The Oakville Blades head coach and general manager had several trades lined up as he tried to both improve and pare down his roster for the Provincial Junior Hockey League stretch run. Problem was, nobody wanted to leave.

“We couldn’t get deals done. A couple players refused to be traded,” Coccimiglio said of his efforts on the league’s first cutdown day of the season. “We felt moving them somewhere else would help their career, because every player wants more ice time. We were giving players opportunities to play for teams where they’d be on first or second lines.”

The Blades did make one significant roster move, acquiring 6-foot-1, 205-pound defenceman Alex Abramov from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Melfort Mustangs. Oakville dealt blueliner Blake Barbieri to the St. Michael’s Buzzers to make room for Abramov.

But Coccimiglio would have preferred to have made a few more changes to his squad, despite the fact the Blades have won 15 of their past 16 games and have the second-most points in the entire league.

The coach/GM said a few players have expressed dis- satisfaction with roles they’ve been asked to fill the rest of the season, and he felt trading those players might allow them to play more significant roles somewhere else.

“We need a good checking line like we had last year (when the Blades won the league and Central Canadian championships and competed at the RBC Royal Bank Cup), we need lines to shut down other teams’ lines. We have to start working on that part of the game,” Coccimiglio said, “and we figured bringing in different players would be the right time to do it.”

Coccimiglio said the Blades had their eye on two players in particular, one a defensive specialist and the other an offensive presence. He still hopes to obtain those players, although now it won’t be by trade.

In the meantime, those players who didn’t want to leave the Blades will be expected to do whatever is asked of them.

“They’ll have to show us they want to be on this team and will help any way they can,” said Coccimiglio. “Nothing changes, from our perspective. We were just trying to put them in a better situation and put our team in a better situation.

“We’re asking guys to play certain roles, knowing they don’t really want to play those roles. It’s not that they can’t play those roles, they’re just not happy playing those roles. I always try to keep my players happy.”

Coccimiglio had several incentives to make roster moves Monday. First of all, teams are now limited to 25 player cards, with that number going down to 23 by Jan. 10. Also, the division rival Georgetown Raiders — who routed the Blades 10-2 last month in Georgetown — made a few acquisitions of their own recently and are looking like a major roadblock in Oakville’s path back to the Royal Bank Cup.

“I wouldn’t say we’re not good enough,” Coccimiglio said. “But we’re always trying to improve the club in the right spots.”

Blades win weekend pair

On the ice, the Blades maintained their hold on first place in the MacKinnon Division standings with a pair of wins last weekend.

Oakville (27-4) defeated the Bowmanville Eagles 6-2 Friday at Joshua’s Creek Arenas, then dealt the Streetsville Derbys a 3-1 defeat Sunday in Mississauga.

Matt Ribeiro scored twice and had an assist for the Blades Friday, while Luke Moodie contributed three helpers. Dustin Alcock added a pair of markers, with Julian Cimadamore and Ryan Murphy rounding out the scoring.

Sunday, Lindsay Sparks scored twice and Cimadamore had Oakville’s other goal.

Blades netminder Matt Hache recorded victories in both contests.

The Blades also hosted their annual Celebrity/Alumni Game Saturday at Joshua’s Creek Arenas, which drew a crowd of approximately 600 people.

A few ex-NHLers, Oakville Junior Ice captain Dayna Newsom and ‘Keeper of the Stanley Cup’ Phil Pritchard teamed up with former Blades players to take on this year’s squad.

Highlights from the evening included Cimadamore getting a pie in the face after scoring the opening goal, former Buffalo Sabres enforcer Rob Ray squaring off with the Blades’ Adam Simms in a mock scrap, and ex-Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Steve Thomas blistering a shot past three Blades goalies that were in net at the same time.

“Thomas just got a pass and let it fire, top corner,” laughed Coccimiglio. “It was hilarious.”

Proceeds from the game will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Bob O’Brien, a long-time minor hockey volunteer who was one of the first Tier 2 players ever drafted to the NHL. O’Brien passed away earlier this year.

The Blades will be home to the Brampton Capitals Friday for a 7:30 p. m. start. The Blades will then travel to Port Hope Sunday for a 7 p. m. clash with the Predators.