Port Elgin Home Hardware/Dunlop Fuels Novice BB Push Goderich Sailors to the Brink
The Port Elgin Home Hardware/Dunlop Fuels Novice BB team are now a single point away from winning their opening playoff series of the WOAA Twolan Division Championship, the highest division of the WOAA, against the Goderich Sailors. The Storm won game 4 of the series on Saturday in Goderich 4-3 with what many believed to be their best total team effort of the season.
For the 3rd straight game, Saugeen Shores’ relentless fore-checking from forwards Nicholas Lalonde and Austin Hagen, and deft defensive play from Reed Stauffer and Ethan Greig, kept the Sailors off the score sheet in the 1st period. The Sailors have not been able to crack goalie Jarrett Blue in the 1st period since way back in Game 1.
For the second game in a row, the boys in blue were able to jump out to a 2nd period 2-0 lead with goals from Hale Schoneck (unassisted) and Jacob Condy with Donovan Kewageshig feeding the puck to Condy. In what seemed like a replay of Game 3, the Goderich team came back to even the score with goals less than a minute apart from Ethan Barnes and Storm Killer, Kaden Hoggarth. However, less than 30 seconds later, the Storm would go back into the lead with a nice breakout play started by Sam Flarity to Dane Heipel, who found a streaking Schoneck. Schoneck made a nice move to get around the last defender and found the back of the net with a high glove side wrister, easily beating the goaltender.
Early in the third period, Eoin MacKay found a loose puck in the Goderich zone corner, walked out to the slot area and rifled a shot off the goalie’s pad that deflected into and out of the net. After much discussion between the two referees, the Storm’s two goal lead was restored and MacKay had his first career post-season goal. With 10:08 to go in the game, Goderich’s Hoggarth connected again to make it a one goal game and apply the pressure. The Storm would not be fazed and instead turned the pressure back on Goderich. With great defensive play from many of the boys, especially D-man Carter Greig, Goderich registered only a single shot on goal the rest of the way, preserving the win. The Storm can now finish off the series with a win or a tie on Wednesday in Goderich or Thursday in Southampton. Go Storm Go!!