The Lakers Minor Peewees put together strong back to back games and defeated both Brantford and Cambridge by 3-1 scores in the past week.
Playing a rare mid-week home game, the Lakers faced off against the Brantford 99’ers in Palmerston on Wednesday, January 17th. The Lakers opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period with about five minutes left. The 99’ers came back and scored early in the second period to tie the game. Although the Lakers outplayed and outchanced the 99’ers for the remainder of the period, the second period ended 1-1. The third period saw the Lakers get an early powerplay goal and then continue to outwork the 99’ers through the remainder of the period. The Lakers got their third goal to seal the 3-1 win with about 90 seconds left in the game.
The Lakers next opponent was the Cambridge Hawks who they played Sunday, January 21st in Brussels. The Lakers had never defeated the Hawks over the previous three years and 11 games they had played. The Lakers got off to a shaky start with the Hawks scoring the first goal 30 seconds into the game. The Lakers quickly settled down, however, getting stronger as the period progressed and began to take the play to the Hawks. As a result, the Lakers were rewarded with a goal to tie the game before the first period ended. The second period was all Lakers as they outworked the Hawks, hemming them into their end and not giving them any scoring chances. The Lakers dominated play, out shooting the Hawks 17-0 and scoring two goals to take a 3-1 lead. The Lakers continued to press throughout the third period and, although the Hawks pulled their goalie with two and half minutes to go in the game, the Lakers went on to defeat the Hawks for the first time by a score of 3-1.
The Lakers played two excellent games characterized by hard work backed up with a ferocious forecheck and stellar defensive play. The boys now get a couple weeks off before traveling to Brantford to face the 99’ers again.
The last few remaining games in the Eastern division of the AAA Pavilion league promise to be very interesting as the Lakers battle for post-season position with both Brantford and Kitchener – teams the Lakers face in two of their three remaining games. For the latest standings, click here to access Bladenet.