The Devils' Return

25 | Friday, February2015 | 6, | Friday, Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor “Connected to your Community” [email protected] Sports The Devils’ return OAKVILLE BEAVER Third edition of Oakville Blue Devils will compete in League1 as amateur club | www.insideHALTON.com by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor College and university men’s soccer players who live in Oakville will finally have an opportunity to develop their game each summer in their hometown. League1 Ontario, the province’s first semi-professional soccer league, recently announced that the Oakville Blue Devils are part of the loop’s expansion from nine to 12 teams for its second season of operation in 2015. The Blue Devils, formerly the Toronto Lynx of the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League, are affiliated with the Oakville Soccer Club, which will oversee the Blue Devils’ U21 reserve team. (Collegiate players) “We will be an amateur club and all of our players Pictured left to right, Oakville Soccer Club executive director Dave Harris, League1 Ontario president Dino Rossi and Oakville Blue Devils president Duncan will be going to or com- coming back Wilde announced last week that the Blue Devils will join League1 Ontario this season. | photo by Graham Paine — Oakville Beaver — @Halton_Photog ing back from university to Oakville now or college. It’s very much the top of the pyramid ly,” Harris said. “NCAA, CIS, Canadian college kids coming In 2005, the Scarborough-based Metro Lions relocated don’t have to go for development,” said back to Oakville now don’t have to go somewhere else (to to Oakville and adopted the Blue Devils name. Coached by Blue Devils president and play). They can stay here.” Wilde, the Blue Devils won the Canadian Professional Soc- somewhere else. Oakville resident Duncan The Blue Devils will begin their League1 season in May cer League (now the Canadian Soccer League) champion- Wilde. “We’re bringing a and will play out of Sheridan College’s Oakville campus. ship in their first season in Oakville. Wilde then left the team PDL-level program into Wilde said home games will be scheduled for every other to rejoin the Lynx, and the Blue Devils moved to Brampton Dave Harris Oakville Soccer Club executive director Oakville with all eyes on Sunday afternoon, with the OSC U21 reserves playing at 2 following the 2006 season. a championship.” p.m. and the Blue Devils hitting the pitch at 4 p.m. Wilde said he is confident this edition of the Blue Devils, OSC executive director Tickets for Blue Devils games will likely cost $5, Wilde which has been reinstated as a senior member of the Peel- Dave Harris said the Blue Devils and the U21 reserve team, said, with free admission being granted to OSC players and Halton Soccer Association, is in Oakville to stay. the latter of which will be coached by Billy Steele and OSC staff. “When we did it in 2005, we didn’t have a formal affili- male technical director Chris Grierson, will fill a void in the Blue Devils name has long and successful history ation (with OSC), just a working agreement. We played at local soccer system. The Blue Devils name originates from the former power- Bronte Athletic Field, which was small and had grass and “League1 is the pinnacle in terms of soccer in Ontario. We house OSC boys’ rep team, which was coached by local soc- mud all the time. Now we’re playing at Sheridan, a fantas- are not ready as a club to have a League1 team (ourselves) cer legend Phil Iafrati and won U19 provincial and national tic stadium… We scrambled in 2005 to pull it together, this but to be an affiliate allows us to develop our players local- championships in 1998. see Oakville on p.26 Fifteen Oakville residents to represent Ontario at Canada Winter Games Oakville will be sending six hockey play- Griffin Copp, William Kornya and Bri- ard Kilmer-Choi, gymnast Mariana Colussi- swimming, table tennis, target shooting and ers, four skiers and five other athletes to the anna Macdonald will represent Ontario in Pelaez and figure skater Natalie Walker are wheelchair basketball. Canada Winter Games later this month in alpine skiing competition, while Robert An- Oakville’s other Canada Winter Games ath- Seventeen of Canada’s athletes at the Prince George, B.C. dison will race in freestyle skiing. letes. 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi had previ- Lindsay Agnew, Madison Field, Sarah Mc- Erin Stewart is the second-ever Oakville Local resident Catherine Vincelli is part of ously represented Ontario at the Canada Donnell and Kristin O’Neill — all of whom Speed Skating Club athlete (and the first the Team Ontario mission staff. Winter Games, including St. Louis Blues play in the Provincial Women’s Hockey female) to qualify for the Canada Winter The Canada Winter Games will take place defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, snowboarder League — will suit up for Ontario’s women’s Games, doing so with a fifth-overall finish at Feb. 13-March 1. Some of the action will be Marianne Leeson and eight members of the hockey team. Ian Blacker, a defenceman last fall’s Ontario Speed Skating Association broadcast on TSN, and online coverage will women’s hockey team. with the South Central Triple A league’s CWG trials. The only other Oakville speed be provided via Canada Games TV. Ontario has won the Canada Games minor midget Brampton 45s, and Zachary skater to qualify for the Games was Patrick Other events that will be contested at the (summer or winter) flag 20 times since the Gallant, a forward for the Greater Toronto Duffy, who is now a member of the national Games include indoor archery, badminton, inception of the Games in 1967. Hockey League’s Mississauga Rebels, will senior team. biathlon, cross-country and para-nordic ski- The province has won nine of 12 Winter play for the provincial men’s team. Snowboarders Griffin Haines and Rich- ing, judo, ringette, squash, synchronized Games titles..

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