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Dec 10, 2007
Sarnia Sting
Minor Peewee M.D. hockey club defeated the Stratford Warriors
Monday evening 5-3 before a biased Monday night, hometown crowd
at the Clearwater Arena. Yes, the custom Cherry coach rode out
of town pointless, as the Sting remained undefeated in league
play and added to their first place cushion in the point
standings.
First shift of
the game highlighted by a high Konnor Harris wrist shot from the
left point that was gloved and held for the face off by Scott
Herbert. Scott Ferguson managed to take a swing at the puck but
was up-ended by Jack Rankin, two minutes for tripping the
official call, at 2:11 of the first period.
Power play
chances came first with a Dean MacEachern shot, then the rebound
taken by Nicholas VanBilsen and fed cross-crease to Leeam
Ridley. Another shot and a save by Herbert.
Tyler Groulx
opened the scoring as he threw the puck toward the crease from
the corner, off a Marcus Dusseault Marcus pass, and had it carom
off the pads of Herbert. “You throw the puck to the net and good
things happen, I hear the coaches tell us that all the time”,
stated Groulx. “I was trying to hit Curty (Curtis Lindsay) with
a pass but we’ll take it” (the goal). Stratford dumped it deep
in the left corner to be picked up by Calvin Hughson and smart
hockey followed; Hughson got his head up and recognized the
Warrior’s were on a line change. The quick, hard cross ice pass
to Ridley on the right wing, safely cleared the zone by keeping
the puck away from the traffic at the Stratford bench and at the
same time sent Ridley on his way to start the play in the
offensive end of the rink! Good pay Calvin and Leeam.
Second period
action, Roan Mackay still waiting for his first shot on goal,
witnessed a Ridley slapshot after VanBilsen feathered the pass
across just in front of the blueline. Sting on the board for the
second time as “Big Mac” stole the puck between the blueline and
the centre dot and cruised in to fire the shot, low to the
blocker side to beat Herbert.
Stratford
answered in the second period as first Ferguson was assessed an
interference penalty and then just ten seconds later Groulx was
cited with an elbowing call to put the Sting down two men.
Stratford worked
it down low and the pass across from Rankin, right on the tape
and right in the net off the stick of Joe Gioia. That cancelled
the first penalty and the Warrior’s heaped on a little more hurt
as they scored another short-handed marker to even the score at
two apiece; before Groulx escaped the sin bin. Gioia again the
sniper and Josh Morris on the assist as this game got a lot more
interesting at the 6:26 mark of the second period. Pretty set
up, Dusseault to James Pavey and James away on a break away
chance; stopped when Jacob Kompf took the feet out from under
Pavey and earned the gate for two or less. Hooking the signal
relayed from “Stripes” to Timothy Maitland; the official
scorekeeper for this match after missing two games to care for
Christopher, the steady defenceman inflicted with pneumonia like
symptoms.
Great flurry of
action to start the third period as Ferguson fired the point
shot, the rebound to Ridley another chance and a great save
Herbert. Picked up behind the net by MacEachern. The pass to the
slot for VanBilsen, the shot, and another stop by Herbert to
maintain the stalemate. Mitch Hodgins with the bull work
along the boards, to hamper up the clearing attempt; stopped at
the line by Christian Kerrigan. A cross-ice feed to Lindsay and
the one timer tickled the twine to put the Sting in the lead
3-2.
Mitchell Harrett
was in the box serving a roughing call when Maitland cleared it
out of the corner for Ridley. Leeam carried it over the blueline
to the centre ice zone and hit Dusseault with a pass to enter
the Warrior’s territory. Marcus made no mistake as he doubled
the lead, 4-2, with just less than five minutes to play. Ouch, a
zone clearing attempt by Kerrigan intercepted at the blueline by
Harrett and an unexpected shot on goal, stopped and covered for
the whistle by Mackay.
A short
interruption from hockey as penalty trouble hampered both teams
in the waning minutes of play.
Sting, short by
two, with Dusseault and Hughson in the penalty box as the
defensive zone draw was controlled back to Kerrigan. The fake to
go behind the goal, stopped and a curl to the left, the puck
rifled off the wall by the right defence man. Lift the stick
and bank the pass off the wall to yourself; describes the play
of VanBilsen as he scampered away on a break away from the Sting
blueline. Contested at the Warrior’s blueline, VanBilsen chipped
it passed the Stratford defenseman, picked it up in the slot and
fired a wrist shot passed a startled Herbert to score the double
short-handed goal with one minute to forty-seven seconds left in
the contest. Josh Bickell does not know the meaning of quit; as
he drove a shot from the blue line right on target. Mackay with
the paddle down, oh no, a misdirection and the puck found it’s
way passed the line to make the final score 5-3.
Sarnia out shot
Startford, 23 to 10, during the contest. |
