Legionnaires Nip Predators
December 4, 2015
COMMUNITY NEWS
By DAN McCAFFERY
The Sarnia Legionnaires snapped
a three-game losing streak
Thursday, posting a 5-2 victory
over the Lambton Shores
Predators.
With the triumph the team
improved to 12-10-1-3. That
leaves them in sixth place in
the nine-team Western Jr. 'B'
hockey standings, four points
behind the fifth ranked LaSalle
Vipers. Sarnia has a game in
hand on the Vipers.
"It was a hard-fought game,”
Legionnaires head coach Mark
Davis said. “It got a little
sloppy in the first period. In
the second period we were all
over them.”
The bench boss singled out
goalie Shayne Battler for
praise, saying he was one of the
big reasons Sarnia prevailed.
“He was square up to the puck”
all night long, Davis said.
The Legionnaires penalty killers
also played a big part,
surrendering just one goal while
facing nine shorthanded
situations. During one prolonged
stretch, the Legion crew was
shorthanded for a full seven
minutes. Later, they found
themselves down two men.
One of the defensive heroes was
forward Brendan Shagena, who
played an important role in
shutting down the Preds top
line. “I just do what they ask,”
he said when asked about his
work as a defensive forward. He
added it's vital to contain the
other club's best line, whether
you're playing a top team or one
lower in the standings.
Sarnia struck first
Brock Perry scored the only goal
of the first period, popping in
a rebound as he stood on the lip
of the crease. Captain Hunter
Tyczynski and Ryan Trottier drew
assists on what was Perry's
sixth of the campaign.
Jordan Fogarty made it a
two-goal advantage at the 14:15
mark of the middle frame when he
fired a cross-ice pass into the
open side of the Preds cage.
Linemates Ryan Vendramin and
Brandon Laymen got helpers on
the tally, which was Fogarty's
eighth of the season.
But Ethan Safati got Lambton
Shores back in the contest,
scoring on the power-play before
the period came to a close.
Ryan Trottier scored what proved
to be the winner at 5:07 of the
final stanza when he collected a
rebound off the backboards and
drilled a shot past goalkeeper
Anthony Hurtubise. Defenceman
Brett Storr was credited with
the lone assist.
Layman made it 4-1 not long
after that, lifting a backhander
that hit the far post before
deflecting into the strings.
Vendramin and Fogarty once again
collected assists.
But the visitors refused to say
'die' and Matt Philip made it a
two-goal game with a little over
three minutes left on the clock.
That set the stage for Layman's
second of the game and
team-leading 14th of the year,
which went into an empty net.
Game notes:
1) Sarnia outshot Lambton Shores
38-27.
2) Attendance at the Brock
Street barn was 1,106.
3) The Legionnaires return to
action tonight (Friday, Dec. 4)
when they travel to St. Marys to
take on the Lincolns. However,
they will have to play the game
without the services of P. J.
Vandervaart and Hunter
Tyczynski, both of whom will be
suspended for their roles in an
altercation with the Preds.
