After many months off, the Blades finally hit the ice for their first pre-season games against the Mississauga Chargers.
The games took place on Friday at Sixteen-Mile Sports Complex and on Saturday in Mississauga.
Many changes were made to the Blades organization from last season, but the most significant change happened behind the bench.
Last season’s coach Ross Sloan decided to step away from the organization along with assistant coach Jamie Alison.
Both coaches left for personal reasons.
Stepping into the Head Coaching role is team General Manager Scott McCrory and Jason Ward as the new Assistant Coach.
I was also given some clarity on why forward Chase Strychaluk was traded to Collingwood along with Chris Gjoncaj in exchange for Conor Thacker.
Strychaluk requested to be traded from the Blades, so the organization fulfilled his wish and got a big defenseman in Conor Thacker.
Game 1. Mississauga Chargers @ Oakville Blades
With this being the pre-season, you are looking for a few things from the Blades.
The veterans need to be leaders on the ice and look ready to start a new season.
The rookies trying to land a spot on the team need to play their hearts out to impress the coaching staff.
Goalies need to be sharp and steady to be ready for opening day.
The Blades did precisely that in their first pre-season game.
The Blades dominated the Chargers with great performances by their young players, veterans, and goalie.
The goal scoring started in the first period when Jack Churchill scored for the Blades just over three and a half minutes into the game, making the score 1-0.
The scoring continued when Mason Zebeski scored on the powerplay, stretching their lead to 2-0.
Then with the final goal of the period, Gleb Akimov scored, making the game 3-0 Blades.
Zebeski scored again for the Blades in the second period, making the score 4-0 for Oakville.
Then in the third period, Jack Churchill scored again for the Blades, giving Oakville the 5-0 win.
The game was a big win for the club to start the pre-season, but an even bigger win for Blades goaltender Gavin McCarthy as he pitched a shutout in his first pre-season game.
Game 2. Oakville Blades @ Mississauga Chargers
The second game saw more of the same from the Oakville Blades.
Though the first period ended at a 0-0 score, the second period saw the Blades turn on the gas and start to pull away.
The scoring started when Marco Costante scored for Oakville to make the game 1-0.
Then Jack Churchill scored on a penalty shot for Oakville, bringing the score to 2-0.
The Blades added another goal, this time by Aidan Jendrereza, to give the team a 3-0 lead going into the third period.
Oakville continued their dominance as Lachlan Wells scored short-handed, giving the Blades a 4-0 lead.
Then Mason Zebeski got back on the score sheet with an impressive goal to make the Blades lead 5-0.
Mississauga finally got themselves on the board with a goal from Ryan Schaap, but Oakville scored shortly after to give the team a commanding 6-1 lead that they would hold until the final buzzer.
The Blades' next pre-season games will be on Sept. 1 in Brantford and on the 2nd at home against Brantford 99ers.