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Blades win opening game against Burlington

Lukas Bernasiewicz
Lukas Bernasiewicz

I walk into the Arena and I feel it. I feel the buzz in the building and the crisp cold air come off of the ice: hockey is back in Halton, and fans from Oakville and Burlington could not wait for the puck to drop for the first game of the season.

October first was a momentous occasion for the OJHL because it was the first regular-season game played in almost 18 months.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward would drop the puck for the ceremonial face-off after a speech to the fans in attendance. Ward said that if Burlington wins she will be getting Oakville Mayor Rob Burton to wear a Burlington Cougars jersey to the next Halton Town Council meeting as she ended her speech with "Let’s beat the Blades."

After all of the pomp and circumstance, the puck finally dropped for the start of the 2021-22 OJHL season. The two teams played a tight and even game with big hits being thrown and scoring chances going both ways.

Burlington seemed to control play more than Oakville which is a big part of why they opened the scoring.

After a shot from the blue line by Joel Chauvin, Matthew Zebedee put the puck in the back of the net on a rebound to give the cougars a 1-0 lead 11:28 into the first period.

Both teams would head to the locker room at the end of the period with the Cougars leading 1-0.

The second period would open with play controlled by the Cougars.

Burlington had many scoring chances but Oakville goaltender Cole DeFazio was up to the task and would keep Oakville in the game.

Oakville then took advantage of a Burlington turnover and Ethan Sullivan would send a pass over to Oakville Captain Brandan Bowie who would put the puck through Burlington goaltender Zach Dietz’s legs to tie up the game 1-1.

After many back and forth chances for both teams, Burlington would take a penalty towards the end of the second period.

The penalty would not help the Blades as Kaleb Tissen would head man the puck to an open Matthew Franzoi who would score on a shorthanded breakaway. The Oakville native would give the rival Burlington Cougars a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

Lukas Bernasiewicz
Lukas Bernasiewicz

Oakville would head into the third period needing a goal to tie up this game.

The pressure was on the Blades for someone to make a big play.

That someone would be goaltender Cole DeFazio who played an unbelievable period of hockey.

DeFazio kept the Blades in the game the entire third period as most of the period was played in the Blades’ end.

DeFazio was able to do a remarkable job of tracking the puck during scramble moments where there were many bodies in the crease and his vision was blocked.

DeFazio held his ground and was pulled for an extra attacker near the end of regulation. 

Coach Ross Sloan sent out six skaters in hopes of getting the tying goal.

His wishes came true as Cole Weinger would bank the puck from an odd angle to tie the game at 2-2 with 1:48 left to go in regulation.

Regulation would end at a 2-2 stalemate. A five-minute overtime period of 4 on 4 hockey would proceed.

The puck would drop for OT and the first chance would go to Burlington but DeFazio would stand strong. 

The Blades would get control of the puck and Parker Murray would fly down the right-wing boards for Oakville. 

Murray crossed the blue and shot the puck, the shot consisted of the loudest ping I have heard in a long time followed by the loudest roar I have heard in about the same amount of time.

Murray would go post and in for his first goal of the season, the Blades first win of the season, and Coach Ross Sloan’s first win as an OJHL head coach.

After the game, I asked Murray what he saw and his goal and he said “I was just trying to shoot it through his legs, I had no idea where the puck was going but I’m glad it went in.”

I asked DeFazio how he was able to keep battling through a close game and he said “You can never give, I knew the boys would get the puck out for me and get a goal but the biggest thing is you can never give up.”

I asked him about how he was able to track the puck so well with so many bodies in the crease and he said “This summer me and my goalie coach Justin Peters focused a lot on keeping my eyes down on the puck and always following it and keeping my eyes down and head tilted.”

Big Blades win and they will play the Markham Royals later today, Sunday, Oct. 3.


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