Stonehouse, Chiefs Dominant
By Matt Pepper
On February 2nd in Sarnia, the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs looked to even their Playdown series against the surprising Lambton Jr. Sting, and did so in hard fought effort.
Brady Stonehouse of Blenheim notched two assists and top prospects Hunter Haight and Maddox Amarel sealed this one with a back and forth game that ended in a 5-2 victory. The win allowed the Chiefs to even the series, who then went on to win the series on Monday, moving on in the Alliance Playdowns.
The Chiefs move on to face a skilled Huron – Perth team and the fiesty Sting move down into the playoffs to play Sun County.
The series with the Sting saw a lot of attention Lambton going ahead with two wins in the first two games, putting the Chiefs on the brink. Highly touted prospect Austin Harper scored what may have been the highlight goal of the Alliance season with a lacrosse style goal to seal game two. The Sting can conceivably get back into the Playdown race if they can perform strong in the Playoffs.
Here are the players of this game:
#17 Brady Stonehouse, F, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs – Two assists for Stonehouse in this game. Dominant effort using his speed to create opportunity in this game. Controls the play well as a Powerplay Quarterback. Sound defensively as he can get back into the play with his speed.
#19 Hunter Haight, F, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs – Dynamic offensive force with gap breaking speed. Scored one goal in this game. Was very impressed with his efforts late in this game, blocking multiple shots, preserving the win. High end prospect in this years draft.
#80 Owen Willmore, G, Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs – Tall goaltender who plays with a ton of confidence. Excellent down low as he covers a ton of ice. Drops down quickly into the butterfly. Covers so much of the upper part of the net, leaves very little room for shooters.
#24 Austin Harper, F, Lambton Jr. Sting – This entire series was a showcase for Harper. He took his play to the next level and was a dominant player every time he hit the ice. Blazing speed with the puck and so much patience in the offensive zone, drawing players to him and threading passes to his teammates. Gritty defensively with blocked shots. Powerplay QB.
#19 Joshua Hoover, F, Lambton Jr. Sting – Good skater with a quick release. Was excellent with the puck in this game with good puck protection and was able to move around the defense on some rushes, creating scoring opportunities for himself. Good active stick.
#10 Landen Hookey, F, Lambton Jr. Sting – Power forward with skill. So strong on his skates and with the puck and difficult to move when he has possession. Good on the cycle. Hard and accurate release. Difficult to contain.
See below for game highlights: