The
Sarnia
Legionnaires
ran
into
penalty
trouble
last
night
on
their
way
to a
5-2
loss
to
the
LaSalle
Vipers.
Coach
Jeff
Perry's
defending
Western
Jr.
'B'
hockey
champions
were
shorthanded
six
times
(including
once
for
five
minutes
and
another
occasion
in
which
they
were
down
two
men).
The
situation
was
so
bad
that
during
the
second
period
Sarnia
was
was
forced
to
kill
penalties
for
almost
half
the
20
minutes.
LaSalle,
by
way
of
contrast,
faced
only
three
penalty
kills
all
game.
Amazingly,
the
Legionnaires
managed
to
score
two
shorthanded
goals,
both
by
Captain
Tyler
Cicchini.
Jesse
Drydak
assisted
on
both
goals,
which
were
Cicchini's
17th
and
18th
of
the
campaign.
But
LaSalle
got
two
powerplay
markers,
including
the
winner
with
a
two-man
advantage.
And
Sarnia
spent
a
lot
of
time
and
energy
killing
off
shorthanded
situations.
The
game
was
closer
than
the
score
would
indicate,
with
LaSalle
leading
only
1-0
after
the
first
period
and
just
3-2
at
the
end
of
the
second.
The
Vipers
outshot
the
Legionnaires
43-24
but
didn't
get
their
first
goal
until
almost
15
minutes
into
the
opening
frame.
The
goal,
by
Drew
Palmer,
ended
Sarnia
goalie
Kyle
Washer's
shutout
streak
at
190
minutes
and
20
seconds,
going
back
to
the
4:04
mark
of
the
first
period
in a
Jan.
21
game
against
the
Lambton
Shores
Predators.
He
blanked
the
Predators
for
almost
56
minutes
after
that,
then
posted
shutouts
against
Leamington
and
St.
Thomas.
Washer
was
especially
sharp
in
the
second
period,
when
he
faced
a
21-shot
Vipers
barrage.
-
Cicchini was named the game's second star.
-
Paid attendance was 1,194.
-
Owen Rogers was kicked out of the game late in the first period when he was assessed a five-minute major for head checking.
-
The Legionnaires now have a record of 19-20-6. That leaves them just two points ahead of the St. Thomas Stars in the fight for sixth place in the nine-team Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Sarnia plays in St. Thomas tonight.
-
The Legionnaires are home next Thursday to the Chatham Maroons.
