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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports S Y N C H R O C A 9 | Wednesday, January 29, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" P E R S Blades, Hornets each post splits in weekend play The Oakville Blades snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Hamilton Red Wings at Oakville Arena. Ross Sloan, Kris Bennett and Dalton Bew scored goals while Brendan McGlynn made 33 saves in the victory, an important one for the Blades as they battle for a postseason berth in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's South-West Conference. Oakville is seventh with 44 points, two points ahead of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens and Mississauga Chargers who are tied for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Blades, who have not missed the playoffs since 2001, and Mississauga both have nine regular-season games remaining. Toronto has seven contests left on its schedule. Prior to the win over Hamilton, the Blades were defeated 5-1 Friday in Toronto by the St. Michael's Buzzers. Matthew McLeod had the Blades' lone tally and McGlynn made 32 saves in a losing cause. Oakville (20-20-4) will play a pair of home games this weekend, both 7:30 p.m. starts at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The Aurora Tigers (31-10-3) will come to town Friday, followed by St. Michael's (22-17-6) Saturday. Hornets sting Sharks, fall in London The Oakville Hornets split two games last weekend in Provincial Women's Hockey League action. Alessia Marchese and Kirsten Miller scored goals in the Hornets' 2-1 win over the Barrie Sharks Friday at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Stephanie Loukes made 24 saves to earn her second win of the season. Two days later, the Hornets dropped a 3-1 decision in London to the host Devilettes. Rebecca Daniel scored for Oakville, tying the game 1-1 in the second period before London won the game with two third-period markers. The Hornets (9-13-4) are home for a pair of games this weekend. The Kitchener-Waterloo Rangers visit Joshua's Creek Friday for an 8:30 p.m. contest, and the Durham West Lightning is in town Saturday for a 4:30 p.m. clash. Skate Oakville's Oakville Edge Elementary 2 team performs Saturday during the Synchro Capers invitational synchronized skating meet at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. The Elementary 2 team won the silver final of its division, as did the Edge's Adult III squad. Gold finalists included the Edge's Juvenile (silver), Elementary A (fourth), Novice (fourth), Beginner II (fifth) and Beginner I (eighth) teams. Oakville Edge's seniors were the only team that competed in their division, taking the opportunity to prepare for next month's nationals in Vancouver. For more figure skating news, see page 10. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Therapist vows to `absorb everything' in Sochi by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor If you're looking forward to viewing Domenic Manchisi's scrapbook from next month's Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, you're likely to be disappointed. The 34-year-old Oakville resident, preparing to work his second Olympics as massage therapist for the Canadian women's hockey team, said there was one mistake he made at the 2010 Games in Vancouver that he won't be repeating. "What have I learned? Absorb everything you can," Manchisi said last week, a day before departing for the national women's team's pre-Olympic trip to Austria. "In Vancouver, we had a sports psychologist with us who said, `Really absorb it through your eyes, don't live it through a lens.' Now that I'm a veteran like he was, I'm starting to tell the new guys, `Forget the cameras.' It wasn't worth it. You relive the memories through your head, through what you see." Manchisi, who runs a clinic out of River Oaks Recreation Centre, will see a lot once again at this year's Olympics. He'll march with the athletes in the opening ceremonies, stay in the athletes' village, work on the Canadian athletes between games and do pretty much anything else he can to assist the team while it's on the ice. "I'm upstairs in the press boxes doing other things that may help out the coaches. Stats, video, help out the equipment guy, whatever," Manchisi said. His greatest responsibility, however, will be to ensure Oakville's Brianne Jenner and her Canadian teammates recuperate as quickly as possible during intermissions and between games. Manchisi believes massage therapy reduces muscle fatigue by working lactic acid out of muscles before soreness sets in. "The sooner you can get the athlete out there, the better. That's always my goal," said Manchisi. "Whether it's the Olympics or the world championships or a midget AAA game, our goal is always to get them on the ice as soon as possible." If Canada finishes in the top three at this year's Games -- the country has won three consecutive gold after settling for silver in Domenic Manchisi will be away from wife Sonia and young children 1998, the year the sport made its Olympic (from left) Mia, Theodore and Adriano for five weeks as he serves as debut -- Manchisi won't receive an Olymmassage therapist for the Canadian women's hockey team at the pic medal. Those are limited to the athletes, Olympics in Sochi. | photo by Nikki Wesley -- see Having on p.11 Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog