Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2009 13 Close call Long road to OJHL final Last year, by comparison, Oakville played Aurora and Markham in the last two rounds of the league playoffs. If they are going to repeat as The Blades have to get past the Ontario Junior Hockey League Dukes first, however, and no one champions, the Oakville Blades are expects it to be easy. Led by veteran going to have to go the extra miles. coach Marty Abrams, Wellington Oakville opened its OJHL semifi- went 35-13-5 in regular-season play nal series last night (Friday) at home and entered last night's game with a to the Central Division champion 12-1 mark in the playoffs. Wellington Dukes. Tomorrow "Going into Wellington will be dif(Sunday), the Blades will make their ficult," said Blades goalie Matt Hache, first of what could whose Voyageurs "It will be a two-and-abe as many as three were swept by the trips east on half- to three-hour drive Dukes in last year's Highway 401, trav- on back roads in buses East final. "The eling 230-plus kilo- swaying back and forth on arena is small and meters to visit the single-lane (highways)." the team is always Dukes for Game 2 good." near Belleville. Coccimiglio Oakville Blades Obviously, the coach Carlo Coccimiglio added, "Wellington Dukes will have to has a tradition as a travel the same distance to Oakville very systematic team and a very discifor their road games in the series. plined team. They work hard. But Oakville head coach Carlo Everything comes down to x's and o's, Coccimiglio feels the lengthy com- and our job is to make sure we can mutes will hurt his team more than counter and play at a high tempo with it will hurt Wellington, a club used to them." having to hit the open road. Wellington's Marc Senecal leads The Dukes play in a division that the league in playoff scoring, having includes Hamilton and several Greater racked up 11 goals and 20 assists in Toronto Area teams, while many of 13 games before last night's contest. Oakville's MacKinnon Division rivals The 20-year-old forward, who had 68 are within a 45-minute drive. points in 50 regular-season games, "Travel will be a factor," exploded for 20 points in the Dukes' Coccimiglio said. "They're used to five-game Central final win over the traveling, and we're not used to trav- Toronto Junior Canadiens. eling. It will be a two-and-a-half- to Chris Brown led the Dukes in regthree-hour drive on back roads in ular-season scoring, collecting 24 buses swaying back and forth on sin- goals and 57 assists. gle-lane (highways)." Game 3 of the series is tentatively The fun might not end there. If the set for Tuesday at Joshua's Creek Blades do manage to get past Arenas, although it may be moved to Wellington, they'll play either the Wednesday. Wellington will host Kingston Voyageurs or Huntsville Otters Game 4 Thursday, with Oakville back in the OJHL championship series. on home ice Friday for Game 5. BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR By Jon Kuiperij LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER OMHA ACTION: Oakville minor bantam AAA Rangers forward Sean Perichak (in white) throws on the brakes as he tries to beat Barrie Colts goalie Darren Smith yesterday (Friday) at Joshua's Creek Arenas. Smith kept the puck out of the net on this play as Barrie defeated Oakville 3-1 in the Rangers' first game of the OMHA minor bantam AAA championship tournament. The five-team tournament continues today and concludes tomorrow. Jenner could earn Olympic invitation Oakville's Brianne Jenner has been invited to try out for the Canadian women's hockey team that will compete in next year's Olympic Winter Games. The 17-year-old is one of many younger players that have a chance to make the Canadian squad after head coach Melody Davidson chose not to include veterans Katie Weatherston and Cheryl Pounder on the list of 26 players invited to try out for the Olympic team. Weatherston and Pounder were on the 2006 club that won Olympic gold. Three goaltenders, eight defencemen and 15 forwards -- including Jenner -- will attend a month-long training camp in Calgary following next month's world championships. Players will then move to Calgary in August and spend the subsequent months trying to secure a spot on the Olympic team. Jenner played with the Canadian Women's Hockey League's Mississauga Chiefs this season and also captained the Appleby College Blue Dogs to a pair of league titles.