Legionnaires Win Barn Burner
December 11, 2015
COMMUNITY NEWS
By Dan McCaffery
Photos by Pat Brethauer
"Holy mackerel! Holy mackerel!
That's all I can say.
That was Sarnia Legionnaires
head coach Mark Davis's first
response after watching his Jr.
'B' hockey club edge the London
Nationals Thursday in a wild
shootout at the Brock Street
barn.
When the smoke cleared the
Legion crew had stormed back
from a three-goal first period
deficit to shade the Nats 7-6.
The triumph their fourth in a
row improved their record to
15-10-1-3, good enough for fifth
place in the nine-team Western
conference standings. They are
just two points behind London
and Chatham, who are tied for
third, and only four back of
second ranked St. Thomas.
Captain Hunter Tycyznski started
the barrage of goals just 2:52
into the contest with a sharp
angle shot that somehow eluded
London netminder Connor Hughes.
Hughes was immediately pulled,
although, as it turned out, his
night was not over.
But the lead was short-lived,
with the Nationals scoring four
times to head into the dressing
room ahead 4-1. Three of those
tallies came against starting
Sarnia goalkeeper Aidan Hughes
(the younger brother of Connor).
Like his older sibling, Aidan
got the hook before the period
expired.
In the first intermission Davis
told his players, pick away,
that's the only thing you can
do.
The Legionnaires
took his advice to heart, with
Brandon Layman notching his 17th
of the campaign just 1:33 into
the middle frame. Defenceman
Brad Yowart followed that up
seven minutes later with a
power-play marker that made it
4-3.
However, John Warren restored
London's two-goal advantage with
a power-play tally of his own
just before the mid-point of the
contest.
Big rally
The Legionnaires rallied
strongly after that, with Ryan
Vendramin scoring his 13th at
13:40 and rearguard Sam
McCormack his 4th at 18:23.
McCormack's goal came only
moments after he stopped what
looked like a sure London goal,
clearing the puck away from an
open Sarnia cage.
In the final period rookie
Jarret Marks broke the 5-5 tie,
scoring at the 2:47 mark with a
shot from the slot.
Three minutes later, Brock Perry
made it 7-5, lighting the lamp
after undressing a Nats
defender.
"I was going in one-on-one with
the defenceman when I tried to
beat him to the inside. He went
inside, so I went outside and it
roofed it on Weir (Nats goalie
Zack Weir). Perry explained.
That goal -- Perry's 10th of the
season -- brought Connor Hughes
back in the game and he shut the
door the rest of the way.
But Sarnia goalie Shayne Battler
made a couple of brilliant glove
saves before being beaten by
John Adams on a shorthanded
breakway. When it was all over,
Battler won praise from Davis,
who said, "He had to stand up
and be accountable and he did."
Game notes:
Thirteen different Legionnaires
had at least one point in the
game.
Battler now has 10 victories to
his credit.
The Sarnians don't return to
action until Saturday, Dec. 19
when they host the St. Thomas
Stars.
Attendance at Sarnia Arena was
1,078, giving the Legionnaires a
league-leading 19,863 ticket
sales to date.
