Trottier Gives Legionnaires Series Lead
THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2016
COMMUNITY NEWS
By Dan McCaffery
File photo
Ryan Trottier
went from goat to hero Wednesday
as the Sarnia Legionnaires
stunned the LaSalle Vipers 4-3
in Jr. 'B' hockey playoff
action.
The veteran Legionnaire took a
four minute high-sticking
penalty near the end of the
third period, putting his team
in dire jeopardy heading into
sudden death overtime.
But the Sarnians killed off the
infraction and then Trottier
scored to give them a 3-2 lead
in games in the best-of-seven
quarterfinal series.
Game six goes Saturday at the
Brock Street barn.
Trottier found the back of the
net during a wild scramble in
front of the Vipers cage.
Captain Hunter Tyczynski
assisted on what was Trottier's
second tally of the series.
"Trottier got the puck in the
slot and it was bobbling,” head
coach Mark Davis said later. “I
said, 'please bury it, please
bury it.'”
The goal capped off a furious
rally by the Legionnaires, who
trailed 3-1 late in the second
period.
"They took the lead and we
didn't give up,” Davis said.
“The boys played hard from start
to finish. I'm very proud of
them.”
First period
The first stanza was a
back-and-forth affair with the
only goal coming off the stick
of Sarnia's Jordan Fogarty. With
just over a minute left in the
frame, Fogarty unloaded a
cannonading drive from the dot
in the faceoff circle that beat
netminder Eli Billing high on
the glove side. Rookie rearguard
Derrick Johnson and Tyczynski
had helpers on the play.
Johnson, a stay-at-home
defenceman who scored only six
points during the regular
season, now has three playoff
points to his credit.
Second period
LaSalle took command of the
contest in the middle stanza,
scoring three consecutive goals,
including a power-play tally and
a shorthanded marker. Liam
MacDougall had two goals for the
home team while Manny Silverio
had the third.
But Alec DeKoning got the
visitors close before the second
intermission, hitting the top
corner after being set up by
16-year-old midget callup Nash
Nienhuis. For DeKoning, it was
his fourth of the post season.
Third period
Sarnia pressed hard in the third
and was rewarded at the 8:16
mark when Brendan Shagena tied
the game. His goal, which was
set up by defencemen Brad Yowart
and Eric Marsh, came at the end
of a long shift in which the
Legionnaires had the Vipers on
their heels. In fact, moments
before the goal was scored,
DeKoning was robbed on the
doorstep by Billing.
Brandon Layman almost won the
game for Sarnia after that,
rattling a shot off the post.
Scoring ace Ryan Vendramin did
some good work defensively,
making his second big shot block
of the game in this period.
Overtime
Goalie Shayne Battler and
defenceman Brett Storr were
especially strong on the penalty
kill as Sarnia started the first
3:36 of OT a man short.
"Battler's done everything I've
asked of him,” Davis said. “In
the third period with about a
minute to go he made an
outstanding save on a partial
breakaway.”
With less than five minutes left
in the first overtime session,
Trottier shocked a big LaSalle
crowd with his winning tally.
Final shots on goal were 49-44
for LaSalle.
Davis warned the series is not
over yet. “LaSalle is definitely
not going to come into our barn
(on Saturday) and lay down.
We're going to have to bring our
'A' game.”
Saturday game
begins at 7:10 pm.