On Sat, Jan 12th, the Jr Sailors travelled to Lambeth to play the Lancers in game 2 of a 3-game season series. Having tied 1-1 in the opening game on Nov 11th after giving up a late game-tying goal, Port Stanley was looking for a win in this one. The game was again a close one, but this time the Jr Sailors held on with a strong defensive stand at the end to secure a 2-1 victory, and an important win in the standings.
The game started with a defensive battle as both teams battled back-and-forth, with very few scoring chances for either team, and goaltender Jack Lorch continuing his strong play of late by shutting down the Lancers in the first half of the game. It remained that way until 3mins into the 2nd period when Port Stanley broke the ice. Evan Spangenberg and Ryan Meth had a strong forecheck that freed the puck to the stick of Jess Szusz who fired a strong wristshot that found its way into the back of the net. Late in the 2nd period, Liam Hepburn made a terrific 200ft play when he put strong check on a Lambeth player behind the Port Stanley net. This excellent defensive check from Liam separated the offensive player from the puck, which he then picked up with speed and went coast-to-coast to bury a breakaway for a 2-0 lead. The 3rd period saw Lambeth cut the lead in half when they capitalized on a goalmouth scramble to put one past Peter Vanbroekhoven. However, that is all that Peter and the Blueline Crew would allow, as they held their ground in a late-game goalmouth scramble to secure a 2-1 victory.
It was a big win to start a weekend of strong competition for the Jr Sailors. Next up is a trip to Aylmer to play the 2nd place Aylmer #2.