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With the
biggest crowd of the season looking on, the Sarnia
Legionnaires scored a thrilling shootout win
Thursday against the LaSalle Vipers to win 5-4.
Veteran rearguard Brent Sullivan notched the winner,
sending the gathering of almost 1,900 fans home
happy.
Sullivan, who also had two assists on the night, now
has four goals and seven helpers in nine games since
he joined the Legionnaires. However, two of his
goals don't officially count in his total because
they came in shootouts.
"That was a playoff atmosphere,” Sarnia coach Dan
Rose said afterward. “They're fighting for third
place and we're fighting for seventh. We did not
make too many mistakes tonight. I thought our guys
played well.”
In fact, the victory vaulted Sarnia into sole
possession of seventh, two points ahead of the idle
Chatham Maroons.
The Legionnaires close out their regular schedule
Saturday in Strathroy, while the Maroons have two
games left.
No matter what happens now, the Legionnaires cannot
finish below .500. Currently, they are 24-23-3.
First period
The Legionnaires came out strong but it was LaSalle
that got the first goal, with Ryan Speers blinking
the red light at 6:26.
Rookie Nathan Mater got that one back when he banged
in a loose puck from close range on a powerplay.
Sullivan started the play with a blistering drive
from the point that deflected off the stick of Owen
Rogers, hit the goalie in the chest and fell at his
feet. In the wink of an eye Mater jumped on the
rebound and put it home.
Rogers, who played like a man possessed all night,
put the Legionnaires ahead when he drove hard to the
net and whipped in a rebound off the backboards.
Captain Tyler Cicchini and Jesse Drydak drew
assists.
Second period
In the middle session Sarnia jumped into a 3-1 lead
when Mater hit the top corner, glove side, from the
slot. The puck was in and out of the cage so fast
that, at first, the referees allowed play to
continue. Only after the goal judge was consulted at
the next stoppage was the goal permitted to stand.
The goal, Mater's 15th of the year, was assisted by
Sullivan and Drydak.
But before the period came to an end, Sammy Banga
got a powerplay marker to bring the Vipers within
one.
Third frame
Rogers gave the Legionnaires what looked like a
comfortable two-goal margin at 6:32 of the third
period when he scooped up a loose puck at the side
of the net and jammed it past a sprawled goaltender.
Just when it looked like LaSalle was done like
dinner, the Vipers scored twice late in the third to
force overtime. The tying marker came with a scant
six seconds left in regulation time.
Extra time
The visitors nearly won the game in overtime when
Sarnia was penalized, but goalie Kyle Washer bailed
them out with four saves, forcing the shootout.
In the penalty shot competition it looked like
Sarnia's goose was cooked again when D. J. Turner
scored to put the Vipers ahead.
But Dryak squared matters on the third Legionnaire
shot, deking netman Adam Shibuya out of position
before lifting a backhander over him.
After LaSalle missed on its fourth try, Sullivan
came sailing over the blueline almost in slow motion
before rifling home a shot from 10 feet out.
Game notes:
· Sarnia is now 6-2 in the shootout competition,
while LaSalle is 2-7.
· Kyle Washer, who stopped four of five in the
shootout, was the winning goalie. He now as a
won-lost record of 19-10. Included among his 35
saves was a diving glove stop in the second period
that robbed LaSalle of what looked like a sure goal.
· Shawn Waldie did some great backchecking. On one
play, he broke up a Vipers thrust a split second
before the LaSalle player could unload a drive from
the slot.
· Sarnia was 2-for-2 with the man advantage, while
LaSalle was 1-for-6.
· The Legionnaires had 43 shots on net.
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