Sarnia Legionnaires


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Sarnia Legionnaires vs London Nationals
September 30, 2010

By Dan McCaffery

The birthday boy gave the Sarnia Legionnaires a much-needed win last night.

Andy Sokol celebrated the 19th anniversary of his arrival on the planet by scoring the only goal of the contest as the Legion crew edged the London Nationals 1 - 0.

Sokol, who was playing his first match of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League season after completing a seven-game suspension, broke up a tense goaltenders duel by lighting up the lamp at 12:25 of the middle frame.

He also set the tone for a hard, physical game by throwing two crunching body checks on his first shift.

The opening period was wonderfully intense, with both clubs missing a number of good scoring chances. Perhaps the best came with seven seconds left, when Owen Rogers was robbed by Nats goalie Mark Foley. But there were heart-in-the mouth moments at both ends of the icy battlefield, with Sarnia's Kyle Washer making a number of splendid saves as well.

Sokol finally broke the deadlock with a backhander from a sharp angle.

"It was good to get back in and help the boys,” the left-winger said afterward. “It was tough watching (from the stands).”

As for his goal, he said, “I just went to the net. I was at the side when I got a rebound.”

 

Sokol gave credit to teammates Shawn Waldie and Braden Kavaratizs, who assisted on the marker.

Outstanding goaltending

 

That was all the offense Washer would need. He mopped up all 31 shots that came his way to register the third shutout of his Jr. 'B' career. He also displayed a nifty pokecheck that may have prevented a London goal in the second stanza. In the third period, he preserved the win with a hot glove hand.

Washer said he won at least partly because his teammates kept him relaxed. “The guys would come back and tell me jokes and keep me laughing,” he said. “If I take the game too seriously, I struggle. Tonight I had fun.”

He also lauded his defencemen for shepherding the puck to safety in a timely fashion. "They moved the puck a lot quicker than they did before," he said.

The Legionnaires went into the game with a depleted blueline. Tanner Ferguson was out with an injury and Jeff Paulley was serving the first of a two-game suspension picked up for being involved in a fight in the last 10 minutes of last Sunday's game in St. Thomas.

But coach Jeff Perry put forward Brent Sauve back on defence and he responded with a solid effort.

"Sauve, he battles back there,” Washer said.

Indeed, all five Sarnia defencemen were uncompromising all night long. Josh Chapman, Jordan McBeath, Thomas Moxley, Jeff Farlow and Sauve set up a stout barrier, killing off five penalties in the process.

Perry said the whole team played well because the players “paid attention to detail.” Whenever they do that, “they give themselves a much better opportunity to win.”

  • Washer was first star, while London goalie Mark Foley was second star and Sarnia forward Drydak was third.

  • Paid attendance was 1,218.

  • Captain Tyler Cicchini missed his second straight game with a foot injury.

  • The Legionnaires are in St. Catharine's tonight and travel to Chatham Sunday.

  • Sarnia now has a 3-5 record.

  • The winners had 25 shots on goal.