Lukas Bernasiewicz
Oakville began their 2023-24 season on Friday with a classic QEW matchup against the Burlington Cougars on the road.
Oakville has a losing streak against the Cougars going back to 2021; the team looked to snap that streak and earn their first win of the season.
September 8, 2023. Oakville Blades @ Burlington Cougars
The season's first game is always the best time of the year for many different reasons.
It's not just the start of hockey, but it is the start of hope and optimism for your team and your players' future.
Every opening game is filled with energy and speed, and this game was no different.
The puck dropped after the ceremonial face-off, and the new season was upon us; both teams played with a combination of speed and tenacity and the aggression and hate that these two teams have for each other was shown right from the opening draw.
Oakville got on the board first in the game with a goal by Marco Costante, but the play started well before the puck crossed the line.
The Cougars gained possession in the neutral zone, and then WHAAAAAM!!!!
Oakville's Conor Thacker laid a bone-crushing hit on the Cougars player, and the Blades regained the puck.
Oakville brought the puck into the offensive zone and sent it over to Costante, and he ripped a shot top corner and gave the Blades the early 1-0 lead.
It was a great play by the team that started with a remarkable clean hit by one of their top defenders.
The Blades tried to keep the pressure on but unfortunately got into penalty trouble, giving the Cougars a powerplay.
Burlington's Tommy Karmiris found a loose puck and tied the game 1-1.
Both teams tried to break the tie before the end of the period but to no avail; the period ended 1-1.
In the second period, Oakville emerged like a bullet from a rail gun.
The Blades were playing with speed and energy with, scoring chance after scoring chance; the problem was that they could not score.
The team fired all of these shots at the Cougars' goalie, but they just could not get the puck across the line and take the lead.
Sadly for the Blades, those missed opportunities came back to bite them as Burlington scored with just under four minutes left in the period to take a 2-1 lead.
Oakville tried their hardest to tie the game before the end of the period but could not find the back of the net. The score remained 2-1 at the second intermission.
The third period was very similar to the second; Oakville had many chances to tie the game but could not beat the Cougars' goalie. Burlington scored on an empty net to wrap the game up at a 3-1 score.
The team knows they outplayed the Cougars at several points, including the shot clock, which was 49-43 for Oakville.
"I thought we played well," said Blades goal scorer Marco Costante. "As a team, we need to drive [the puck] to the net and get better rebounds."
Lukas Bernasiewicz
September 9, 2023. Buffalo Jr. Sabres @ Oakville Blades
For the first time since the pandemic, the Oakville Blades took on the Buffalo Jr. Sabres as the organization was finally permitted to play after a three-year absence.
Since neither team had played each other for a long time, no one knew what to expect from each other.
The game started with a lightning-quick pace as the teams tried to feel each other out.
The Sabres got on the board first with a goal from Patrick Cole to give Buffalo an early 1-0 lead just under three minutes into the game.
Oakville didn't take too long to respond as newcomer Kaleb Frank cut towards the middle of the ice and sniped the puck past the Buffalo goalie to tie the game 1-1.
But Buffalo came back shortly after that goal and scored another go-ahead goal to bring the score to 2-1.
The Blades tried their best to get a goal before the end of the period but could not put the puck across the line. The first frame ended 2-1 Buffalo.
The second period was filled with frustration from the Oakville Blades, reminiscent of periods two and three against the Cougars.
Oakville fired 14 shots on goal in the second frame but once again could not beat Buffalo's goalie Leif Ekblad.
Luckily, Gavin McCarthy was also perfect for the Blades in the second period. The score remained 2-1 heading into the second intermission.
The third period finally saw the damn finally break for the Blades; Marco Costante sent a perfect pass over to Cole McKenna. McKenna one-timed the puck into the back of the net, scoring his first goal of the season and tying the game 2-2.
Both teams played a tight game for the remainder of the period, and the game went into sudden-death overtime.
In overtime, we saw a scoreless first period of four-on-four hockey, with Buffalo outshooting Oakville 2-0.
In the second overtime, Buffalo got an open chance shortly after the opening face-off that Gavin McCarthy stopped, but the rebound was knocked in by the Sabres, giving Oakville their first overtime loss of the season.
Although Oakville did not win in their opening two games, the team outplayed and outshot their opponent.
You could tell from the first couple of games that this team looks very different from last year's.
If the team continues to play like they did in their first few games, the wins will start to come.
