Kings Win Comeback Nailbiter Over Blades
Photo from Blenheim Blades Facebook
The Dresden Jr Kings overcame a 4-1 deficit to beat the first place Blenheim Blades 5-4 on Friday night.
Even more impressive – Dresden picked up the win without Stobbs Division leading scorer Dillon Liberty.
In one of the most exciting games in the PJHL calendar thus far, both Joel Sowinski and Eric Stewardson proved they are each two of the top goaltenders in the league, denying the opposition on numerous high leverage scoring chances.
In a game heard live on 99.1 CKXS, Blenheim opened the scoring late in the first and took a 3-0 lead with goals from Zach Horvath, Brayden Hopkins and Matt Clark within two minutes and sixteen seconds. Dresden responded before the close of the first with Logan Purbrick’s second of the year, a wrist shot from the hash marks beating Stewardson low on the blocker side.
Dustin Maines extended the lead to 4-1 for Blenheim, and seemed to take the air out of Dresden’s Lambton-Kent Memorial Agricultural Centre – momentarily. A powerplay marker from Macks Holmes cut the deficit in half mid-way through the second and Dresden’s Kevin Ritzer made it 4-3 with three and a half minutes remaining in the middle frame.
The Kings’ Austin Bentley was one of the hardest workers on the ice and was rewarded with a game-tying-goal just two minutes into the third after several chances down low throughout the Friday evening affair.
With the Blades on their heels, Macks Holmes found the puck on his stick after a giveaway deep in the Blenheim zone. Holmes showed great patience and fed Kevin Ritzer cutting in from the corner. Ritzer made a highlight reel-worthy hesitation backhand deke to beat Stewardson, the league’s best goalie, for the go-ahead and event game-winning goal.
Sowinski stopped 25 of 29 for Dresden while Stewardson made 33 stops on 38 shots. Dresden outshot Blenheim 38-29. The Blades and Kings will go right back at it, with a Sunday evening tilt in Blenheim. That contest can also be heard live on 99.1 FM and online at www.ckxsfm.com