Legionnaires End Regular Season with a Solid Win
FEBRUARY 19, 2015
By Dan McCaffery
Eight different players scored
Thursday as the Sarnia
Legionnaires defeated the
Lambton Shores Predators 8-3.
Playing their third game in
three nights, the Legionnaires
came out on fire, outscoring the
visitors 5-1 in the first
period.
Tyler Longo opened the scoring
at the 3:41 mark, batting a puck
out of the air and into the
Preds cage. Captain Nathan Mater
drew the lone assist on what was
Longo's fifth goal of the
campaign.
"It was my first goal at home
and it was good to hear the
cheers,” Longo said afterward.
Sean Ross tied the game but the
Sarnians struck for four goals
in just over five minutes late
in the stanza to take command.
Cody Trowell made it 2-1 when he
buried a nice cross-ice pass
from Davis Boyer. Ryan Trottier
also assisted on what was
Trowell's team-leading 35th of
the season.
The prettiest marker was scored
by Ryan Vendramin, who
stickhandled through the
defence, burst into the clear
and sent a backhander into the
twine.
The effort, which was
unassisted, gave Vendramin his
30th of the year.
Moments later, Brandon Layman
scored an unassisted goal of his
own (his eighth).
Defenceman Mitch Read closed out
the first period with his sixth
of the season. The goal, which
was set up by Hunter Tyczynski,
was Read's first as a
Legionnaire. His other five were
scored while playing with the
St. Marys Lincolns.
In the middle frame Sarnia
continued to pour it on, with
Davis Boyer picking up his 29th
and Bobby King his third.
Trowell and King assisted on
Boyer's goal while Jay Clarke
earned a helper on King's tally.
In the final stanza the
Legionnaires, who were playing
their fourth game in five
nights, looked to be running out
of gas and the Preds outscored
them 2-1.
Nick Sproviero and Adam Wammes
were the snipers for the
visitors, while Riley Babkirk
(with his 20th) scored for
Sarnia.
King picked up an assist on
Babkirk's goal, giving him three
points on the night.
Goalie Andrew Masters made 30
saves to register his ninth
victory of the season.
The Legionnaries had 56 shots on
net.
With the win Sarnia ended the
season with a 33-15-1 record.
They are in second place in the
nine-team Western Ontario Hockey
Conference standings but it's
doubtful they will stay there.
That's because third ranked
Chatham still has two games to
play, including one against the
last place Lincolns.
The Legionnaires will open the
playoffs at home next Thursday
against an opponent that has yet
to be determined.
Whoever they face, coach Dan
Rose said he's pleased by the
fact that the team has been
playing good hockey for a month.
In fact, Sarnia ended the
schedule with four straight
victories.
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