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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, January 15, 2014 | 16 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Pictured left to right, Mississauga Chargers captain Trevor Warnaar, Oakville Blades president Rob Campbell, Oakville residents Linda and Brent Johnston, Halton Regional Police special constable Kim Kelly and Oakville Blades forward Ross Sloan participate in a ceremonial puck drop as part of the Blades' Pink in the Rink game Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The annual event raised approximately $25,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Oakville coach, player attending national men's soccer team camp by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor The Canadian men's national soccer team's first camp of the year includes two men with strong connections to the Oakville Soccer Club. OSC technical director Rafael Carbajal was recently named as an assistant coach with the national team, while OSC product Kyle Bekker is on the 23-player roster at the camp that began Sunday in Sunrise, Fla. Carbajal, 53, has previous coaching experience with the Canadian women's national team and the Canadian men's under-18, U20 and U23 squads. A former goalkeeper from UruRafael Carbajal guay, he holds UEFA A and USSF A coaching licenses. According to both Carbajal and OSC executive director Dave Harris, Carbajal's appointment to the national team coaching staff won't affect his duties with the Oakville club. Carbajal was recently named the OSC's technical director after filling the posiKyle Bekker tion on an interim basis for three months, following the October resignation of Dino Lopez. "I have an understanding with... Dave Harris about what I can do and won't be able to do since the focus in our club was and will continue to be our membersee OSC on p.17 Blades' Pink in the Rink raises $25K Former player among those recognized at annual cancer awareness and fundraising event by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Eight months ago, Brandon Johnston was sitting on a couch watching television in his Oakville home when his world suddenly came crashing down. The 19-year-old was informed by parents Brent and Linda that he had been diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma, one of the most aggressive human cancers. "When you think of cancer, you think of older men and older women getting it," recalled Johnston, who chose to see a doctor after complaining about stomach pains for several weeks. "You don't expect kids to get it. It was the most shocking moment of my life." Johnston began getting treatment the following day, but took some time before telling his friends. "We were bowling with another one of his buddies, and he broke the news to us there," said Ross Sloan, Johnston's longtime minor hockey teammate. "I didn't believe him at first. "It was the saddest day of my life. Knowing my best friend had cancer and might not make it just sucked... That was the worst summer I've had in a long time." Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, the Oakville Blades chose to recognize Johnston -- who played 19 games for the Ontario Junior Hockey League team in the 2010-11 season -- during their annual Pink in the Rink cancer awareness and fundraising evening. Johnston couldn't be in attendance, but he had the best possible reason. He see Positive on p.17 OAKVILLE BLADES VS. TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS Friday, January 17th at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Puck Drops at 7:30pm Adults $7, Students/Seniors $5, Kids FREE LOCAL JUNIOR A HOCKEY AT ITS BEST!