The Mooretown
Flags opened
their season at
home with a 3 -
2 shoot out win
over the
Wallaceburg
Lakers in Great
Lakes Jr. C
Hockey league
action.
"It was a little
chippy at the
start and it
took a little
time for the
guys to get
comfortable in
the first game."
Head Coach Gino
Vitella said "I
think we had a
lot of nerves
going through us
but we fought
through it to
the end. Not the
way I want to
win all my games
or I’m going to
be losing all my
hair."
Both teams went
scoreless in the
first period but
the teams got
the feel of the
box on the other
side of the rink
as a total of
thirty-eight
minutes was
racked up in
penalty time
between the two
teams with the
Flags leading
with twenty two
minutes and
Wallaceburg
sixteen.
"Penalties were
a big issue in
the first
period." Vitalla
said "I think
we were holding
our sticks and
had to hit
everything that
moved out there,
we filled the
box in the first
but we did a
good job killing
those penalties.
"I told the guys
after the first
lets clean up
the game which
we did and
played five on
five."
In the second
both side
settled in with
only two
penalties called
in the period
one by each
team.
Caden Fleming
scored the first
scored goal of
the season for
the Flags at
6:46 with Matt
Brandon
assisting.
As the
announcement was
being called
Wallaceburg
evened the score
on a bullet shot
by Mike Brown
from Mike
Kindrachuk just
fifteen seconds
later. At
14:57 Sam Jasmin
scored assisted
by David Addley
that gave the
Flags the 2 - 1
lead heading
into the third.
In the third
period Flags
Ryan Lyle and
Lakers Evan
Weidenback were
ejected from the
game for
fighting.
Wallaceburg then
went on and
evened the score
on a goal by
Brendan Ritchie
from Josh
Berkvens and
time ran out
sending the game
into five minute
overtime.
"Unfortunately
we couldn’t get
any bounces on
five on five to
get any goals so
we had to see
the overtime but
we played well
through the
overtime and the
guys did what we
had to do in the
shootout."
Vitalla said
Flags won the
shootout 2 - 0
with Sam Jasmin
and Dan Lumley
scoring.
Mooretown
outshot
Wallaceburg 42 -
35.
Brandon Johnson
earned his first
win of the
season with a
total of 33
saves and
denying both
shooters in the
shoot out.
Scotty gray mad
a total of 39
saves for the
Lakers.
Both sides were
scoreless in
power play
opportunities.
Wallaceburg had
nine
opportunities,
Mooretown had
six.
The Flags will
be back on the
ice to prepare
for Tuesday
night when they
travel to Essex
to meet the 73's
for the first
time.
Essex early
record stands at
0-1-1.
"Overall, I
think guys are
picking things
up and getting
better. Systems
are coming into
play a little
bit after only a
couple of
practices though
we still need to
work on quite a
few things but
we’ll get
there."