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Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports the ups and downs of a season. Most of our Oakville kids haven't gone through something like that, being part of a strong minor system," Bentivegna said. "It was good to get the guys a little adversity in the year. I was really proud of the way they responded." Nepean was 13-7 during the regular season, including a 10-7 win May 9 in Oakville. The Knights feature three players who ranked among the league's top 25 scorers. "They're an incredibly offensively-gifted team. They move the ball well, have a great power play," Bentivegna said. "We have to stay out of the box." NOTES: Tonight's series opener will begin at 8 o'clock, with Game 2 slated for a 2 p.m. start Saturday... The Buzz's late-season surge has coincided with the club's re-acquisition of Joe French, who started the season in junior A with the St. Catharines Athletics. French has scored 13 goals and added 14 assists in five games with Oakville, and collected 48 points (including 21 goals) in nine playoff games last year... Eddie Renaud led the Buzz in both goals (39) and points (74) this season, playing in 17 games... Prior to the loss to Halton Hills, Oakville posted a pair of victories over the Markham Ironheads last week. Keyan McQueen had four goals and two assists in an 11-6 win Wednesday in Markham, and French struck for four goals and three helpers in a 12-8 win Friday at TRAC... In Oakville's last two playoff exits, the team won the first two games of the series before losing the next three. Last year, those three straight losses came at home. "We have unfinished business. It's a major point of emphasis, that nothing's guaranteed," Bentivegna said. 35 | Friday, June 26, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" F E E L I N G G O O D Buzz has plenty of momentum going into Jr. B lacrosse playoffs by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor His team won just two of its first seven games, but Oakville Buzz head coach and general manager Mike Bentivegna wasn't worried. "We were never a 2-5 team, even when we were," Bentivegna said of his team's slow start to the Ontario Lacrosse Association junior B season, struggles due in part to players still being away at universities and prep schools in the United States. "I told the players every single day, `This isn't going to last. And if you think it's going to last, you're going to be traded.'" Once the Buzz got back to full strength, the team showed that any talk of competing for a championship wasn't just pre-season hyperbole. Oakville won 10 of 12 games prior to Saturday's regular-season finale when the team, knowing it could not move up or down in the standings, sat several of its key veterans in a 14-8 loss to the Halton Hills Bulldogs. Oakville finished the season fifth in the OLA's Eastern Conference with a 12-8 record, and will draw the fourth-place Nepean Knights in the opening round. The Buzz will host the first two games of the best-of-five series tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) at Oakville's Toronto Rock Athletic Centre, with the remainder of the series taking place the following weekend in Nepean. Bentivegna likes the roll his team is on -- the Buzz finished the season with six games in nine days, winning five of them -- and feels the early-season struggles could pay off for his squad in the playoffs. "It was nice for the young guys to know Hudson Bolduc raises his arms triumphantly after scoring with 47 seconds remaining in sudden-death overtime to give Captain America a 4-3 victory over Batman in Sunday's novice final of the Oakville Minor Ball Hockey League. Other playoff champions crowned at Glen Abbey Recreation Centre and Joshua's Creek Arenas included Superman (atom), the Blues (bantam/junior) and the Leafs (peewee). | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Hardy Heroes qualify for road hockey nationals The Hardy Heroes hope to take their fourth shot at a national road hockey championship this fall in Lethbridge, Alta. Comprised mainly of university-aged men who grew up playing ball hockey together on the small southeast Oakville street Hardy Crescent, the Hardy Heroes earned their berth in the PlayOn! Redwood Cup 4-on-4 street hockey elite (19 and up) male division by winning a regional tournament recently at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack -- the team's third regional qualifier win in four years. Members of the Hardy Heroes are Nic Festarini, Chris Festarini, Bryan Campbell, Vincent Cristiano, Robert Koutsouvelis, Tommy Hubbs and Drew Lyon. The team has qualified for nationals in each of the past five years. The Hardy Hesee Team on p.36 THE GYM Convenient, clean, and friendly. NAUTILUS We're Oakville's best kept secret! Est. 1982 High quality weight training and Nautilus cardio equipment. Experienced and mature personal trainers. Carpeted, air conditioned with ample natural light from large windows. Free indoor parking. Trial Offer: 3 FREE workouts with a trainer! 11 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, ON www.thegymnautilus.com 905-844-1610