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Sometimes the best presents don't come in a box. Tim Hortons, 2010 Your local Tim Hortons invites you to a Free Holiday Skate. Its our way of saying thank you and happy holidays. See in-store or visit www.timhortons.com for ice times and locations. 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 , D ec em be r 3 0, 2 01 0 1 6 SportsOakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2010 Rangers top rival Georgetown to claim Richard Bell crown By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When the Georgetown Raiders scored three minutes into the third period, Oakville minor pee- wee AE Rangers coach Phil Guay called a timeout and gathered his team around the bench. It may have seemed odd considering his team still had a comfortable 5-3 lead, but Guay knew better. In the season opener, the Rangers had a 3- 0 lead on the Georgetown Raiders with seven min- utes to play but Oakvilles rival rallied for a 5-4 vic- tory. I just wanted to remind them that the game wasnt over, Guay said. Heeding their coachs warning, Oakville got a goal from Ben Schledewitz two minutes later to restore the three-goal advantage. The goal sealed a 7-4 victory for the Rangers as they claimed the divi- sion title at the Richard Bell Memorial Hockey Tournament, and in the process put a checkmark beside the second of their three goals for the season. Oakville already had the first. Since that season- opening loss to Georgetown, the Rangers have 23 consecutive wins in league play. With Georgetown, 16-4-3, well back, Oakville has already secured first overall in the league standings. Check. Now all that remains is an Ontario Minor Hockey Association title. With a stingy defence that has allowed just 37 goals in 24 games, Oakville has the foundation of a successful team. The Rangers were equally gener- ous in the tournament. They allowed just four goals in five games leading up to the final, including a 3- 0 shutout of Georgetown and another 3-0 shutout over the Burlington Bulldogs in the semifinals. That kind of play helped ease the tension when the Rangers took penalties 10 seconds apart late in the third to give the Raiders one last chance with a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage. We play very well positionally, Guay said. We had a lead. It was stressful but we had a nice cushion. Oakville not only killed the penalties, but as Tyler Stodulski stepped out of the box at the end of the first minor, he slipped behind the defence and took a pass from Adam Grant, broke in alone and snapped a shot over the Georgetown netminders glove for a shorthanded goal. And while defence is the foundation of the Rangers success, they are no slouches offensively either. Oakville scored 33 goals in six tournament games and in league play only Georgetown has scored more goals. Were very well balanced, Guay said. You take any line, any player, and they can score for you. Thats the beauty of this group. The 99 age group in Oakville is very deep. In the final, 11 different players recorded points, including Grant, who had a goal and two assists and Stodulski, who had a pair of goals. Kyle Renpenning, Francis Guay, Ben Schledewitz and Zachary DAmico also scored while Ryan Rudderham had a pair of assists. Of course, the most important thing for the players in achieving yet another goal was the new head gear. Purchased at a tournament in Ottawa earlier in the year, the Rangers had Gong Show toques waiting for them as a reward for winning a tournament. They went unclaimed in the nations capital but as the players emerged one-by-one from the dressing room following their triumph, they were all wearing their prize. And like the players newly insulated heads, the Rangers hope they are just starting to warm up. HERB GARBUTT / OAKVILLE BEAVER BIG BLAST: Michael Legge of the Oakville minor peewee AE Rangers unleashes a slapshot during the final of the Richard Bell Memorial Hockey Tournament Wednesday afternoon. Oakville killed a late 5-on-3 powerplay, adding a shorthanded goal as it defeated Georgetown 7-4 to claim the title. Minor peewee As, minor atom As win division titles The Oakville minor peewee A Rangers and Oakville minor atom A Rangers both recorded shutout victories to win their respective divisions at the Richard Bell Memorial Hockey Tournament Wednes- day afternoon. Though the peewee Rangers dominat- ed Whitby, it wasnt until Derek McVey scored into an empty net to seal a 3-0 vic- tory that Oakville fans could breath easy. Adam Grace and Liam Gravelle also scored for the Rangers while Christopher Vezina earned the shutout. At the same time the peewees were wrapping up their win, the minor atom A Rangers were putting the finishing touches on their 5-0 victory over the Meadowvale Mohawks on the adjacent rink at the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre. Anthony Tabak scored a pair of goals for Oakville while Cooper Elliott, Jodh Dhillon and Curtis Goddard also scored for the Rangers. Kieran Drover recorded the shutout for Oakville, which allowed just four goals in five tournament games. For full coverage of these games and other finals that were played after The Beavers press deadline, see Wednesdays paper. CHANTAL AYOTTE / OAKVILLE BEAVER