On Jan 13th, the Port Stanley Jr Sailors LL2 team travelled to Aylmer to play the 2nd place Aylmer Flames #2 team. The Flames came into the game with a 10-2-2 record, good for 2nd place in the LMLL standings. However, Port Stanley came into the Sunday afternoon game riding the high of a tournament championship the previous weekend, and a Saturday evening victory over a tough Lambeth team. The Jr Sailors continued their recent momentum as they served notice to Aylmer, and the entire league, that they are a team on the rise with an impressive 4-1 win over the host Flames #2.
The Port Stanley team came out flying, as Evan Spangenberg took a pass from Ryan Meth and snuck a spinning shot through the Aylmer goalie’s feet for an early 1-0 lead. Liam Hepburn was flying all game, and with only 10secs left in the 1st period, he rattle a shot off the goalie’s cage. The puck stayed out to end the first period with a 1-0 score in favour of the Jr Sailors.
The 2nd period saw some solid back-and-forth play, with Jack Lorch posting his second straight shutout, for his half of the game, before giving way to Peter Vanbroekhoven. This strong goaltending was combined with stellar defensive play from Blueline Crew members, Jess Szusz, Wesley Geerlinks, Pernell Pasch, and Morgan Palmer, as well as strong defensive play from centres Liam Hepburn and Ryan Meth.
The 3rd period started the same as the 2nd period before Ryan Meth and Wesley Geerlinks combined on a pair of goals to give the Jr Sailors a commanding 3-0 lead with just over 9mins left. On Ryan Meth’s goal, Wesley fed a terrific pass from his own zone that sprung him on a breakaway that was neatly tucked into to top corner for a 2-0 lead. About 2mins later, on a 4-on-3 PP, Wesley Geerlinks potted one of his own, when he took a faceoff win by Ryan Meth, and fired a wristshot passed the Aylmer goalie for a 3-0 lead. With just over 2mins left in the game, Morgan Palmer cleared the puck from his own end, and it was chased down by a speeding Liam Hepburn for a terrific breakaway goal and a 4-0 lead. A late Aylmer goal ruined the shutout for the Jr Sailors, but didn’t dampen the spirits of the players as they celebrated a 4-1 win over a very strong competitor.
It was a big win for the team, and the end of a very successful weekend of hockey for the Jr Sailors. The team now turns their attention to next Saturday’s 2nd matchup against the hometown rivals from LL1. The players will be looking to continue their recent success, and revenge the Dec 30th loss to the LL1 team.