CHATHAM – The Sarnia
Legionnaires overcame an
astonishing amount of
adversity here last
night to crush the
Chatham Maroons 8-1.
Down three-to-one in
games and playing before
a hostile crowd of more
than 1,000 fans, the
Legion crew opened the
contest with one of the
most courageous
performances ever seen
by a Sarnia Jr. 'B'
hockey club.
Coach Jeff Perry's
Western Ontario Hockey
Conference team was
penalized almost
continously, playing
shorthanded for half the
opening period,
including two minutes
when they were two men
short. But despite that,
and despite the fact
that Chatham was not
assessed a single minor,
they outshot the Maroons
17-12 and outscored them
5-0.
Captain Tyler Cicchini
and centre Owen Rogers
led the way over the
course of the evening
with four points each.
In fact, both had three
goals and an assist.
"They played like guys
who didn't want their
season to end tonight,”
Perry said afterward. “I
thought we came out with
a sense of urgency right
off the start of the
game. We won all the
battles required to be
successful.”
Perry felt his veterans
exhibited great
leadership. “Some of the
guys had leadership
(experience) playing on
a team last season that
won a league title,” he
said. “They set the pace
and the younger guys
followed. They played
with desperation. I
thought our guys
competed extraordinarily
hard.”
He is hopeful the
victory will be a
momentum shifter for the
Legionnaires, who must
win at home on Thursday
to send the series back
to Chatham for a seventh
and deciding encounter
on Sunday.
Big rightwinger Chase
Clark set the tone early
when his wrist shot from
the slot went high into
the net at the 21 second
mark. The goal, Clark's
fifth in five playoff
contests, was set up by
Rogers.
Just past the five
minute mark Cicchini got
his first of the night
when he jumped on a fat
rebound from rookie
rearguard Tanner
Ferguson's point shot
and lifted it over
goalie Mike Ostropolec.
Rugged winger Andy Sokol
was also credited with
an assist.
While the Legionnaires
were killing off their
fourth straight penalty
of the opening stanza,
Rogers stole the puck,
went in alone and scored
an unassisted goal to
make it 3-0 at 9:16.
The Sarnians were forced
to kill off yet another
penalty before the frame
ended, but still found
the time to add to their
lead. Cicchini made it
4-0 at 10:44 (with an
assist going to Tanner
Tomlinson) and Rogers
made it 5-0 six minutes
later with the aid of
Clark.
When the second period
opened it was more of
the same, with the
Legionnaires taking
their seventh and eighth
penalties before Chatham
was finally assessed its
first minor of the game.
Rogers took advantage of
the situation when he
grabbed a loose puck in
front of the net, moved
around a sprawled
Ostroplec and fired his
third of the night and
fourth of the playoffs
into a yawning cage.
Clark got an assist.
Still the penalties kept
coming to Sarnia, with
the Legionnaires being
assessed eight of the
first nine.
But Chatham could not
beat Legionnaire
netminder Jesse Raymond,
who made a number of
solid stops.
In the third period
Cicchini got his hat
trick, scoring his
fourth of the playoffs
to make it 7-0. Jesse
Drydak and Ferguson
assisted.
Tanner Garrick got his
first of the post-season
with an unassisted blast
at 14:09 to close out
the scoring for the
defending Western Jr.
'B' champions.
Chatham's Gabe Gervais
was credited with
ruining Raymond's
shutout when he was
awarded a goal for a
shot that a video replay
showed hit the crossbar
and bounced out to the
blueline without ever
entering the net.
-
Sarnia outshot
Chatham 39-24,
despite playing much
of the game
shorthanded.
-
The Maroons were
0-for-12 on the
powerplay.
-
Chatham took a
number of penalties
once the outcome of
the game was no
longer in doubt, but
the Legionnaires
managed only one
powerplay goal.
-
Rogers was first
star, Cicchini
second and Raymond
third.
-
Jordan Leyser, back
from a bout of strep
throat, played on
Sarnia's blueline.
-
Tanner Tomlinson
received a gross
misconduct for foul
language and faces a
two-game suspension.