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Legionnaires Suffer First Pre-Season Loss
August 31, 2015
COMMUNITY NEWS

By Dan McCaffery

The Sarnia Legionnaires lost their first pre-season tilt Sunday, dropping a 2-0 decision on the road in Strathroy.

The Legionnaires were in the game the whole way, but a failure to click on the power play cost them the game.

In fact, Sarnia was 0-for-7 with the man advantage.

Other than that, it was a tense battle, with the hometown Rockets only outshooting the visitors 37-32.

Goalies Shayne Battler and Tynan Lauziere split the netminding duties for Sarnia, with each surrendering just one goal. Battler was credited with 15 saves, while Lauziere, a former Rocket, turned back 21.

Head coach Mark Davis announced afterward that the Legionnaires have signed Lauziere, a three-year veteran of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League wars.

His arrival is important because Sarnia has lost both of last year's netmen.

Lauziere, a St. Thomas native who stands 5'10 and weighs in at 160 pounds, made half a dozen brilliant saves during his 30 minutes of action, including a third period breakaway stop.

He also broke up a dangerous Rockets scoring thrust with a nifty second period poke-check.

"He played a heck of a hockey game,” Davis said. “The only goal that beat him was the result of a bad bounce off the wall. He made some unbelievable saves. He's a guy who positions himself well. And he's just so calm and cool. He also communicates well with his defencemen.”

Lauziere broke into the league with the St. Thomas Stars as a 16-year-old, an uncommon occurrence for a netminder. His best year came in 2014 when, playing for the Rockets, he posted a 14-8 won-lost record while collecting two shutouts. His save percentage that season was an impressive 9.01.

Last year, he toiled with the lowly Pelham Pirates of the league's Golden Horseshoe Conference.

Despite the loss, Davis was not overly concerned.

"I'm happy with the way we're starting to come together,” he said. “We've still got a lot to work on because we've got a lot of new faces and we've got guys who have come from different systems. But I like what we're moulding into.”

He noted Sarnia was missing several players Sunday who will likely be in the lineup when the regular season opens next month.