Blades Extend Lead Atop Stobbs Division
Blenheim Blades and their arch rivals, the Dresden Kings, hooked up for the first time this season Sunday before 404 fans at the Blenheim arena, and when all was said and done the Blades had a 3-1 victory and an eight point lead atop the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s Stobbs Division. 
The Mooretown Flags are in second place with 14 points, while the Kings and the Essex ’73s are tied for third with 13.
In other action Sunday the ninth-place Wallaceburg Lakers, after eight losses and a tie in their first nine games, finally won one edging the Petrolia Flyers 6-5.
The Blades will now be idle until Thursday when they host the Wheatley Sharks at 7 p.m. on “High School Student Night” with any high school student with a valid student card getting in for free.Once again it was the hot goaltending of Eric Stewardson who stopped 29 of 30 Dresden shots for his ninth victory of the year against two losses. Stewardson’s goals against average is 2.01 and he has stopped 300 of 321 shots sent his way to date.
On the scoring side of a ledger it was Brayden Hopkins and Nick Delyzer doing all the damage to the Kings as Hopkins scored twice and Delyzer once playing on the same line for the first time this year as head coach Ken Shine changed things up a bit after Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Amherstburg.
Delyzer opened the scoring at 5:31 with his 11 goal of the year when he top shelved a shot past Kings goal Joel Sowinski with defencemen Chris Hall and Patrick Wright assisting on the play.
Then with 2:35 to go in the period Hopkins did the same thing for a 2-0 Blades lead with assists going to Hall and Delyzer assisting. The tally was Hopkins’ eighth of the year.
That lead stood up until 17:10 of the middle period when Ridgetown’s Eric Carter scored from a scramble in front of Stewardson.
There was no more scoring for over a full period until Hopkins netted his ninth into the empty Dresden net with 1:09 to play. The goal was unassisted.
BLADES BITS: Following Thursday’s game the Blades will head to Mooretown Saturday for a 7:30 match with the Flags…Sunday Essex will be in town for a 7 p.m. game…Dresden outshot the Blades 30-18…The game was Blenheim’s third in four nights and the team appeared tied at times…Blades forward Kier Cumming sat out the first of a two-game suspension for his head contact major Saturday in Amherstburg…The game was a tame affair with each team picking up two minor penalties, with the Kings having a misconduct as well…The Blades have now scored a league high 59 goals and allowed only 32 in their 14 games…The team will be holding a Quarter Auction Friday, Nov. 4 at the Blenheim Legion…Tickets are available in the lobby during home games…The Blades Alumni will be hosting a “Steak Night” Monday, Nov. 7 at the Blenheim Legion. The cost is $15 and tickets are available in the lobby at home games or by calling Dave at 519-676-2022, Ryan at 519-359-6514 or Lee at 519-676-5204.