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Costly loss for midget Rangers Russell named top CIS swimmer BURLINGTON -- The Oakville Rangers earned the right to control their own destiny at the Central Region Midget AAA Championships. And then they gave it away. Coming off Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the previously undefeated Sault Ste. Marie North Stars, the Rangers could have all but clinched a playoff berth against the winless Ottawa Jr. 67s yesterday (Thursday) morning. Instead, the Rangers surrendered three goals in three minutes late in the second period on their way to a 6-3 loss that dropped their record to 2-3. That put Oakville in a must-win situation for its final round-robin game today (Friday at 10 a.m.) against the Ottawa Valley Titans. "Now it's win and move on, lose and we're done," said Braeden Corbeth, who was named the team's most valuable player against the 67s. "We've had a lot of desperation (in the playoffs). In the OMHAs, we had to win the final game of the round robin and we went into double overtime against York-Simcoe in the final. We seem to play better in those situations." Mike Daley, subbing for his father Tom behind the bench, said it was "a disappointing effort," especially after such a strong performance against Sault Ste. Marie. "That was a big game for us, a big momentum game," he said. "Then to come back and play the first game of the day, they thought they could just walk through the game. It's up to them now. They've won 46 games so they know how to win." Oakville showed that against the North Stars, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Brandon Alderson, Mark Runciman and Nicolas Soubry. Corbeth upped the lead to 4-0 a minute into the second and Mark Bennett, the tournament's leading scorer with four goals and six assists through Wednesday's games, made it a five-goal advantage midway through the period. The Soo got two back in the third but never seriously challenged the Rangers. Twelve hours later, the Rangers had a chance to join a group of three teams atop the standings with three victories. Oakville had blanked the 67s 4-0 in a tournament earlier this season, but it was Ottawa that struck first in the final minute of the opening period. Brett Lee replied for Oakville early in the second but Ottawa quickly regained the lead. Ottawa would put the game away in the final six minutes of the period, scoring three times to extend its lead to 5-1. Brendan Quigg and Jacob Liptok would cut the gap to 5-3 but Ottawa sealed the victory with a power-play goal. Corbeth agreed that the team was not at its best for the game. "We didn't have that sense of urgency that we had (against Sault Ste. Marie)," he said. "I think we took them too lightly because they hadn't won a game." That's the kind of mistake the Rangers can't afford to make again. Dolphins Swim Club of Oakville member Colin Russell was recently named Canadian Interuniversity Sport's male swimmer of the year. Russell, who helped Canada to a fifth-place finish in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay and a sixth-place showing in the 4x100m freestyle relay at last year's Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, enjoyed a stellar university season. He set three meet records -- two of them with national-record swims -- and won seven medals in as many races at the CIS championships. Russell won gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events at the national university championships, becoming the first male swimmer since 2003 to capture the Sprinter's Cup for winning both the 50m and 100m freestyles. One week after the university championships, Russell earned silver medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle at the Canadian nationals, finishing second in both races to fellow Olympian Brent Hayden. Russell's two medals were part of a strong nationals performance by the Dolphins. His sister, Sinead, swam to five national age group firstplace rankings in the 100m freestyle, 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, and the 200m individual medley. Sinead also earned two second-place and two third-place national rankings. Her performance earned her spots on the Australian National Age Group Tour Team and the Canada Games Team. Meaghan McCann and Christina Tanninen both reached consolation finals with personalbest times. 45 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 3, 2009 W e are the e Champions! Sports-Arts-Academics BURLINGTON MINOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION www.burlingtonminorfootball.ca THE BEST FOOTBALL IN HALTON! Proud Supporter of Canadian Football! Fall House League Tackle (Ages 6-14) Fall Stampeders (Ages 9-14) In-Person Registration Dates: Saturday, April 4 ­ 11:00am ­ 2:00pm Saturday, April 11 - 11:00am ­ 2:00pm Saturday, April 18 - 11:00am ­ 2:00pm Place: B.M.F.A. Clubhouse (behind the football Stadium at Nelson High School) 4181 New St. All House League games are played in Burlington! 1st and 2nd Year Registered Players can attend our Rookie Camp Day Tyke, Atom & Peewee Players will have an Evaluation Camp Day John Guzzo's 2005 Minor Atom AAA Richard Bell Tournament Champions Special Souvenir Edition Alexis Mastromarco, Footloose 2005 International Competition Overall Junior Champ published by the Oakville Beaver featuring Oakville's Champions Interested in being a Stampeder? Make sure you indicate that on the House League Registration Form! Tryouts start in May ­ Don't Delay! All of our programs are open to Boys and Girls! No Experience Necessary! All Equipment Provided except for Football Cleats! Cash, Credit Cards and Cheques Accepted If you are new to B.M.F.A., please bring proof of age Are you the coach/manager, teacher or sponsor of a team/athlete, musician or academic stand out? If so, you may have already appeared within the Oakville Beaver. Now you have an opportunity to have your superstar or team appear in a special supplement dedicated to champions! This special feature, publishing on April 25th, will include photos of this past winter's teams and individuals of the 2008-09 season/competitions. Email your picture with a small description of the win. Photos accepted until April 20th, 2009. Pictures without descriptions will not run. email: kmencfeld@oakvillebeaver.com Spring Flag Football Spots left in Bantam (Born in 1994/1993) - Season Starts Soon! Summer Stampeders Please email the Registrar - JJMA@cogeco.ca The Oakville Beaver N O R T H A M E R I C A ' S M O S T A W A R D E D C O M M U N I T Y N E W S P A P E R AIM to Care for Your Heart! Gentle exercise for Adults in Motion Registration Forms can be downloaded from our Website and mailed in! Additional In-person Registrations will be held! Dates and Times TBA Questions? Please e-mail the Registrar at JJMA@cogeco.ca www.ymcaofoakville.com