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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports 25 | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Laughton one step closer to playing in world juniors Scott Laughton is one big step closer to fulfilling his dream of playing for Canada at the world junior hockey championships in Sweden over the holidays. The 19-year-old Oakville native was invited Monday to the final national junior team selection camp, which begins Dec. 12 at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence in Etobicoke. A first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, Laughton has 21 goals and 21 assists in 25 games with the OHL's Oshawa Generals this season. He is one of only 15 forwards invited, meaning he has to survive only two more cuts up front in order to play in the 2014 tournament, assuming no NHL players are added. The camp roster includes only two goalies, Zachary Fucale of the Halifax Mooseheads and Jake Paterson Oshawa Generals' Scott Laughton is one of 15 forwards invited to the national junior hockey team selection camp, meaning he needs of the Saginaw Spirit, and eight deto survive only two cuts up front in order to suit up for Canada at the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships. fencemen, including Mathew Dum| photo by Aaron Bell -- OHL Images ba of the Minnesota Wild, the lone NHL player loaned to the team so far. Laughton, who played five games with the Flyers last season and made the team out of training camp this season, has never played in the world junior tournament. He was sent back to the Generals after being scratched in the Flyers' season opener. Three other Generals, forward Michael Dal Colle, defenceman Josh Brown and goalie Daniel Altshuller, played for Canada in the Subway Super Series, but did not get an invitation to the camp. The roster includes three players yet to be drafted into the NHL, Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts, Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice and 16-year-old sensation Connor McDavid of the Erie Otters. Canada's roster must be finalized by Dec. 25, the day before the opening game against Germany. Other teams in Canada's pool are the United States, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Blades drop pair to Pickering The Oakville Blades were Panther prey last weekend. Oakville dropped a pair of Ontario Junior Hockey League games to the Pickering Panthers, 5-4 in a shootout Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex and 3-0 Sunday in Pickering. Greg Allen scored twice and Carmine Vietri and David Dischiavi added singles Friday for the Blades, who led 4-2 after two periods but were unable to hold on. Sean Kohler was the lone Oakville player to score in the shootout, which the Blades lost 2-1. Brendan McGlynn made 36 saves in the loss and Ryan Garvey contributed two assists. Sunday, the Blades were nearly doubled up on the shot count (4624) and allowed 18 shots in each of the final two frames. Evan Buitenhuis made 43 saves in a losing cause. The Blades (13-12-1) will be home to the Newmarket Hurricanes this Friday (7:30 p.m.) before visiting the Orangeville Flyers the following evening. Hornets' comeback falls short against Nepean The Oakville Hornets scored the final three goals of their Provincial Women's Hockey League game Friday. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to offset surrendering the first five. Oakville was defeated 5-3 by the 13-1-1 Nepean Wildcats at Joshua's Creek Arenas, dropping the Hornets' record back to .500 at 5-5-3. Christina Putigna led the Oakville comeback attempt with a pair of goals, including a shorthanded marker. Rebecca Daniel also scored and netminder Stephanie Loukes made 20 saves. Oakville will visit the rival Burlington Barracudas this Friday at Burlington's Mainway Arena, beginning at 8 p.m. The Hornets will then host the Kingston Ice Wolves Saturday (4:30 p.m.) at Joshua's Creek Arenas, and will also be home to the Barracudas Tuesday (8 p.m.). W I N N E R B Y T K O Oakville resident Ryan Young (white trunks) delivers a blow to Montreal's Mitch Louis-Charles during a United Boxing Promotions event Saturday at Mississauga's Hershey Centre. Young won the battle of middleweights by technical knockout as Louis-Charles was unable to answer the bell for the fourth round due to injury, and is now 2-0 in his UBP career. | photo by Ron Pietroniro -- Metroland Media Group