Sarnia
Legionnaires Get Big Road Win in
London
October 22, 2015
COMMUNITY NEWS
by Dan
McCaffrey
Ryan Vendramin's return from
injury was just what the doctor
ordered for the Sarnia
Legionnaires Wednesday.
The big forward scored a goal
and added four assists to propel
his club to a 7-4 win over the
London Nationals.
The victory, which came right in
the Forest city, gives the
Legion crew a record of 6-5-1-1.
As a result, Sarnia now finds
itself in fifth place in the
nine team Western Ontario Hockey
Conference standings, just two
points back of London.
For a while, however, things
didn't look good for the
visitors. In fact, they were
hemmed in their own end for the
first several minutes. Worse
still, they found themselves
down 1-0 at the 5:13 mark,
thanks to a goal by Rai Di
Loreto.
But the Legionnaires took over
from there, scoring four times
before the first period was out.
Defenceman Sam McCormack started
the fireworks, roaring in off
the point to bury a close-in
drive while Sarnia was enjoying
a man advantage. For McCormack,
it was his third goal of the
campaign. Assists went to
Vendramin and defenceman Brad
Yowart.
Rearguard Konnor Roskovich made
it 2-1 just 32 seconds later,
rifling home a blast from the
blueline. The goal – Roskovich's
first – was initially credited
to captain Hunter Tyczynski, who
ended up with an assist on the
play. Ryan Trottier drew the
second helper.
Brandon Layman got his
team-leading seventh of the year
to make it 3-1. Vendramin and
Derek Johnson set the play up.
In the dying seconds of the
opening frame the Legionnaires
struck again, with Trottier
firing a ripper from the slot
that went in under the crossbar
to make it 4-1. Jarret Marks had
the lone assist.
The Sarnians continued to pour
it on in the middle stanza and
they were rewarded when Jordan
Fogarty send a rising backhander
into the cage just 44 seconds
into the period. Vendramin and
Layman assisted on what was
Fogarty's fifth of the season.
The Legionnaires came close to
blowing the game wide open a
couple of times, with Layman
being denied on a pair of point
blank chances.
Max Vinogradov scored his first
of three on the night to get the
Nationals a little closer but
Vendramin snuffed out any
comeback hopes when he caught
the top shelf for his second of
the year. The play was set up by
McCormack, who made a fabulous
pin-point pass that Vendramin
one-timed into the net. Yowart
also got an assist on the play.
Vendramin, who missed a month
due to injury, now has six
points in three games.
In the final period rookie Zack
Vanderwal put some icing on the
cake with his second of the
campaign, which came from
directly between the faceoff
circles. Vendramin and Fogarty
got helpers.
Game notes:
Vendramin was originally
credited with three assists but
that was later changed to four.
Rookie goalie Adian Hughes was
outstanding between the pipes
for Sarnia, making 40 saves. The
Legionnaires pumped 25 shots on
two different Nats netminders.
Sarnia returns to action tonight
(Thursday, Oct. 22) when it
hosts the St. Marys Lincolns.
Game time is set for 7:10 p.m.
Jacob Stos decked one of the
Nationals in the game's only
fight.
Sarnia's power-play, which has
struggled all season, was an
impressive 3-for-5.
