On Dec 6th, the Peewee LL#2 team travelled to Aylmer for a rematch against the Flames #1 team. The previous meeting between the 2 teams saw Port Stanley comeback from an early 2-0 deficit to win 5-2. This time around the Flames we looking to erase that memory, but the Jr Sailors showed the true character of the team by coming back from a 3rd period 3-0 deficit to steal a point with a 3-3 tie.
The Aylmer Flames, likely still smarting from a loss in the previous meeting, came out strong and energetic. They took an early 1-0 lead only 2mins into the game on a wristshot that eluded Peter the Puck Eater. Aylmer built upon their lead in the 2nd period with 2 more goals on Peter, taking a firm hold onto the game after 20mins of play. Aylmer’s goalie was also holding the Jr Sailors at bay as he turned away the few chances that Port Stanley was able to muster, including a couple of breakaways from sniper Ryan Meth in the 2nd frame. However, the coaching staff gave the team a wakeup call before the 3rd period by reminding them of the things they needed to do to compete, and how they came back against Aylmer the last time. The Jr Sailors responded in a way they clearly defines the heart & character of this team. Early in the 3rd period, Evan Spangenberg breathed life into the team by forechecking hard on the Aylmer defense. This aggressive forecheck saw Evan strip the Aylmer defenseman of the puck and quickly tuck it behind the goalie to put the Sailors on the board. The Jr Sailors really put the pressure on the Aylmer team from that moment on. The Blueline Crew got into the action, as Jess Szusz went coast-to-coast, and narrowly missed by hitting the post on a terrific deke. That was followed by Kayla Benwell’s outstanding end-to-end rush where she dented the post behind the goalie on a blazing wristshot. Despite all the pressure, these unlucky bounces off the post kept the score 3-1 late into the 3rd period. With just under 3mins to play, the coaches made a bold move and pulled Peter from the net in favour of the extra attacker. The move paid off when Ryan Meth picked up puck at the Aylmer blueline and made a slick move to get a pass down low to Ryan Daer. Ryan Daer’s strong shot on net was deftly deflected by the extra attacker, Liam Hepburn, to make it 3-2 with just under 2mins left in the game. The Jr Sailors kept the pressure on, and the Flames tried to withstand the attack and hold onto the lead by icing the puck to kill time. However, this strategy gave the Jr Sailors a faceoff deep in the Aylmer zone in the final minute, and another opportunity to pull Peter in favour of the extra attacker. The Jr Sailors then battled hard to keep the puck in the Aylmer zone, lead by several strong plays by the Blueline Crew to keep hope alive. Morgan Palmer blocked a clearing attempt and feathered a pass deep to Evan Spangenberg, who quickly slid the puck to the front of the net where it found the stick of Ryan Meth, who bounced it off the goalie’s shoulder for the tying goal with only 16secs left. The final seconds of the game ended with Peter the Puck Eater stopping one last attempt by the Flames and the team celebrated an incredible comeback and a point well earned.
The heart & strength of character shown by the Jr Sailors with this comeback will be a key building block for the team moving into the 2nd half of the season. Next up is a Sunday return match against the Dorchester Dragons #1 team that handed Port Stanley their 2nd loss of the regular season.