32 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 255) Fax 905-337-5567 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2006 Buzz wary of sleeper Saints By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Glen Little predicted there would be an upset in the first round of the Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. B playoffs, and he was right. Now the job of the Oakville Buzz coach is to make sure there isn't one in the second round. The Buzz will face the Scarborough Saints in the East Conference semifinal, a series that begins tomorrow (7 p.m. Saturday) at Maplegrove Arena. The Saints finished the regular season 10-10 but they managed to knock off the favoured Akwesasne Lightning (14-5). Scarborough has come a long way since finishing 1-19 last season and although Little admires what it has done to turn its franchise around, he doesn't want Cinderella to make it to the ball. "They've come a long way. I respect the heck out of them," he said. "They're well coached and they're going to be a test." It will be especially difficult if the Buzz slips in the discipline department, as it has on occasion this season. "Their power play is deadly," Little said. "They've got a very skilled player in Scotty Fitchett and Kyle Harris is a tremendous player, too." Scarborough snipers hot in playoffs Fitchett finished seventh in the league with 78 points and racked up 12 goals and 24 points in just four games in the opening round of the playoffs. Harris has also been hot in the playoffs with 27 points in five games. Branden Collins (70 points in the regular season and 20 more in the playoffs) and James Neville (12 goals in the opening round) are also dangerous. Of course, the Buzz can score as well with the likes of the league's leading scorer Brenden Thenhaus (54 goals, 98 points), 30-goal scorers Josh Smyth and Brian Rea, and 50point man Chris Moulson. That quartet scored 19 times in Oakville's three-game sweep of Halton Hills. Defensively, the Buzz has a definite edge, allowing the second-lowest number of goals (109) during the season and then holding Halton Hills to just 14 in three games. Scarborough, despite having a Jr. A-experienced goalie in Corey Fulton, surrendered 158 goals, almost 2.5 per game more than the Buzz. Oakville won the only meeting between the teams this season, downing the Saints 9-5 in Scarborough. In the other East Conference semi, Mimico (14-6) faces Barrie (17-2). "I'm glad, they can beat the crap out of each other, and they will," Little said. -- Herb Garbutt can be reached at sports@oakvillebeaver.com. THE BEST, POUND FOR POUND: Oakville Aquatic Club swimmers and coaches display the Best Performing Team Award they won at last weekend's Ontario Age Group Championships in Nepean. The award is presented to the team with the best medalsper-swimmer ratio at the provincials. OAK second at swimming provincials Improvements Oakville Aquatic Club (OAK) swimmers have made over the past year were on full display at last weekend's Ontario Age Group Championships in Nepean. Twenty-three different OAK athletes won medals as the club finished second overall at the provincials, a drastic step up from last year's eighth-place showing at short-course provincials. OAK also won the "Pound for Pound" award as the best performing team at the competition, based on a medals-per-swimmer ratio. "The swimmers swam great throughout the weekend with lots of tough swims in the final. There were a lot of back-to-back races where the kids had to dig deep and find the extra effort required to win," said Alex Wallingford, who coaches the team with former Olympian Laura Nichols. "Overall, all of the coaches are extremely pleased with the development of the club and the direction we are heading." Cam Cummings and Mika Spencer spearheaded OAK's 51-medal haul. Cummings won four gold and a silver, set five club records and met five national senior qualifying times, while Spencer won four gold and two silver, establishing four new club standards in the process. The Dolphins Swim Club also competed at the Ontario Age Group Championships -- see page 34 for details Jacqueline Keire (three), Marni Oldershaw (two), Mackenzie Darragh (two), Clara Armstrong and Zack Chetrat were OAK's other individual gold-medal winners. Curtis Samuel won 10 medals in total, six in individual competition and four in relay action. Other highlights for OAK at provincials included Zack Chetrat (national senior qualifying time in the 200metre fly), Christine van Warmerdam (age group national qualifying time in 1,500m freestyle) and Kiere, Samuel and Cummings (Iron Swimmer Award winners). Following is a list of OAK medalists and top-eight finishers at the provincial meet: Individual 10-and-under girls: Michelle Carrabetta (5th, 50m back; 7th, 100m back); 11-year-old girls: Jacqueline Kiere (gold, 100m back; gold, 200m back; gold, 800m free; silver, 50m free; silver, 100m free; silver 200m IM), Marni Oldershaw (gold, 200m IM; gold, 400m IM; silver, 400m free; silver, 200m back; bronze, 800m free; 4th, 100m back), Mika Spencer (gold, 50m free; gold, 100m free; gold, 200m free; gold, 400m free; silver, 800m free; silver, 100m back); 12-year-old girls: Clara Armstrong (gold, 100m breast; 6th, 200m breast; 7th, 200m fly); 13-year-old girls: Erin Assman (4th, 400m IM; 7th, 100m free); 14-year-old girls: Katie Fox (5th, 100m breast; 6th, 200m breast); 11-and-under boys: Michael Seifert (silver, 50m fly; 4th, 100m fly; 4th, 100m back); 12-year-old boys: Mackenzie Darragh (gold, 200m back; gold, 400m IM; silver, 200m fly; silver, 800m free; bronze, 200m IM; bronze, 400m free), Kent Kikot (silver, 100m fly; bronze, 100m free; bronze, 200m fly; 6th, See OAK page 34 For all your landscape needs visit us at 2082 Queensway Dr.