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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, September 4, 2014 | 30 HALTON TRANSMISSION 559 SPEERS RD., #UNIT 3 905-842-0725 www.haltontransmission.com Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Blades appear poised for rebound campaign Mike Tarantino doesn't need any polls to tell him the Oakville Blades have improved this season. "Oh yeah? That's awesome," the new Blades coach smiled last week when informed Oakville received an honourable mention in the Canadian Junior Hockey League's pre-season Top-20 rankings. "But I didn't even know about that. I put zero stock in it." Tarantino puts more stock in what he sees. And what he sees is a potential Ontario Junior Hockey League championship-contending team, even though the Blades -- who open the 2014-15 campaign tomorrow (Friday) with a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Burlington Cougars at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex -- are coming off their first non-playoff season since 2001. "We're a lot deeper," said Tarantino, a former Blades star who now also teaches at Garth Webb Secondary School. "I still think there will be some growing pains. With new players and a new coaching staff, things will be different in terms of systems and expectations. But we set high expectations for ourselves. Our first goal is to win the South Division, then the conference, then eventually win the league, the province and the Canadian championship. "We've got a long way to go, but we've definitely got the right pieces." If anyone knows what it takes to go from missing the post-season to the top of the league, it's Tarantino. Four years ago, he became the head coach and general Defenceman Vince Palermo, pictured chasing down the puck during a game last season, manager of the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots, a franchise will captain the Oakville Blades this year. | photo by Brian Watts -- OJHL Images that had won just 15 games the previous season. The Patriots increased their point total each year under his leadership, culminating with an OJHL championship this past spring (Tarantino did not coach last season, choosing to spend more time with his young family, but Fri, Sept. 5 Burlington 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Fri, Dec. 5 Kingston was still the team's GM). Fri, Sept. 12 Whitby Sat, Dec. 6 Milton 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. The situation is not nearly as dire in Oakville as it Fri, Sept. 19 Buffalo 7:30 p.m. Fri, Dec. 12 Mississauga 7:30 p.m. Fri, Sept. 26 Cobourg 7:30 p.m. Fri, Dec. 19 Georgetown 7:30 p.m. was four years ago at Toronto Lakeshore. The Blades Fri, Oct. 3 St. Michael's 7:30 p..m. Fri, Jan. 2 Toronto 7:30 p.m. were just three games under .500 last season, missing Fri, Oct. 10 Toronto Fri, Jan. 9 7:30 p.m. Toronto Lakeshore 7:30 p.m. out on a post-season spot in the top-heavy South West Sat, Oct. 11 Aurora 7:30 p.m. Fri, Jan. 16 Orangeville 7:30 p.m. Conference by losing a play-in game in overtime to the Sat, Oct. 18 Trenton 7:30 p.,m. Sat, Jan. 24 St. Michael's* 7:30 p.m. Fri, Oct. 24 Buffalo 7:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 6 Stouffville 7:30 p.m. Toronto Jr. Canadiens. Fri, Oct. 31 Toronto Lakeshore 7:30 p.m. Sat., Feb 7 Lindsay 7:30 p.m. Large returning cast, significant additions Sat, Nov. 8 Pickering 7:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 13 North York 7:30 p.m. Fri, Nov. 14 Newmarket 7:30 p.m. Fri, Feb. 20 Mississauga 7:30 p.m. Back from that Blades squad are forwards Ross Sloan, Sat, Nov. 15 Wellington 7:30 p.m. Ryan Garvey, Joe Seney, Matthew McLeod, Sean Kohler Fri, Nov. 21 Hamilton 7:30 p.m. * Jan. 24 game to be played at Oakville Arena; all and Kamil Tkaczuk, defencemen Daniel Jelic, Vince Fri, Nov. 28 North York 7:30 p.m. others to be played at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Palermo and Greg Campbell, and goaltender Brendan McGlynn. Sloan led the Blades in scoring a year ago, Campbell represented Team Canada East at the 2013 World Jr. A Challenge and Palermo will captain this year's squad. Notable additions to that returning cast include Brandon Hughes, Matthew Lippa, Joe Mitchell, Ryan Markovic, Cole Robbins, Brian Hurley, Daniel Mannella and twin brothers Ryan and Tyler Burns. Hughes played in the Ontario Hockey League last year for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds; Lippa and Mitchell were high-scoring forwards in the Greater Ontario junior B loop; Markovic and Robbins are OHL draft picks; Hurley is a Long Beach, N.Y., native who was recommended to the Blades; Mannella, a 2012 World Jr. A Challenge participant, started 42 games in net for the Stouffville Spirit; Ryan Burns scored 38 points and added 118 penalty minutes for the Milton IceHawks; and Tyler Burns was second among IceHawks defencemen in points. Adding to the Blades' depth are young forwards Christian Rajic and Jackson Bales -- two 1997-born players who are draft picks of the OHL 's Sarnia Sting -- and Josh Kosack, who left the Oakville Rangers system last year to play for the Victory Honda midget AAA team in Detroit. There is also a chance that forward Adam Timleck -- currently trying out for the OHL 's Peterborough Petes -- will join the Blades this season as well. "We were able to acquire scoring," said Blades GM Mike Daley. "Most teams (in the OJHL) have two lines that can play with anybody. We have two lines that can play with, or be better than, anybody, and then we have two more lines that are definitely better than most teams' third and fourth lines." Tarantino said he plans to split the goaltending chores fairly evenly between Mannella and McGlynn, at least until a hot hand emerges. "You need two guys to win and compete and push each other," he said. "If you play well, you get to play again." Fourteen members of the Blades (McGlynn, Sloan, Garvey, Kosack, Rajic, Campbell, Bales, Palermo, Kohler, Hughes, Tkaczuk, Jelic and the Burns twins) are Oakville residents. -- Jon Kuiperij Oakville Blades 2014-15 home schedule Home opener SeaSon TickeT vs. Package now on Sale! Burlington Cougars LocaL Junior a Hockey at its Best! Friday, September 5th at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex Puck Drops at 7:30pm Adults $8, Senior $5, Kids are always FREE Come see the 2014-15 Oakville Blades in action. ViSiT www.oakVillebladeS.com $75 for two season Passes Includes $25 at Puckz Pub, $10 value for Buffalo Wild Wings & additional savings from Car Pride Auto Spa. Cash discounts and season long ticket holder discounts from each ticket package sponsor. Go to www.oakvilleblades.com for details. for The regular SeaSon game Schedule & oJhl college ShowcaSe