A
failure
to
execute
around
the
net
cost
the
Sarnia
Legionnaires
a
game
Thursday
that
they
played
hard
enough
to
win.
Coach
Jeff
Perry's
Greater
Ontario
Junior
Hockey
League
club
dropped
a
5-2
game
to
the
visiting
St.
Thomas
Stars
despite
the
fact
that,
territorially
at
least,
they
held
their
own.
When
the
final
horn
sounded,
Sarnia
had
out
shot
the
Stars
37-35.
"Right
now
our
veteran
players
are
not
executing
very
well,”
a
frustrated
Perry
said
after
the
game.
“They've
got
to
pay
a
little
more
attention
to
detail.
They're
taking
shortcuts
and,
when
you
do
that,
you
pay
the
price.”
He
added
the
team's
young
defence
is
making
a
lot
of
mistakes,
a
problem
that
will
take
time
to
correct.
As
for
the
overall
work
ethic
displayed,
he
said,
“The
effort
was
there,
but
our
execution
was
completely
off.”
St.
Thomas
scoring
ace
Dylan
Thomas
took
advantage
of
some
less
than
reassuring
goaltending
by
Kyle
Washer
to
give
the
Stars
the
lead
before
the
game
was
two
minutes
old.
By
the
end
of
the
first
frame,
that
gap
had
been
widened
to
3-0.
Mike
Reed
took
over
between
Sarnia's
pipes
after
that,
allowing
only
two
goals
the
rest
of
the
way.
 |
Blown chances
It wasn't as if the Legionnaires didn't have their chances. Centre Owen Rogers jumped on a loose puck at the side of a wide open St. Thomas net in the first period, only to see king-sized netminder Michael Slaats pull off an amazing save.
Slaats, who stands 6'3 and weighs 190, loomed like Godzilla in the St. Thomas cage, scooping up anything that came near him. |
Rogers
finally
beat
him
with
during
a
goal-mouth
scramble,
making
the
score
3-1
just
before
the
mid-point
of
the
second
stanza.
Captain
Tyler
Cicchini
and
Jesse
Drydak
assisted
on
the
powerplay
marker.
But
any
momentum
the
Legionnaires
might
have
gained
was
wiped
out
less
than
a
minute
later
when
the
Stars
restored
the
three-goal
cushion.
In
the
third
period
Drydak
nailed
his
second
of
the
season
to
keep
a
flicker
of
hope
alive.
The
speedy
right-winger
got
in
close
and
kept
his
cool,
waiting
for
Slaats
to
commit
himself.
When
the
goalkeeper
went
down,
Drydak
lifted
it
over
him
into
the
net.
Rogers
drew
the
only
assist.
-
Drydak was named the third star. Although they didn't get star selections, Rogers and Tanner Tomlinson had solid games for the Legionnaires.
-
Sarnia could manage only one powerplay goal on seven chances, while St. Thomas was 2-for-4 with the man advantage.
-
Paid attendance was 1,186. After three home games the Legionnaires again lead the league in attendance, with just under 4,000 tickets sold, or an average of 1,332 per contest. Niagara Falls is second, with an average crowd of 787.
-
Sarnia now has a 2-4 record and sits in a five-way tie for fourth place in the Western Conference. The Legionnaires, St. Marys, Leamington, London and St. Thomas all have four points. LaSalle leads with nine points, followed by Strathroy with eight and Chatham with six. Lambton Shores has yet to pick up a point.
