A veteran goalie and a
kid called up from
midget ranks paced the
Sarnia Legionnaires to a
crucial playoff win last
night.
Netminder Jesse Raymond
got the shutout and
rookie Nathan Mater had
a goal as the
Legionnaires edged the
Chatham Maroons 2-0
before 1,234 fans at the
Brock Street Barn.
The win evens the
best-of-seven WOHC
quarter-final at three
games each. Game seven
is set for Sunday night
in Chatham.
Raymond, who was named
the game's first star,
made 27 stops, including
a great first period
glove save and a
sensational, sprawling
third period stop.
Captain Tyler Cicchini
broke up a scoreless tie
at the 6:27 mark of the
final frame. Cicchini,
who was the second star,
jumped on a turnover and
unleashed a shot that
hit Chatham goalie Mike
Ostropolec's glove
before deflecting into
the net. Andy Sokol
assisted on the tally,
which was Cicchini's
fifth of the post
season.
Mater, who only turned
16 this month, scored
less than a minute later
when he took a pass from
Shawn Waldie and tapped
it into the corner, low
on the blocker side.
Needless to say, it was
his first of the
playoffs and his first
junior hockey goal.
The Maroons applied
plenty of pressure after
that, but the Sarnia
defence kept them to the
outside for the most
part. When they did get
good chances, Raymond
was there to slam the
door.
-
Nathan Mater was
named the third star.
-
Sarnia played a
disciplined game,
taking only one
minor penalty. The
Maroons were almost
as careful, going to
the box only twice.
-
The Legionnaires had
21 shots on net.
-
With the addition of
Mater, the
Legionnaires
cemented their
reputation as being
more than just a
city hockey club.
Indeed, they could
make a case that
they are 'Lambton
County's team.'
That's because
Mater, like Tanner
Ferguson, is from
Watford, while Owen
Rogers is from
Forest, Jeff
Paulley, Josh
Teschke and Jason
Teschke all hail
from Corunna, Jesse
Drydak is from
Camlachie and Chase
Clark and Jake
Unsworth are from
Petrolia. Sarnians
on the club include
Cicchini, Waldie,
Sokol, Brent Sauve,
Steve Farlow and
Tanner Tomlinson.
