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Legionnaires get Important Point
january 19, 2015
By Dan McCaffery
Brennan Feasey
scored three goals
Sunday – including
the shootout winner
– as the Chatham
Maroons edged the
Sarnia Legionnaires
7-6.
Except for penalty
killing, Sarnia
played a good road
game, connecting
three times on eight
power play
opportunities.
Unfortunately, they
were absolutely
dreadful when
shorthanded. Indeed,
the Maroons were an
excellent
five-for-seven with
the man advantage.
On top of that, the
Legionnaires allowed
a shorthanded goal.
With the loss, the
Sarnians fell into
third place in the
Western Jr. 'B'
hockey standings,
one point behind the
Maroons.
Still, by virtue of
getting into extra
time, the
Legionnaires picked
up an important
point, giving them
49 on the season,
five more than
fourth ranked
LaSalle. The top
four teams get home
ice advantage in the
first round of the
playoffs.
It should also be
noted that Sarnia
won the season
series with Chatham,
posting a 3-2-1
record, good enough
for seven of a
possible 12 points.
Should the teams end
up tied for second,
that extra point
could prove to be
decisive.
Sarnia is now
24-12-1 on the
season.
Big early lead
Sarnia's Tyler Longo
opened the scoring
before the mid-point
of the first period,
finishing off a
two-on-one break
with Brandon Layman
to collect his
fourth tally of the
campaign.
Not long after that,
Ryan Vendramin
scored on a
wrap-around to give
Sarnia a two-goal
lead.
Ryan Trottier made
it 3-1 for the
visitors when he
scored his eighth of
the year on a
penalty shot. And
Vendramin upped the
margin to 4-1 before
the first stanza
came to a close,
grabbing a loose
puck and whipping a
bullet drive under
the crossbar. For
Vendramin, it was
his 16th of the
season.
Early in the middle
frame, Riley Babkirk
appeared to finish
the Maroons off with
a wraparound effort
that made it 5-1.
Babkirk now has 17
goals to his credit.
The turning point
came when Steven
Szekesy scored a
short-handed marker
for the Maroons.
After that, momentum
shifted and Chatham
struck twice more
before the period
was out, cutting the
lead to a single
goal. Jared Dennis
and Gus Ford did the
damage.
In the final frame
Sarnia got into
penalty trouble and
it cost them two
goals. Alex Morgan
and Feasey scored
with the man
advantage to give
Chatham a 6-5 edge
late in the contest.
Just when it looked
as if Sarnia was
finished, Cody
Trowell scored a
power play marker of
his own to force
overtime. For
Trowell, it was his
team-leading 27th
tally.
The Legionnaires
lost the shootout by
the narrowest of
margins, with
Trowell ringing a
shot of the post on
the last play of the
game.
Goalie Andrew
Masters made 54
saves for the
Legionnaires.
Chatham's Jake
Patterson faced 37
shots.
Missing players
The Legionnaires
were also hampered
by the fact that two
star players were
missing. Captain
Nathan Mater was
sitting out the
second of a
four-game suspension
and defenceman Mitch
Read was recovering
from an emergency
appendectomy that is
expected to sideline
him until about the
end of the month.
Read suffered the
setback right after
being obtained in a
trade with the St.
Marys Lincolns. He
was the Lincs
captain.
Sarnia is back in
action Monday when
it travels to London
to face the
Nationals for the
first of a
home-and-home
series. The same two
teams will meet
again Thursday at
Sarnia Arena.
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