The slumping Sarnia Legionnaires will be a contender if they can shore up their blueline.

Coach Jeff Perry made that comment Thursday after his Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League club was edged 4-3 by the Chatham Maroons.

"We've had a good look around the league now and I believe we're a couple of defencemen short of being right there,” the bench boss said afterward.

It's important, he continued, for the players not to become discouraged.

The defensive corps has been hurt by inexperience, injuries and sickness. Last night, for example, veterans Tanner Ferguson and Steve Farlow again sat out, Ferguson with an injury and Farlow due to illness.

Things are so bad that Perry has been using two forwards (Brent Sauve and Tyler Annett) on defence for weeks now.

Without naming names, Perry said the same few players are making the same mistakes over and over again. Those errors will have to be corrected or the club will find other players to take their spots, he said.

New scoring leader

The Legionnaires played with considerable energy in the first period and probably deserved to go into the dressing room with the lead. As it was, they had to settle for a 2-2 tie.

Rookie Brett Thompson opened the scoring at 6:11 of the first frame when he notched his seventh of the year with a high shot from the face-off circle. Jeff Schroeter got the lone assist.

The goal gave Thompson 14 points on the season, moving him into the team scoring lead. He now has one more point than Brent Sauve, who has spent most of the campaign playing defence.

After Chatham squared matters, Shawn Waldie gave the Legionnaires the lead again.

Waldie was in the slot when a fat rebound from a Braden Kavaratzis shot came right to him. Ilya Arkalov was also credited with a helper on the play.
 

Arkalov, who was playing his first Jr. 'B' contest, was named the game's third star.

Chatham scored the only two goals of the second frame to take a 4-2 lead.

But with two-and-a-half minutes to go, Perry pulled goalie Mike Reed for a sixth attacker and the gusty move almost paid off. Jesse Drydak scored his seventh of the year to pull the Legionnaires within one and they just missed the equalizer a few moments later when a shot grazed the goal post.

• Captain Tyler Cicchini and Kavratzis got assists on Sarnia's third goal. Kavratzis, who has yet to score a goal, now has five assists in 12 games.

• Paid attendance was 1,234.

• Sarnia was 1-for-4 on the powerplay, while Chatham was 0-for-4.

• Shots on goal were 32-30 for Chatham. Despite taking his eighth regulation loss of the season, Reed was sharp in net.

• The Legionnaires are home Saturday to the Leamington Flyers. Game time at the Brock Street Barn is 7:10 p.m.

• Sarnia has now lost three games in a row in regulation time.