By Dan McCaffery
Jacob Stos leads the celebration after
scoring the winning goal late in the third period
Thursday as the Sarnia Legionnaires edged the Lambton Shores
Predators 4-2.
Photo by Anne Tigwell/Sarnia Legionnaires
Brandon Layman scored twice Thursday to pace the Sarnia Legionnaires to a
4-2 win over the Lambton Shores Predators in Jr. 'B' hockey action.
"Layman played an unbelieveably strong game," Sarnia head coach Mark Davis
said. "He was our best forward. I don't think he lost a faceoff all night."
With the score deadlocked at 1-1 in the second period, Layman fired a low
shot that caught the far corner, blocker side, to put the Legionnaires in
the lead. Later, he added an empty net tally to seal the win.
Layman, who made his reputation as a defensive forward, now has three goals
in six games.
With the triumph the Legionnaires improved to 3-2-0-1. As a result, they
find themselves in a four-way tie for third place in the Western Ontario
Hockey Conference standings.
The Legion crew won the game despite the fact that two of its top forwards
(Brock Perry and Ryan Vendramin) were out of the lineup with injuries.
Davis said his charges played well from start to finish. "From the drop of
the puck we played three solid periods. They're starting to catch on to what
we are teaching them."
Rookie Jacob Stos played an especially strong game, hitting everything that
moved before scoring the winning goal late in the third period. Stos dented
the twine with less than three minutes left in regulation time, arriving at
the front of the net just in time to pop the rubber into the cage.
"I love the way Stos plays," Davis said. "He hits hard and he got an amazing
goal."
Stos now has three goals this young season.
Captain Hunter Tyczynski had Sarnia's other goal, scoring on a first period
breakaway. For Tyczynski, it was his first of the campaign.
Both goalies -- Sarnia's Shayne Battler and Lambton's Anthony Hurtubise,
played well. Battler was the busier of the two, facing 31 shots. Hurtubise
turned back 23 pucks.
Battler now has three wins on the season.
Connor Merritt and Brendan Trottier had the Preds goals.
Attendance at the Brock Street barn was almost 1,300.
The Legionnaires return to action Friday, Oct. 2 when they travel to St.
Marys to face the Lincolns.