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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 3, 2008 - 23 How they got there he Oakville Blades had to win 20 playoff games, four series and two league championships to even advance to the RBC Royal Bank Cup, more than any other team needed to do to qualify for the national championships. Here's a recap of their two-month journey that ultimately led to Cornwall: · Bye (West Conference quarterfinal) -- The Blades received a bye in the opening round after finishing first in the West Conference standings with a 39-6-4 record. · Oakville 4, Milton 1 (West Conference semifinal) -- Oakville's opponent in the second round was the Milton IceHawks, a young team coming off an upset series win over the Hamilton Red Wings. The Blades started slowly, splitting the first two games at home -- including being shut out in Game 2 -- before winning the next three games and disposing of the IceHawks in five. "We never gave up a five-on-five goal in the whole series," head coach Carlo Coccimiglio pointed out. "We just got back to playing hockey, not a lot of nonsense, and as the series went on we got more relaxed." · Oakville 4, Georgetown 1 (West Conference final) -- Advancing to the West final for the fourth time in five years, the Blades met a team that was also accustomed to playing for a conference title. The Georgetown Raiders were also making their fourth trip to the championship series in five years, and many expected a competitive series. It wasn't. Oakville opened the series with three straight wins, including a 7-1 rout in Game 2 at Georgetown, before wrapping up the series in five games. "We're having our little celebration, but obviously we have bigger aspirations," said Blades captain Chris Corbeil. "We still have a way to go before we get to our final destination. For us, the West is just a stepping stone." · Oakville 4, Aurora 2 (North/West final) -- Oakville met the North Conference champion Aurora Tigers in the next round, a team that ended the Blades' 2003 playoff run in the league semis. Aurora -- the 2007 Royal Bank Cup champs -- proved to be the toughest competition Oakville would face in the OPJHL playoffs, extending the Blades to six games. Oakville needed a 1-0 win in Game 3 and overtime victories in Games 4 and 6 to knock off the Tigers. Dustin Alcock scored the series-winner in Game 6, shortly after an apparent Aurora overtime goal was waved off. "Of all the years I've coached hockey, this is the hardestworking team," Coccimiglio said. "I'm T proud of these guys. They've worked real hard." · Oakville 4, Markham 1 (OPJHL final) -- The Blades' dominance at Joshua's Creek Arenas proved to be the difference in the league championship series. Oakville scored six goals in each of its three games on home ice, chasing Markham Waxers starting goalie Kyle Rank in all of them. The teams split the first two games of the series, but the Blades scored the first four goals of Game 3 and held on for a 6-4 win. Oakville then defeated the Waxers 4-1 in Markham, needing only one more win to clinch its first-ever league title. Luke Moodie scored in the opening minute of Game 5 and the Blades added two more goals before the end of the first period, en route to a 6-3 win and the OPJHL championship. "(Winning the league championship) is a hard feeling to describe," said Nick McParland, who finished second in the league playoff scoring race with 12 goals and 20 assists in 21 games. "The only thing you can really do is celebrate for a little bit, not get too high, and then get ready for practice. The Dudley Hewitt is big. The teams there are the best teams in their leagues too." · Dudley Hewitt Cup -- The Blades were joined by the Dryden Ice Dogs, Sudbury Junior Wolves and host Newmarket Hurricanes at the Dudley Hewitt Cup, a tournament to determine the Central Canada representative at the national championships. Oakville opened the tournament with a 5-1 drubbing of Dryden, then rallied from a 3-2 third-period deficit in its second game to down Sudbury 5-3. The team then lost starting goaltender Scott Greenham, who turned 21 and stopped playing for the team in order to maintain his full NCAA eligibility this fall. Backup netminder Oliver Wren took over, backstopping the Blades to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes -- in which Oakville again came from behind in the third period -- and earning the team a spot in the Dudley final. Newmarket, meanwhile, had to play a semifinal game, needing overtime to edge Dryden 2-1. The championship game was no contest, with the Blades roaring out to a 5-1 lead by the midway point and coasting to a 6-3 triumph. "I went through it (before the final game) and we had nine to 12 guys that could have had their Jr. A careers end tonight. We didn't want that to happen," said Oakville defenceman Chris Haltigin. "I've never won a big tourney like this. But, as good as it feels, it's just another step towards the big prize." That prize, the Blades hope, is only six games away. Congratulates The Oakville Blades for making it to the RBC National Junior A Hockey Championships Catch the exclusive coverage on TVCOGECO V of the tournament games and semi-final matches available only on cable! The complete broadcast schedule is available at www.tvcogeco.com