The Darkhorse

25 • www.aplushomes.ca Oakville Beaver Adam Campbell March 10, 2010 Wednesday, Broker of Record 905-844-4444 BROKERAGE Sports INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED 25 SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email [email protected] • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 Blades earn split • OAKVILLE BEAVER with Georgetown Two fierce rivals are delivering everything that was expected of them. www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Blades and Georgetown Raiders split a pair of one-goal decisions to open the Ontario Jr. A Hockey League semifinals. All four of the regular- season meetings between the teams were also decided by a sin- gle goal. The Blades took Friday’s open- er with former Raider Mark McGowan scoring the game’s only goal and Daniel Savelli turning aside 30 shots for his second post- season shutout in a 1-0 Oakville victory. McGowan scored three min- utes into the second period with Mark Bennett and Ryan Murphy drawing assists. The Oakville outshot the Raiders 37-30. Back on home ice Saturday, it was Georgetown evening up the series, holding off the Blades for a Darkhorse 3-2 win. The loss snapped Oakville’s three-game winning streak against the Raiders. MICHAEL IVANIN Oakville again struck first on a / OAKVILLE BEAVER goal by Josh Ranalli. However, Georgetown scored a power-play goal in the final minute of first He didn’t play football until he was 21, period and added another goal with the man advantage five min- now Joel Reinders is on the verge of a pro career utes into the second. Georgetown then extended its lead midway By Jon Kuiperij but a pretty short journey.” high school to a 250-pound mass of muscle in through the period. BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR Football an afterthought university, and friends had taken notice. Oakville held Georgetown to Reinders never even considered playing foot- “Someone suggested, maybe jokingly but I just four shots on goal in the third Two years ago, Joel Reinders’ football knowl- ball until his third year at Waterloo. His sport took notice of it, that I play football because I and Alex Cord’s unassisted goal edge was limited to the Madden video game and was basketball, a sport he was so proficient at was a lot bigger,” Reinders said. “I didn’t really drew the Blades within one with what he saw on television. that he played two seasons for the Warriors var- think anything of it, but then it stuck in my 6:27 to play. Now, the 23-year-old King’s Christian sity squad. head, once I wasn’t doing anything. Then I met Savelli, who made 25 saves, Collegiate grad appears on the verge of “Every once in a But playing basketball some guys playing basketball with two of the suffered his first loss in regulation being drafted into the Canadian Football in seven playoff starts. Only once while, I step back and wasn’t fun for Reinders at football guys, and we got talking about football. League. Waterloo, where he They suggested I come out to the spring train- has he allowed more than three Reinders, armed with all of two sea- have a realization that received limited playing ing session with the football team, so I did.” goals in a game in the playoffs. sons of experience with the University of yeah, this is pro foot- time. He quit the team Promising start Oakville again outshot Waterloo Warriors, will show his stuff at Georgetown, holding a 33-28 edge ball I’m looking at.” after his second year. Warriors coach Dennis McPhee saw potential the CFL’s annual evaluation camp this in shots. It didn’t take long for in Reinders as a defensive lineman. He liked weekend in Toronto. Game 3 of the series was played Joel Reinders Reinders to feel a void in Reinders’ size as well as his footwork, something The 6-foot-8, 320-pound offensive line- last night (Tuesday) in Oakville. his life. Reinders had developed during all those years of man says the media attention he’s received Results were not available at press “Part of me was miss- basketball. lately has made everything sink in, but admits he time. ing,” he said. “I’ve always been playing (some- Reinders returned to the Warriors’ camp the still has to pinch himself at times. Game 4 is set for tonight in thing). I played hockey in grade school, and following fall, excited about developing his abil- “Every once in a while, I step back and have a Georgetown at the Mold Masters baseball... I’d always been part of a team so it was ity to sack the opposing quarterback — a defen- realization that yeah, this is pro football I’m SportsPlex at 7:30 p.m. different not being on one.” sive lineman’s equivalent of a dog snatching a T- looking at,” Reinders said. “Two years ago, I The series returns to Oakville During Reinders’ first two years at Waterloo, bone steak. knew very little about football. Going from zero Reinders had bulked up. A lot. Friday at Joshua’s Creek Arenas. to where I am now has been a pretty big journey, He’d gone from a 180-pound “string bean” in See Reinders page 27 Game time is 7:30 p.m..

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