Lakers Take Blades To OT
Lakers goalie Zach Lindley made 40 saves in Wednesday night’s 2-2 tie with the Blenheim Blades
ARTICLE COURTESY OF THE BLENHEIM BLADES
www.blenheimblades.com
WALLACEBURG – There is an old saying in hockey – “you are only as good in any given game as your goaltender”.
That certainly proved true for both the Blenheim Blades and the Wallaceburg Lakers Wednesday night at the Wallaceburg arena as Blenheim netminder Adam Craven and Wallaceburg’s Zach Lindley, both Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division rookies, stopped a combined 66 of 70 shots as the teams played to a 2-2 tie.
The draw was the second in five starts for the now 2-1-2 Blades who sit atop the Stobbs Division with six points, while the point gained by the Lakers was their first of the season. They have two losses.
The Blades will be right back in action on “Elementary School Night” Thursday when they host the Amherstburg Integrity Admirals at 7 p.m.
Craven, who has two ties in his two starts as well as a shutout period Sunday against the Lakeshore Canadiens, stopped 26 of 28 Wallaceburg shots, while Lindley was much busier making 40 saves – at least that is what the shot clock said although there appeared to be several more.
As far as the goal scoring went the Blades jumped in front 2-0 with a pair of second period goals, with the Lakers getting one back before the middle 20 minute ended, and one more in the third period to force the seven minutes of scoreless three-on-three overtime.
Captain Brayden Hopkins netted the first Blenheim goal at 4:14 of the period, with assists going to linemates Michael Vanek and Drew Marlatt. The goal was the third of the season for Hopkins.
Rookie Nate Broek, with his second tally of the campaign, put the Blades up 2-0 at 14:40 with an assist going to George Wood.
The Lakers Cory Lucier scored the first Wallaceburg goal with 30 seconds to play in the second period, and Trevor Waller forced the OT when he scored at 12:10 of the third period.
Neither team had a powerplay goal as the Blades were 0 for 3 and the Lakers 0 for 2.
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BLADES BITS: There was no question that the Blades were short four key veteran players for the contest as Zach Horvath was unavailable because of school and Matt Clark, Owen Bateman and Braeden Allore were all sitting out long suspensions…For Clark it was his second of a six-game suspension, while Bateman and Allore missed their first games of four game suspensions…The Blades called up three affiliate players – defenceman Breyden Casier and forwards Ethan Paxton and Brodie Conlon…Casier was ejected early in the third period when he was given a two-minute checking from behind penalty and a game misconduct…This past Sunday members of Farm Credit Canada were on hand and gave out food bags to fans to be filled with non-perishable goods and returned when the Blades play at home this Sunday against Mooretown…The food will then be turned over to the Blenheim Food Bank…If you did not get a bag there will be some available in the lobby at Thursday’s game.