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Sports Oakville Beaver 23 · Thursday, February 28, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com VanSpall's nofrills.ca 1395 Abbeywood Dr., Oakville SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com See Our Ad On The Back Page Late-season slump a good thing for Blades Learning experience for young squad going into OJHL playoffs hey wouldn't have minded avoiding defeats against some of the league's bottom feeders. They could have lived without the humiliating losses to division leaders. And they surely would have liked to earn one more point and secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But there's a part of the Oakville Blades that actually seems appreciative of their roller-coaster finish to the Ontario Junior Hockey League regular season. Oakville entered February with a record of 28-11-4, very much in contention for the South Division title and a toptwo seed in the conference playoffs while ranking among the league leaders in goals against. Then the Blades hit the skids, winning just once in a six-game stretch. They were pounded 8-1 by the St. Michael's Buzzers Feb. 3, then 9-1 by the Georgetown Raiders 10 days later. They were doubled up 6-3 by a Milton IceHawks squad that failed to qualify for postseason play. Then the Blades quickly righted the ship. Oakville won four of its final five contests -- and outshot the Mississauga Chargers 43-17 in the one game it lost -- to finish fifth in the conference standings, avoiding Georgetown in the first round. Instead, the Blades drew the North York Rangers, a team they beat four out of five times during the regular season, in a bestof-seven affair that began last night (Wednesday, after the Beaver's press time) in Toronto. Oakville head coach Kevin Gomes and general manager Duncan Harvey both believe their team is better for the experience gained in the final month of the campaign. "It's not the way I would have wanted to do it, but what you learn from that and how you bounce back from that is really important," Gomes said yesterday, prior to the series opener. "Our players collectively took it upon themselves. They had a players-only meeting, and they really picked each other up. The spirit in the room is fantastic." With a rookie-laden team (only one player, captain Aidan Orbinski, was on the Blades roster last season), the lesson came at an ideal time. "This league is a very tough league, and at this time See Blades, page 25 T DAVID MOLL / COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ZACK ATTACK: Oakville resident Zack Chetrat powers through the water during last weekend's Canadian Interuniversity Sport swim championships in Calgary. Chetrat was a key factor in the University of Toronto's national title win. Chetrat leads U of T to national gold By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Last year, the University of Toronto came within 11 points of ending a drought in men's swimming that was approaching two decades. With top teams accumulating more than 500 points over the course of the three-day Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships, 11 points is nothing. One race can make the difference. Zack Chetrat had taken last year off to pursue the individual goal of making Canada's Olympic team. But returning to the University of Toronto this year, Chetrat had a team goal in mind. "Winning CIS, since I was recruited, has always been a goal and we've been getting closer every year," Chetrat said. "This year you could tell the team was really motivated. You could feel the team had a bit of a chip on its shoulder. We really wanted it and it put a fire in our bellies." The team captain did everything he could to make that happen Saturday in Calgary. He had already won the 200metre butterfly for the fourth time in his university career. He finished second with a personal best in the 100m butterfly (it took a CIS record to beat him) and helped the Blues earn another silver earn its first national men's title in 18 in the 4x200m freestyle relay. But years. The final tally was 539 points for Chetrat's biggest contributions would the Varsity Blues, 524 for UBC. The marcome on the final day of the meet, even gin of victory: 15 points. "He's the heart and soul of the team," if they wouldn't result in a medal. With just two events remaining, the MacDonald said. "Everybody rallies Blues clung to a slim 12-point lead over around Zack." Chetrat had already the University of British given the team a boost Columbia and the "He's the heart and soul on Day 2 of the competiUniversity of Calgary of the team. Everybody tion. Again, he swam remained within striking rallies around Zack." the final two events of distance. the day, the 200m fly Knowing how close and the freestyle relay, last year's finish had University of Toronto swim and those results had been, Chetrat had volun- coach Bryon MacDonald, boosted the Blues into teered to swim the speaking about Oakville's the lead heading into 1,500m freestyle, though Zack Chetrat the final day. Earlier in neither the stroke nor the distance are his specialty the day, he swam the 400m freestyle, "He's not a miler, and that's a brutal leaving him not as fresh for his marquee event, especially at altitude," said U of T race. Still, the 22-year-old won the 200m fly in 1:55.59, improving upon his coach Byron MacDonald. Chetrat would finish fourth, collect- Ontario University Athletics record set ing 15 valuable points, especially consid- two weeks earlier. "To go as fast as I did at OUA, I was ering UBC was shut out in the event. The victory was not secure yet. So just really happy with that," he said. "I swam 20 minutes later, Chetrat was back on the 400 (free) for points, but it was a the pool deck preparing for the final weekend of our team stepping up, and as event of the meet, the 4x100m medley captain, I wanted to contribute as much relay. UBC won the race but Chetrat as I could." Chetrat was named swimmer of the helped U of T finish fifth, earning enough See Sitting, page 24 points to hold off the Thunderbirds and