24 Sports Oakville Beaver www.aplushomes.ca Adam Campbell 905-844-4444 I N D E P E N D E N T LY O W N E D A N D O P E R AT E D Broker of Record B R O K E R A G E SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2009 Blades, Raiders play Game 7 tonight Four days ago, the Oakville Blades appeared all but certain to advance to the Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinals. Now, they seem very much the underdog. The Blades and Georgetown Raiders will square off tonight (Wednesday, 8 p.m.) in Georgetown for the seventh and deciding game of their MacKinnon Division championship series, following a drastic reversal of fortunes for both teams. Oakville took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series Friday with a 4-3 victory over the Raiders at Joshua's Creek Arenas, but Georgetown responded with wins Saturday at home and Monday in EAMONN MAHER / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Oakville to force the seventh game. It isn't so much the results that Andrew Marcoux of the Georgetown Raiders (left) is denied an empty-net goal Monday by Oakville Blades defenceconcern the defending league chamman Braden Birch. Georgetown, however, defeated the Blades 4-3 at Joshua's Creek Arenas to force a seventh and pion Blades as it is the process. deciding game in the Ontario Junior Hockey League MacKinnon Division championship series. Oakville did not put up much of a fight in Georgetown's 4-1 win Saturday, and looked nothing like itself -- at least for the first 30 minutes -- Monday in a 4-3 defeat. "The first period and a half, I didn't know which team I had on the ice," Blades head coach Carlo Coccimiglio said following Monday's contest. "We were just skating all over the ice... it was not our style of play. A lot of these guys looked nervous, squeezing sticks, not making good passes, not competing." Another potential cause for concern is the play of Oakville goaltender Adrian Volpe, who struggled through a difficult game Monday. Georgetown scored 79 seconds into the game on a shot by Jeremy Wick that ticked off the glove of Volpe and trickled over See Oakville page 25 OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB Spring is in the Air!!! THAT CAN ONLY BE A SIGN THAT SOCCER SEASON IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!! SPACE STILL AVAILABLE IN MAJORITY OF AGE DIVISIONS FOR THE UPCOMING OUTDOOR SEASON! www.oakvillesoccer.ca for information on days of play & registration details!! www.oakvillesoccer.ca LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER PROGRAMS NOW AVAILABLE: · SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM · SMALL GROUP TRAINING PROGRAM · WOMEN'S SOCCER FIT PROGRAM · PICK UP SOCCER · MINI KICKERS PROGRAM · BIRTHDAY PARTY PACKAGE www.oakvillesoccer.ca SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES STILL AVAILABLE FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON! Becoming involved in the Oakville Soccer Club as a sponsor will heighten your community profile, give you an opportunity to connect with the families of Oakville, be a promoter of "active living" and most of all be seen as a leader in your field! Visit our website under the "Services" link for sponsorship details or contact jneefs@oakvillesoccer.ca for more information. The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Sponsored by: