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Mooretown vs
Wheatley
January 21, 2009
by Kyle
MacKinnon
photos by Kyle MacKinnon
It is becoming do-or-die for the Mooretown Flags
as the playoffs grow closer. With only eight
games left in the regular season and the
team one game below .500 the Flags hosted
the Wheatley Sharks
at the Mooretown Arena
last night.
Mooretown managed to jump out to a
quick 2-0 lead less than five minutes into
the game and never looked back. The Flags
again hit the .500 mark with a 4-3 victory.
The key to the game was to control the
Sharks balanced scoring, which the Flags
managed to do for much of the game, holding
a team that statistically scores more than
four goals a game.
Mike Burns opened the scoring on the powerplay 2:39
into the first. Josh Teschke and
Raymond Martin picked up the assists on
Burns' 11th of the year. Jordan Pennesi scored
less than three minutes later with Donny
Bowling.
Wheatley scored late in the period
while on the powerplay to
pull within one.
With three seconds left in the first, a skirmish broke
out in
front of Flags goalie Kyle Washer.
A game misconduct, two-10 minute misconducts
and five minor penalties were divided between
the two teams.
Wheatley ended up on the powerplay but
were unable to score.
That was until the 14:19 mark of the second.
Just over five minutes later Clark MacPherson potted
a power play goal for the Flags. Adam Techke and
Cody Chute assisted on the play. Chute
and Adam combined again early in the third
to assist on Tyler Fraser's seventh of the
campaign. That goal would prove to be
Fraser's third game winning goal of the year
after the Sharks managed to put another one
by Washer (who was named the games second
star stopping 34 shots on his way to his
first win as a Flag.
Washer was sent down from the Sarnia Legionnaires
to get some playing time after starting the
season on the bench behind Legionnaire
starter Matt Burglund.
Mooretown's record now rises to
16-16-1, good for third spot in the North Divison of
the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League.
The Flags are just three points behind
second place Wallaceburg and
five behind Dresden.
The team will now play four of their
remaining six games on the road.
They are an even 8-8-0 on the road this
season.
Of the seven games remaining only one of the
teams the Flags play has a 500 record.
Mooretown will play Belle River
(22-9-3) twice (including there
next game Friday on the road), and then
finish off with Blenheim (for two games), Alvinston for
a home and home and Kingsville.
Combined Alvinston, Kingsville and
Blenheim have a record of 27-68-5.
If Mooretown wants
home ice for the majority of the playoffs
they will have to up end Dresden for first
in the North. The best they can hope
for is the second seed.
Essex continues to dominate the Jr C
rankings posting a 35-0-1 record. They
are 24 points up on second place Belle River
and 26 points ahead of the Wheatley,
who fall to 21-14-3 with the loss to the
Flags.
Mooretown's next home game will be
this Saturday when
the host Blenheim at
7:30 p.m.
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