With the biggest crowd of the season looking on, the Sarnia Legionnaires won a thrilling contest at the Brock Street Barn last night. Playing for the first time under the guidance of new head coach Dan Rose, the Legion crew edged the talented Strathroy Rockets 6-4 in front of more than 1,500 fans.

Converted defenceman Brent Sauve led the way with two goals, including the winner. Sauve now has eight goals on the season, including four he picked up as a forward before injuries and sickness to regular blueliners led to his rebirth as a rearguard.

His first of the night, a hard, low drive from the point, opened the scoring just over five minutes into the contest. Late in the third period he netted the winner when he took a pass from Shawn Waldie and scored from close range. 

Frantic action

The action was almost continuous from the opening whistle to the final buzzer, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats for much of the night. Indeed, the game was tied 1-1 at the end of the first period and Sarnia was clinging to a 4-3 lead after the second stanza.

Jesse Drydak gave the Legionnaires that edge with a goal that came less than a second before the intermission.

"I heard the guys on the bench calling 'four seconds' so I took a shot and it got deflected in,” Drydak recalled. “The referee said there was 0.2 seconds left.”

The goal was the talented right-winger's 10th of the season, making him the first Legionnaire to hit double figures in that department. The Rockets have a reputation as a team that won't quit and they showed why, tying the contest just 1:38 into the third period. But Sauve gave Sarnia the lead again at 15:57 and Captain Tyler Cicchini added an insurance marker on a backhand shot a minute later to seal the victory. For Cicchini, it was his fourth goal of the season.

Legionnaire notes:

Defenceman Steve Farlow returned to the lineup after missing much of the season due to illness and played a strong game.

Sarnia goalie Kyle Washer made 23 saves and improved his won-lost record to an impressive 7-1. Sarnia fired 33 shots on the Strathroy cage.

Derek D'Andrea, with his third of the year and Owen Rogers with his sixth, also had goals for Sarnia.·

Shawn Waldie had two assists, giving him a team-leading 20 points on the season. Fourteen of those points have come by way of setups by the ace playmaker. Single helpers went to Brett Thompson, Braden Kavaratzis, Jordan McBeath, Rogers, Drydak and Cicchini,

With the win Sarnia improved to 8-10-2 while Strathroy fell to 12-5-3.· Special teams played a huge role in the contest. Both teams scored two power-play goals and the Rockets had a shorthanded marker.

The Legionnaires are now within two points of seventh place Leamington and have a game in hand. They play the Flyers this Saturday in the Tomato Town.