Sarnia Sting Regular Season Ends Let the Playoffs Begin
SUNDAY MARCH 20, 2016
COMMUNITY NEWS
Written by Carl
Chimenti
Photos by Metcalfe Photography
The curtain went down for the
Sarnia Sting, but what a season
it was as the Sting set team
records with 42 wins and 91
points and a West Division
crown, securing the second seed
in the Ontario Hockey League
playoffs. The post-season begins
at the Sarnia Sports and
Entertainment Centre this
Friday, against the number seven
seed Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds, in a best of seven
opening round series.
The 6-3 loss at home on Sunday
to the Windsor Spitfires meant
nothing to either team. Aaron
Luchuk had a pair of goals and
Connor Chatham contributed a
goal and three assists to pace
Windsor to the win. Jalen
Chatfield, Mikhail Sergachev and
Andrew Burns scored single
tallies for the Spitfires. Cole
Carter and Hayden McCool added
two assists each.
Sarnia got goals from Brandon
Lindberg, Matt Mistele and
Anthony Salinitri. Troy
Lajeunesse added two assists.
Aidan Hughes was in net for
Sarnia, who outshot Windsor
38-36 in the loss.
Both Windsor and Sarnia got out
of the gate quickly with first
period goals. Brandon Lindberg
notched his 10th of the year to
open the scoring for the Sting
at 1:50 with Troy Lajeunesse
getting the lone assist, only to
see Windsor tie the game at 3:57
on a goal from Connor Chatham.
Cole Carter and Hayden McCool
drew the assists. Despite the
two early goals, there would be
no further scoring in the period
with the game tied at a goal
apiece. Sarnia had the slight
edge in shots on goal, at 12-11.
Windsor went ahead 3-1 with two
early second period goals as
Aaron Luchuk scored unassisted
at 1:54 and was followed up on a
goal from Jalen Chatfield,
assisted by Chatham and Carter
at 3:25. Like the first period,
two early goals and both teams
would tighten up the rest of the
period, with no further scoring.
Windsor would go to the locker
room up by a pair at 3-1. The
shots were even at 9 apiece in
the frame
MiKhail Sergachev put the
Spitfires up 4-1 with a third
period goal at 7:19 from Chatham
and Brett Primeau. Sarnia struck
for two power play goals in a
matter of 39 seconds to pull to
within one at the the midway
point of the 3rd. Mistele scored
his 33rd from Nikita Korostelev
and Jordan Kyrou. Then Salinitri
netted his 17th on the year from
Lajeunesse and Franco Sproviero.
Luchuk gave Windsor some
breathing room with his second
of the game at 15:02 and Andrew
Burns made it 6-3 from McCool
and Chatham at 16:34, to wrap up
the scoring.
Sting notebook:
-
Sarnia will
open the OHL playoffs
against the seventh seed
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
on Friday, March 25th, at
the SSEC at 7:05 with game
two on Sunday March 27th at
home. Game time is 4:05.
-
Sarnia
finished the season with a
record of 42-19-5-2. The 42
wins is a team record along
with the 91 points which
surpassed the previous
record mark, set back in
2003.
-
Sarnia’s home
record finishes at 23-7-3-1
and away at 19-12-2-1.
-
Sarnia beat
Windsor in four of the six
meetings this season.
