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SARNIA, ONTARIO |
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Sarnia in the road blacks, North London Nationals, the home team, in the white uniforms complete with royal blue trim and red piping play the hosts for game two of round two of the Forest City Hockey League, Minor Peewee M.D. playoffs. 7:35 P.M. the official time of the puck drop as the pass across from Mitch Hodgins to Marcus Dusseault tipped out of the passing lane by Nat’s Ian Watt and deflected to Calvin Hughson at the left point position. The slapper from the steady blue liner registered as the first shot on goal. London answered right back with hard low shot from the high slot off the stick of Taylor Henry. Butterfly save from Roan Mackay the master minder of the mesh for the Sarnia Sting. At the end of a Nicholas VanBilsen end-to-end rush and shot on goal, Nik took a whack at the rebound which resulted in the puck bouncing across the blue ice and eluding the blade of Leeam Ridley with the cage yawning just a few feet away. A drop pass at the third minute of action, Eric Cunningham left it for Scott Ferguson at the blue line. Ferguson was not expecting the pass and it trickled outside of the blue line for the offside call. Strong work on the right wing wall as Chris Maitland plugged the path, puck in his skates as Hodgins dropped back to help as Dusseault curled in behind. Hugh McHenry and Brendan Noble battled on behalf of the Nats but the Sting now out-numbered the Nat’s on the wall 3 to 2 and were able to win the puck forward. Ridley with a cross-ice pass to clear the zone and send VanBilsen on his second rush of the game. The backhand shot turned aside by Kyle Smeltzer, manning the pies for the home squad. The fore checker’s arc played to perfection by Cunningham as he pressured the defender, Watt, the left defence man, to take a path away from the centre of the ice. Then as Eric was at the top of the arc he slapped the puck off Watt’s stick, picked it up and fired it on goal. Nat’s with a close chance, Ryan Brissette fired a shot from just in front of the left face off circle; Mackay with the pad down save and the rebound directed into the corner. Brissette’s momentum carried him to the rebound first and he gathered it in and curled around the back of the net for a wrap-around attempt. Mackay recovered and scrambled to his left as Ferguson sprawled in the crease to the rescue, intercepted Brissette at the post and covered the puck in the crease for the stop in play. The forearms crossed by the official, the signal for the most exciting play in hockey, the penalty shot. Sweet justice for the home town faithful as they remembered the penalty shot awarded to the Sting during game one of the series and no protesting the call from the Sting fans in the north end of the rink as they had a clear view of the infraction. Brissette picked up speed as he stickhandled toward the target. A slight fake to the back hand and a move to the forehand for the shot on goal. Mackay received the referees instruction to be on the line and not move until to Nat’s player advanced the puck. The moment Brissette moved the puck off the dot Roan darted forward and took up stance fifteen feet in front of the blue ice. Skating backward at the pace off the assault, a shift right to counter the backhand fake and a hard push off from the sharpened edge of the right skate blade propelled Mackay down into the butterfly position; the proper position to receive the forehand shot. The goal stick down to cover the five hole, tipped the puck into the crest of the Bee on the front of Mackay’s jersey number five. The perfect play by the diminutive keeper to help preserve the goose egg. Face off to the left of the Sting goal, as the crowd still buzzed in awe of the breakaway save. Dusseault won the drop and cleared to Hodgins on the right wing. The shot from the right side, a rebound and a scramble in front of the crease. Puck picked out of the scrum by Pavey and he drifted back to the left and fired the shot into the back of the net. Pavey kept his playoff goal streak alive and in tandem with the Mackay save swung the momentum of the contest in the Sting’s favour near the end of the first period. The point driven home even harder by the “Harris Hip” as Dylan Tosland tried to sneak past Konnor Harris and the boards in the dying seconds of the first. The check timed perfectly to propel Tosland into the wall and leave the puck free for Christian Kerrigan to clear as the buzzer signalled the end of the first period. Tyler Groulx passed cross ice for Curtis Lindsay and Curty carried into the corner. The pass out to Groulx and the one-timer handled with a clean stick save from Smeltzer. Groulx on the fore check the right defence man Watt to cough the puck up; picked up on the boards by Cunningham. Eric fired the pass quickly as Groulx one timed it right on goal for a difficult save by Smeltzer. Pavey carried around the back of the goal and fed the pass out front. Hodgins swung and missed as the puck slid under his stick, another great Sting chance to add to the 1-0 lead. Hughson faked a long slap shot and deked around the defender only to be upended between the hash marks before he could get a shot on goal. Cal, quick to his feet, the first one back to thwart the Nat’s offensive attack at the centre red line, good hustle Calvin! Chris Noble charged with holding, the first penalty of the match called at 4:37 of the second frame. Sarnia power play short lived as Groulx nabbed for the interference penalty 27 seconds later and the fans set to enjoy some four on four action. Centre ice hit Hodgins levelled his fellow number 8, Evan Hammond near the expiration of the Noble infraction; a short power play opportunity for London. Daniel King took it wide to avoid Ferguson and shot from well out wide of the mark for the best chance for the Nats. VanBilsen from behind the goal through the crease for Dusseault, the shot from the slot and a great save by Smeltzer. Noble, with his head down at the blue line searched for the puck in his feet, when he was meet by the #3 train, Lindsay, with a hard body check, which forced an offside at the Sting blue line. Draw won by Cunningham, carried through the middle zone and dumped in behind the icing line to the left of Smeltzer. Lindsay forced the play with a hard hit on the end wall to loosen the biscuit and send the pass to the front for Groulx. Bing-bang, the pass and the shot, stopped by left shoulder of Smeltzer and rolled by the post to keep the score 1-0 with eight seconds left in period two. Noble carried to puck down, one on one versus Ferguson, and a well timed shoulder from Fergie to the chest of Noble, freed the puck for Kevin Dann and the easy clear. Nationals able to apply pressure in the Sarnia end, puck to the corner. Hodgins into help out, threw it cross-ice right on the stick of Henry. From the slot, twenty-five feet out the hard wrist shot snagged mid air by the left handed leather of Mackay! Defensive face off to the right of Mackay; controlled by the Nationals and finally Chris Maitland able to clear. Ridley across to VanBilsen, a high stick made contact with the puck and the play called at the Nat’s blue line. Nationals won the face off and cleared the puck down the right side. Stopped inside the Sting blue line by Harris and he curled ready to bank to clearing pass out of the zone of the boards. Harris paused as the fore checker took away the bank pass by curling to the wall. Heads up and a quick pass from blue line to blue line from Harris to Lindsay. Groulx broke hard to the net on the off wing for the pass that never came as Lindsay put his head down, crossed the line and rifled a shot that beat Smeltzer short side to give the Sting the edge 2-0. Smart pinch at the blue line by Maitland kept the play alive and sent the puck into the corner for Dusseault. Marcus around the net and feathered the pass back to Hughson at the point. The slapper right on goal, the pad save deflected the puck to the corner. Battle for the puck and high sticking called against King at the half way mark of the final frame. Harris calmly carried behind his own goal to reverse the play and head man the puck to Lindsay. Tipped out of the zone to Groulx at centre and carried down the right wing. Nationals able to clear again, this time picked up by Dann in front of his blue line. He weaved his way smartly, skating clear of the traffic in front of the benches as both teams changed on the fly, to gain the offensive zone and fire a shot on goal at the conclusion of the power play. Dean MacEachern cleared the Sarnia zone with a flip pass and VanBilsen streaked across from his left wing spot to help out his captain. Nik skated the length of the ice and put on the brakes to avoid the defender for the first shot and the follow up try on the rebound. King sent off again, this time for boarding as he slammed Hughson into the boards with just over two minutes to go in regulation time. London pulled the goalie, desperate for offence, as Sarnia guilty of icing; a slap shot from the wrong side of the red line by Ridley. 51.4 seconds to play, face off to the right of Mackay, draw won to the point for a London point shot. Low to the ice and aimed for the inside of the far post off the blade of Henry; snagged by the glove of Mackay and held for another face off. Cunningham controlled the face off ahead to Lindsay and he tried a long shot on the empty net that missed. Nationals rush spoiled at mid ice by Maitland and poured back into the London zone. Nats threw it out to centre. Cunningham curled in behind the pressing defence pair to gather the puck and skate toward empty ice in front of the bench, dropped it there and started to skate towards his goaltender, to lead the mob, as the horn sounded, sending the Sting to the final playoff round! When asked to comment on his third playoff shut out goaltender Roan Mackay had this to offer. “It’s not my shut out, I’ve got five people in front of me every play that prevent not just goals but shots on goal. A shut out is really more about them then me.” Questioned whether or not goalies are superstitious he continued. “Mom made me what I have named my shut out shake; vanilla ice cream, 2% milk, frozen strawberries or raspberries and a dash of honey.” “I don’t think I’ll stop that routine and of course you know these threads are not heading to Maytag any time soon!”, referring of course to the good luck underclothes. highlights brought to you by:
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