as Eric Hall and Nic Burnell started a rally. The As then got five straight hits from Venturi, Declan Baxter, Pat Griffin, Reagan and DiMarco. DiMichele shut Georgetown down the rest of the way before handing off to McBride, who picked up the save. There was a lot of nervous energy before that game, said manager Rich Griffin, but it gave us a huge confidence boost for the rest of the tournament. Oakville then crushed the Twins 11-1 behind a complete game from McIntyre. Pat Griffin drove in three and Troy Findlay reached base three times and scored twice. The As were second in the reg- ular season with a record of 15-5-2, finishing behind only Brampton, a team made up entirely of 18-year- old players. But the As who have just three 18 year olds never got the chance to face Brampton as the regular seasons top team was elim- inated earlier in the tournament. Personally, I would have liked to play them, Griffin said. It was a mixed opinion amongst our coach- ing staff. We beat them two of the three times in regular season so I knew we could handle them. Griffin said the COBA tourna- ment was the first time the entire lineup was healthy and that is encouraging news for the Ontario Baseball Association tournament Aug. 27-29 in Whitby. Weve been playing shorthanded most of the summer, he said. With everyone back and healthy, it helped set up our pitching rotation. That allowed the As three sen- ior players, Sean Connolly, DiMichele and Venturi, to win their first COBA championship. COBAS BEST: The Oakville major midget As edged Mississauga 6-5 to win the Central Ontario Baseball Association title. Team members are: (front, from left): Andrew DiMarco, Declan Baxter, Troy Findlay, Mark McIntyre, (back, from left) coach Andrew Pierce, coach Jim Findlay, Spencer Pecar, Evan McBride, Justin Mattiussi, Matt Reagan, Evan DiMichele, coach Tyler Weech, Nic Burnell, Pat Griffin, manager Rich Griffin, Eric Hall, Dave Venturi and coach Matt Griffin. By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF With an important year ahead of him, Stuart Percy couldnt have started off his season any better. Percy helped Team Canada win the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament by edging the United States 1-0 Saturday in Piestany, Slovakia. Its a dream come true. Every kid who plays hockey wants to play for their country and I was lucky to get that opportunity, 17-year-old defenceman said. Theres certainly a lot of pressure to win gold but its good to get a taste of that. It wont be the last time there will be h e i g h t e n e d expectations for Percy. For starters, he is entering his NHL draft year so he will be watched closely by scouts all season. On top of that, his team the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors will play in the Memorial Cup this year after winning the right to host the Canadian Hockey League championship. Percy believes the experience of playing in the Hlinka tournament will only benefit him heading into the season. The format of the tourna- ment left little room for error, raising the intensity level for each game. You definitely had to be ready and focused, he said. You had to get your rest and play every game like it was Game 7. I think that will help me because one of my goals is to have a bigger role (with Mississauga) next season. Percy, the Majors first round pick (15th overall) in the 2009 OHL draft, turned in a solid rookie season, recording three goals and 15 assists in 52 games. He has spent the off- season working on improving both his skating and his shot. Percy didnt record a point in Canadas five games at the Hlinka tournament but did post a plus-3 mark. The win over the U.S. provided a measure of revenge. In his previous international experience, represent- ing Ontario at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in January, Percy and his teammates were beaten 2-1 by the Americans. To finally get gold, he said. Words cant describe it. Percy helps Canada win gold in Slovakia Stuart Percy SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Reduce Reuse Recycle