Devils Hold Off Pacers For Another Win

The Wallaceburg Red Devils held off a late charge by the Sarnia Pacers to pick up their third win of the season and secure their spot atop the Far West Division of the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League.

After jumping out to an 11-2 lead, the Red Devils allowed Sarnia back into the game in the third period, holding on for a 12-8 win. Coach Jamie Knight after the win said it was “not the 3rd period we wanted but we will take the win.”

“We certainly stuck to the game plan early on. We really wanted to play disciplined and let Sarnia take penalties. I don’t think they can beat us 5 on 5 so it’s important to keep your emotions in check, and fill the net on our powerplays.”

Wallaceburg did just that early in the game, scoring 7 powerplay goals in the first two periods. Clint Lamarsh led the team with 4 goals and 4 assists in the game, while Rob Pollock had 4 goals and 3 assists, and team leader Jordan Durston had a goal and 5 assists.

Despite his star players stepping up in the game to power their offense, Knight was most happy with his role players and new players to the team,

“Brandon Lilley was a beast tonight and I liked Doug Bennett and Chris Browne, both out of towners, coming right in and stepping up, and new kids like (Travis) Bentley, (Stephen) Mallott and (Scott) Pollard getting better every game.”

Wallaceburg will now face a tough Welland team on the road Saturday to try to keep their winning streak rolling. Last season Welland doubled up the Red Devils 12-6 at home.

Despite the late slide, Knight said their is a lesson to be learned from Wednesday’s win for his team, that he hopes the Red Devils will carry into the remainder of the season,

“My speech to the boys after the game was basically keep your foot on their throat when you have them down, don’t give them any hope, and bury teams like that in the 3rd.”

Wallaceburg will try to do that against Welland Saturday, before travelling back to Sarnia Monday.