Blades Blank Defending Champs

Tuesday night the Blenheim Blades travelled to Essex for their first meeting this season with the defending champion Essex ’73s and came home with a 1-0 victory behind the shutout goaltending of Eric Stewardson and an unassisted first period goal by Drew Marlatt.

Brayden Hopkins is one of 11 veterans signed to the Blenheim Blades 2016-17 roster | Photo by Kelsey Vermeersch/ CKSN.ca

The win was the fourth in a row for the Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division leaders running their season record to 6-1-2, good enough for 14 points and a five point lead on the second place ’73s, who are now 4-1-1 after dropping their first game in six starts.

The victory was also the first for the Blades over Essex since the 2013-14 season, and just the fourth against 31 loses and a tie since 2008.

Stewardson was literally unbeatable, stopping all 36 shots sent his way while his teammates apparently were credited with just 19 on Essex goalie Matt Badour.

Luckily one of those shots, by Marlatt at 16:57, found its way behind Badour and proved to be enough for the victory. The goal was Marlatt’s third of the season.

The game was a tame affair with the Blades having to kill off just two minor penalties and Essex one.

BLADES BITS: The Blades are now unbeaten in their last five game with an overtime tie to go with the four straight wins…Next action for the Blades will be Friday when they go to Lakeshore looking for some revenge against the Canadiens who handed the Blades their only defeat by a 6-2 score Sept. 25 in Blenheim…Sunday the Wallaceburg Lakers will be in town for a 7 p.m. game…The game will be Kent Cobras night with any player wearing a Cobras jersey getting in for free…Two Blades defencemen – Braeden Allore and Owen Bateman – returned to action after sitting out four games suspensions…Matt Clark has now severed his six game suspension and will be eligible to play Friday in Lakeshore… The team will be holding a Quarter Auction Friday, Nov. 4 at the Blenheim Legion.