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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, July 24, 2013 | 18 Buzz's near upset has its benefits, but in the end, `losing sucks' Local medallists at Special Olympics provincials Nine Oakville athletes combined to win 24 medals at the recent Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games in North York. Ryan O'Donnell, Noah Banton, Elisha Donaghey-Johnston, Ryan Booth, Patsy Mallais, Kim Sullivan, Andrew Beauchesne, Steven Anderson and Max Baraya (pictured above) were part of the Region 5 Athletics Team that brought home 59 medals from the meet. More than 1,000 athletes competed in athletics, soccer, softball, rhythmic gymnastics and golf at the Games. The process now begins to determine eligibility for the 2014 Special Olympics National Summer Games, which will be held in Vancouver. Bruce Burton and Michelle Baptie Sanchez of Athletiques International helped Janice Donaghey coach the local athletes, and Sherry Knight of Oakville's Quality Care Sport Injury & Rehab Inc. provided training services. There are many who subscribe to the belief that not all wins and not all losses are created equal. Some victories are more rewarding than others, some defeats hurt more than others. Sam Rook does not sound like a man who buys into that theory. Not even after his Oakville Buzz squad pushed the Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B powerhouse Green Gaels -- a team that lost just once in 20 regular-season games -- to the brink of playoff elimination before failing in three attempts to finish off the upset. The Gaels ended the Buzz's season Saturday in Clarington with a 6-5 win over Oakville, winning the secondround series in five games after the Buzz had jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. Oakville's best chance to oust the Gaels might have taken place the previous night in Game 4 at Toronto Rock Athletic Centre, when the Buzz held a 7-3 lead in the second period before the Gaels rallied to win 11-9. "Losing sucks, regardless of how it happens," said Rook, the Buzz's longtime head coach who guided the team to a 12-8 mark in the regular season. "We want to win. Whether it takes us three or four or five games (in a playoff series), we'll take it. So losing in three or four or five games, it's still a loss in the end." But though Rook does not take any solace in coming close (three of the five games in the series were decided by a goal, another was decided by two), he won't deny the benefits of the experience -- particularly with a roster that has all but one player eligible to return next season. "I think we've learned a lot. The young kids on the team and the kids who took over leadership roles from veterans who graduated last year have learned a lot, and that will prepare us better for the future," he said. "The team hierarchy is already set. The kids know who the go-to guys are, the guys who will drive the team forward, and those kids have accepted that role. Also, now they know what it's going to take to be successful. Until you learn that and until you learn how to do that, you're just a talented player. If you want to be a winning player, you have to do the dirty work, too." Despite the Gaels carrying all the momentum into Saturday's series decider, Oakville did not go easily. The Buzz rallied from a 4-1 second- Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor Oakville Beaver Iroquois Ridge student Buchan youngest player on bronze-winning Canadian junior inline hockey team When Cole Buchan arrived at the tryouts for Canada's inline hockey team, it became clear he was in a class by himself. While everyone else who showed up at Oakville Arena was there to try out for the senior team, Buchan was the only player there to audition for the national junior squad. With the team's coach there to watch, Buchan had a great opportunity to impress the coach, but he also had nowhere to hide. In the end, Canadian coach Thomas Woods liked what he saw. He asked Buchan to join Canada's entry in the FIRS World Junior Championships in Huntington Beach, Calif., and again Buchan found himself in select company. At 16, he was Cole Buchan the youngest member of the team. And he was the only skater from east of Alberta, with Burlington's Blake Lochhead being the only other Ontario player to make the grade. Canada would earn its first medal since 2009 after defeating Colombia 6-1 in the bronze-medal game. While Colombia may not sound like a likely candidate to be a hockey power, Buchan said the Canadian squad quickly found out it could not discount an opponent based on its ice hockey abilities. In its tournament opener, Canada quickly found itself down 2-0 to Switzerland just four minutes into the game. "After those first two goals, we just settled things down," Buchan said. "We just told ourselves to relax. There was lots of time left." Canada fought back to tie the game at three before the end of the period and finished off a 6-4 win with three unanswered goals. Canada also needed a comeback to beat France after again finding itself down 2-0. Buchan set up Dylan Churchwell to start the rally and later added an insurance goal in a 6-3 victory that improved Canada to 3-0. "It wasn't that pretty. It was a gritty goal," Buchan said of his marker. Canada finished the round-robin 5-1, with its lone loss to the Czech Republic, which defended its title. The Canadians lost their second game, dropping a 4-1 decision to the U.S. in the semifinals, leaving them one more chance to bring home a medal. It was no guarantee, though. Colombia had beaten Canada 6-5 in a heated exhibition game a couple of days before the tournament. The Canadian team had just one practice together as a team prior to the game. This time, Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead and cruised to a 6-1 win to earn the bronze medal. "We knew what we could do and we knew we were a better team than we showed in the exhibition game,"said Buchan, who has played in the Halton Roller Hockey League since he was eight. "It was pretty impressive what we were able to do with just one practice and one exhibition game to prepare." The Iroquois Ridge student, who made the shift from his usual defence to forward for the tournament, said it was a great experience being able to play for Canada. "Any time you can represent your country in any sport, it's a big deal," he said. "The games were the highest intensity games I've ever played in. To be able to experience that, that's why we play. That's why we love playing roller hockey." -- Herb Garbutt period deficit to tie the game early in the third, but the Gaels replied with a pair of goals and held Oakville scoreless until Greg Campbell netted his second of the game with two seconds remaining in regulation. Eddie Renaud, Liam Corbett and Justin Martin also scored Saturday. Jesse Legault, signed just two weeks before the playoffs after Buzz starting netminder Brent Noseworthy broke his ankle, took the loss in net despite stopping 36 of 42 shots. Friday, Renaud scored twice and Mitchell Bolduc, Todd Nakasuji, Foster Cuomo, Keyan McQueen, Troy O'Donnell and Mitch Wales chipped in with singles. Nakasuji added three assists while Cuomo, Campbell and O'Donnell each drew two. The Gaels began the comeback Thursday with a 13-6 romp in Clarington. O'Donnell (two), Pat Shea, McQueen, Cuomo and Campbell had the Buzz tallies, most of them coming after Clarington opened up a 10-2 advantage. "We laid an egg," Rook said flatly about Game 3. It was Oakville's only egg of the series. In fact, it was Oakville's only egg in seven games versus the Gaels this year when one includes Clarington's pair of one-goal victories during the regular season. That alone seems enough to show the Buzz is capable of being more than a pedestrian 12-8 team next season, or finishing higher than fourth in its conference for the first time since 2008. "I think (the Gaels) know now that Oakville is a team to be reckoned with and wary of in the future," Rook said. "They, and the league in general, are starting to realize the Buzz is certainly on the upswing. I don't think we'll be satisfied next year being in fourth place." -- Jon Kuiperij can be followed on Twitter @Beaversports