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SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 25 By Jeff Hicks METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Ben Fanelli hopped off the ice at the Kitchener Auditorium last week as if he was wearing springs instead of blades. How was he feeling? Really good, the 17-year-old Oakville resident said from behind a silver face mask. Days like last Thursday are good days for Fanelli. He can skate with his Kitchener R a n g e r s t e a m m a t e s because they are non-con- tact practice days. The fol- lowing day, the Rangers hosted the Niagara IceDogs in an Ontario Hockey League pre-season game. Fanelli did not play. And he may never play in the OHL again. Its all up to doctors. This week, before the Rangers play their Friday home opener against the Saginaw Spirit, he was to see a specialist. Much will become clearer about Fanellis future soon. The Fanelli family will be grate- ful for that. Fanellis life changed last Oct. 30 when the force of a hit by Mike Liambas knocked off his helmet and spun his head into a hard support for glass behind the net at the Zamboni entrance. Fanelli was left with skull frac- tures and spent a week in hospital. Now, almost a year later, he is skating hard again. Whether or not he will be allowed to resume full- contact hockey is undetermined. He is still a Ranger. He still owns No. 4. Last Thursday, he traded saucer passes with teammate Gabriel Landeskog at centre ice as the two rested on their knees after stretch- ing. During practice, he was one of nine black-shirted defencemen. His silver cage, the one he will likely have to wear for the rest of his hockey career, made him stand out. So did his tongue-out skates. He was the only Ranger on the ice without his skate flaps neatly tucked under his shin pads. When Rangers coach Steve Spott dumped a puck into the cor- ner during a drill, goalie Mike Morrison settled it down for Fanelli to pick it up and wheel out of the zone. This time, Fanelli didnt spin awkwardly with the puck. Liambas, invited to try out with the Toronto Maple Leafs this month after being banned from the OHL for his check Fanelli back on ice Ben Fanelli But return to OHL still in doubt a year after skull fractured by check NATIONAL TEAM VISITS: Kara Lang delivers some soccer pointers to young girls Sunday at the Oakville Soccer Club. Lang, Diana Matheson and many other members of the Canadian womens soccer team visited the club for a clin- ic and autograph session. More than 300 female OSC members attended the clinic, which raised $1,700 for the Haitian womens national team. Clinically speaking Mason nets big extension from Jackets Local goaltender Steve Mason has signed a two-year contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $5.8-million. The 22-year-old Abbey Park High School alumnus had a 3.06 goals against, a .901 save percentage and five shutouts last season. The previous year, Mason won the Calder Trophy as the NHLs rookie of the year with a 2.29 average and a .916 save percentage while posting a league-leading 10 shutouts. He has a record of 53-46-16 over two seasons. The Minor Oaks Hockey Association product was drafted in the third round by Columbus in 2006 and led the Canadian junior team to the gold medal in 2008. DANIEL HO / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Steve MasonSee Rangers page 26