Oakville’s annual Pink in the Rink at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex was a success both on and off the ice, with the Blades taking the 2-1 victory over the Wellington Dukes on Friday night. Pink in the Rink is a fun and easy way for hockey teams to show your commitment to a future without breast cancer.
Before the game, former Oakville Blades defenseman Marcel Fatovic was honoured in a touching ceremony. Diagnosed earlier this year with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Fatovic played with the Blades during the 2013-2014 OJHL season, scoring six goals and 17 assists for 23 points as a rookie. Marcel’s cancer is being treated with the use of chemotherapy; he has completed 11 of his 12 treatments with the final session scheduled for November 2nd.
The first period saw some intense action, with both teams looking to find a way to score first. The game would need 25 minutes, however, to find the first goal of the contest. After Brendan McGlynn made a strong save between the pipes, Daniel Jelic sent the puck all the way down to Jackson Bales. Bales made no mistake with the puck, beating Connor Ryckman with a quick snap shot to make it 1-0 Blades.
The Dukes tied the game up at one, on a power play early in the third. Nic Mucci kept the cycle alive by passing the puck on the goal line, landing on the stick of Brayden Stortz. Stortz made no mistake on the play, one-timing it past McGlynn and in to knot the battle up at one apiece.
With no goals in regulation, the game required overtime to decide the victor. With under a minute complete, Christian Rajic took a pass from Daniel Jelic and fired it in with a wicked wrist shot, ending the game with the 2-1 victory.
The Blades would like to thank everyone for their support in this season’s Pink in the Rink event! Oakville will return to the ice next Friday at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex when the only American team in the league, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, come to town. Puck drop is at 7:30 PM, hope to see you there!