|
November 26, 2007
Clearwater Arena, the blue side,
Monday night Nov. 26 the setting for the Minor Peewee M.D.
battle as Sarnia faced off against West London Hawks.
Dean MacEachern still out of the
line up, joined by Chris Maitland in the sick bay, forced the
Sting to run with two centres and five defence men. Opening face
off won by Marcus Dusseault to James Pavey greeted by Matt Horne
with a “how-do-yah-dew” welcome to the game check that knocked
Pavey off the puck. Play carried on, Dusseault picked up the
loose biscuit and skated in behind the London goal; centered to
Pavey for the shot and the save. Face off won by London to the
end wall, skated away and play was stopped by the whistle, just
twenty grains of sand able to fall from the top hour glass.
Dusseault nabbed as he got his stick caught up in the skates of
the London defenceman, two minutes for tripping the official
call.
First “Pee Kay” unit pressed into
service, Kevin Dann and Scott Ferguson along with Pavey and
Mitch Hodgins up front; Dann able to send it deep and allow all
four to change as the puck was in the Hawk’s end with one minute
gone in the kill. Thomas Waight, the big left winger, fired the
wrist shot, gloved and held by Roan Mackay for the whistle.
Tyler Groulx with the pass across to Leeam Ridley and a high
shot, labeled for the top shelf, taken on the blocker by Alex
Costello and directed to the corner.
Offensive face off draw won by Eric
Cunningham, back to Christian Kerrigan at the right point. The
pass across to his defence partner, who snuck in on the play,
and shot a hard wrister from the top of the left circle kissed
the right post on the way by to give Sarnia the early lead.
Dusseault, on a coast-to-coast journey, had the goalie moving
across but the left toe drag enough to deny the Sarnia center
man.
London’s right defense man, Horne,
with the low blast, just wide of the target, and later another
chance as Garrett Stevens appeared to have a breakaway but
caught by Harris and Kerrigan and the puck rolled harmlessly
away without a shot on goal.
Cooper Norman picked the pocket of
Scott Ferguson at the blue line and he was off on a break away;
Ferguson in hot pursuit. Norman pushed the puck ahead a little
too far and Mackay “Jacques Plante” style took the chance to
wander out and pounce. Leather over the biscuit as Norman skated
by and quick to glove the puck ahead to Ferguson, and avoid the
delay of game penalty for freezing the puck outside of the
confines of the blue ice of the goaltender’s crease; wise play
Mr. Mackay!
Strong play by Groulx, stepped
toward the slot and fired a shot off the blocker of Costello for
an excellent scoring chance just moments before he was able to
cash in the rebound from the scramble in front, Lindsay and
Harris with the helpers on the Groulx goal. One minute later it
was Cunningham wide around the defender and the pass across to
Hodgins for the easy tap in, but no! The unselfish play, the
pass back to Cunningham for the wide open tap in, a prettier
point you will never see than the assist to Hodgins. Sarnia in
the lead 3-0, Ferguson drew the other assist.
Curtis Lindsay blew passed the
defense after accepting the Cunningham pass and wired a low
wrister to the lower left corner, Sarnia up by four. Ferguson
again drew the other assist. Dusseault tried to split the Dee,
but sandwiched by Horne and Logan Evans, was taken off the puck.
Pavey carried on and drove around the net, centered, and the
puck dribbled through the crease untouched for another great
chance.
Coincidental minors handed out to
Harris and Stevens, Sarnia bulged the twine again whilst the box
was full. Andrew Russell had carried the puck down the wing and
lost it in a pass across attempt, deflected into the corner and
picked up by Kerrigan. A slight hesitation and instead off
banking it off the boards to no one, Kerrigan takes one more
stride and finds Dusseault breaking up the middle. From the
Sarnia side of the red line in, it was Dusseault all alone with
a deke to the back-hand and just enough room as the puck
actually hit the butt end of the goal stick on its way into the
net past Costello.
Dusseault struck again before the
end of the period, this time Lindsay picked up the helper, just
over a minute to go in the second and the Sting in control 6-0.
London came close but no cigar
before the buzzer as Ryan Major passed out front to Nickolas
McQuiggan, just out of his reach. Cunningham side stepped the
defense and checked to the ice on the way by, but able to get
the puck up high from in close on Jordan Mehlenbacher, now
tending the crease for the Hawks. Cunningham to the box for
tripping up Alex Herbert and before the penalty expired, Sarnia
called again for tripping. Hodgins the guilty party this time,
still 46 seconds left in the Cunningham infraction. Sarnia
weathered to two man-disadvantage thanks to Pavey’s skillful
play.
Dusseault finished off the natural
hat trick as Ridley picked up the puck, after exiting the
penalty box, and followed it to the corner. From the icing line
Ridley fired the shot on goal to have the rebound lay in the
crease for Dusseault to register the third consecutive goal to
make the score 7-0.
Ben Brandreth broke the goose egg
when his centering pass from deep in the corner was deflected by
Calvin Hughson over the shoulder of Mackay.
Asked to comment on the goal in the
dressing room after the contest Calvin admitted that Roan went
down way too early on that one, ha ha! Kerrigan over the
line, the shooting lane blocked, passed into the corner for
Ridley. A touch pass without stopping the puck back to the slot
for Cunningham and bingo bango bongo, in the back of the net she
goes. Cunningham’s second of the contest.
Groulx to the box for elbowing,
London on the power play; Brandreth across to Russell ahead to
Stevens to gain the blue line. Horne bulled his way along the
wall but lost it behind the net to Dann. Driven along the boards
but stopped at the blue line by Brandreth to keep the play
alive. This time it was chipped out of the zone by Hughson and
carried through centre by Hodgins.
Hodgins, already the owner of the
prettiest assist of the night became the winner of the prettiest
goal award as well, as he veered further and further to the left
to avoid the London rearguard. Just when you thought he was too
far away to make a play, Hodgins nine ironed the puck just under
the cross bar and just inside the far post! A picture perfect
marker, the assist to Hughson, to close out the scoring in this
9-1 victory for the Sting.
Sarnia will head east on the 402 to
resume this home and away series; Thursday night Nov. 29,
Kinsman Arena the designated battleground for a 7:30 P.M. tilt. |
