November 19, 2007
A dominating performance is the only
way to describe the skirmish between the L.M.H.A. Thunder and
the Sarnia Sting Minor Peewee M.D. squad Monday inside the
Argyle Arena complex in the forest city of London, Ontario.
Eric Cunningham, off the opening
draw, down and crossed the Thunder blue line. Darted to the
right to beat the defenceman but caught and checked hard by
Braden Erskine and went sliding into the end boards; but not
before registering the first shot on goal. James Pavey in around
the back of the net and fed back to the point. Calvin Hughson
wound up and faked the slapshot to get by the winger and a deft
pass across to Mitch Hodgins, alone in front. The shot low just
inside the left post but denied by the lighting quick left leg
kick of the Thunder’s Cameron Mallet. Ryan Hanna with the pass
to clear the zone picked up near half by Kody Drown and sent on
to the left-winger, Deon Demelo. Wide around the defense and cut
to the slot and slipped a backhander through the five hole to
put the Thunder ahead one nil on their first shot on goal.
Strong on the back check was Tyler
Groulx; Christian Kerrigan had gambled and lost pinching in at
the blue line but Groulx came racing back to catch the London
forward before he was able to make the right turn off the left
wing wall into the prime shooting area. That’s the textbook
example of teamwork between the winger and the point man; heads
up play Mr. Groulx.
Demelo to the box, interference the referee’s interpretation and
the power play unit called into action with 4:30 left in period
number one. Pavey received the pass on the skate and kicked it
up to self to gain the blue line. Pass across to Hodgins for the
shot on goal. Save Mallet, kicked to the corner and cleared just
over the blue line. Unfortunate break as Dusseault picked the
puck up at the door of the London bench, the left defenceman
fell down. Marcus, sharp as a tack, swooped in on goal and after
Mallet committed to the attacker slid the puck across to Pavey.
Easy move to the backhand to deposit the biscuit in the back of
the basket for the power play goal. Official score sheet reads
#18 from #8 and # 12 but I described the play as I saw it to
highlight the unselfish pass across Dusseault to Pavey; an
assist like that is worth more than a goal and deserves high
praise.
Konnor Harris threw his weight
around, all 75 lbs of it to jar Demelo off the puck as he tried
a move to the outside, puck neatly picked up by his partner
Christian Kerrigan, taken around the net and out of danger.
Later in the period it was Matthew Fleming on the receiving end
of the now famous “Harris Hip”, again knocked off the puck for
Kerrigan to clear around back of the net. Bank pass off the
wall, Kerrigan to Curtis Lindsay, picked up and carried down the
left wing by Lindsay for a shot on goal.
Mallet in the net made three stops
on a scramble before the puck squirted loose to the face off
dot, a shot, and another save for the London net minder. Strong
work in heavy traffic in the slot, Groulx pushed the puck ahead
to Cunningham. Shoulder fake, puck slipped through the legs of
Hanna and picked up on the other side for wrist shot, glove save
Mallet.
Hodgins from the corner to feed
Dusseault, a shot off the shoulder of Mallet, tipped again mid
air again by Dusseault and snatched mid air by Mallet, another
impressive stop.
Scott Ferguson cleared the zone with
a pass ahead to Dean MacEachern, on our side of half converged
on by two London forwards, tipped ahead and taken in stride by a
streaking Leeam Ridley. A move back to the right and as he was
being checked able to fire a shot that banked in off the right
post behind Mallet. Ridley from MacEachern and Ferguson, score
now two to one.
A check from Kerrigan in front of
the London bench freed the puck for Lindsay. Curtis with the
pass into the Thunder zone, Cunningham outraced the defender for
the puck and again Mallet was beat low to the right corner of
the cage, Sting in control 3-1.
Second period action, 5:45 gone to
be exact, offensive face off to the left of Mallet. Won at the
dot by MacEachern and directed to the left-winger, Nicholas
VanBilsen. Puck in the feet of both VanBilsen and the right
defenceman. Scooped up by MacEachern and he stick handled right
in on goal. His last trick with the puck was to stickhandle
passed Mallet, 4-1 Sting.
Cleared in from the red line along
the boards by Chris Maitland and picked up behind the London net
by Hanna. His clearing try, stymied at the boards by Maitland
and he set and fired a hard shot toward the goal. Tipped midair
by Pavey in the slot, but still grabbed by Mallet for the stop
in play. VanBilsen with the pass attempt out of the corner, not
able to get through to MacEachern, parked at the side of the
net, as it was tipped out of the passing lane by the goal stick
of Mallet. The blocked pass directed straight to Ridley alone in
the slot. Quick shot, he hit the Queen with it. Over the bar,
over the glass, over the netting and slammed high on the wall
where the portrait of the royal girl, celebrating her 60th
wedding anniversary, is usually hung.
Hughson carried the puck around
behind his own goal, early in the third, and banked a pass of
the wall for Hodgins. Hodgie hit Dusseault in stride just before
the red line and he carried into the Thunder zone. Dussueault
broke down and the pass across to Pavey at the last possible
minute, the shot and a fabulous toe save by Mallet.
Groulx with another back check
tipped the puck to Kerrigan. He hit a streaking Harris with a
cross-ice feed and Konnor was off full flight from the red line.
Sailed passed the blue line wide to the outside of the
defenceman and cut to the slot. Head up for a peak and roofed it
under the bar for a highlight reel goal, his first of the
contest.
Devon Anderson and Jordan Trembelett
broke down two one on against Kevin Dann, but the one bested the
two with the poke check to clear the puck from the passing lane
and deflect it off the boards. One, then two strides, Dann
picked the puck up himself to make the transition from defense
to offence look amazingly easy, good play Kevin.
Ferguson from the left point fanned
on the slap shot; no worries able to recover, held the puck
until his mate cleared the zone and sent it deep again to be
picked up by Cunningham. Another shot and another save from
Mallet, familiar story as the goaltender faced 55 shots in the
game, more than a handful of the spectacular variety. Kerrigan
the cross ice feed on the tape of Harris, again on the move, as
his eyes must have enjoyed the glow of the red light in behind
Mallet from the earlier rush. Same move to the outside, this
time a shot from the dot stopped on the RBK pad and covered with
the Bauer composite goal stick, another good scoring chance from
the dominant defenseman. Long shot in on goal, way out of the
net stick save and directed to the corner by Roan Mackay.
The Sarnia keeper not particularly busy during the contest, this
is never easy for a goalie; but more than once able to control
the long shoot in with the proper tender set up. Goal stick flat
on the ice angled away from the goal, glove at the ready behind
the blade, and the pad third in the line of defense in the path
between puck and net, looks easy to the untrained only because
it is practiced to perfection by the likes of Mackay. Dusseault
finished up the scoring with just over two minutes to play as a
shot from Hodgins was stopped on the pad, the rebound flipped up
and rolled in off the blocker arm of Mallet, Pavey drawing the
third assist.
Head coach Steve Hodgins, obviously
the defensive strategist, not in his familiar spot behind the
bench as the reins loosed on the offensive wizardry under the
direction of Adam Ridley, Brent Robinson and Ron Dann.
Final shots on goal ended at 6 for
the Thunder versus 55 for the Sting.
Sarnia’s next action will be on
Sunday in Stratford, at 1530 hrs start time.
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