For the first time this season, the HP Laker PeeWees won back-to-back regular season games by knocking off the visiting Hamilton Reps 2-1 in Brussels Saturday afternoon.
In a style reminiscent of the week’s earlier 2-1 win over Kitchener, the Lakers waited until the last minute of play to net the winner. In a game filled with penalties, the team was handed a 5 on 3 power play with less than a minute remaining and made the Reps pay. Matthew McCracken dug the puck out of the corner and centred it to Gregory Williams. Although the Hamilton goalie stopped Williams’ initial shot, PJ Conlon was Johnny-on-the-spot and cashed home the rebound.
Hamilton got on the board late in the 1st period, scoring on what would be the only shot to get past Ben Errington, while on the power play. After a scoreless 2nd, the Lakers tied the game up late in the 3rd of a rocket of a shot from Iain Donnelly (Jayden Landry, Ben Kirwin), setting up Conlon’s heroics with just 14 seconds remaining.
The game showed a real resilience in the team as they lost 2 players early on in the match. Jordan Pache was handed a game misconduct penalty and Travis Bender fell ill, leaving the team with just 11 skaters for most of the game. Good player management by the coaching staff, however, coaxed a solid game out of the boys.
The team’s winning streak was unfortunately short-lived as they lost a tough one on Sunday 3-1 to the Cambridge Hawks in Goderich. The Lakers fell behind early in the match, surrendering 2 goals early in the 1st period. The second goal was disappointing, as an apparent miss-communication between the referees during a delayed penalty allowed the Hawks to score in the Laker’s empty net. Sure a Laker had touched the puck and confident, therefore, that the penalty was against the Hawks, all 6 players on the ice watched helplessly as a Hawk rifled the puck into the net.
The team tightened up their play after surrendering the early lead, bringing the game to within 1 when Donnelly (Landry) fired a nice wrist-shot, beating the Cambridge goalie to the stick-side. Sloppy defensive zone coverage however hung Errington out to dry and allowed the Hawks to regain their 2-goal advantage late in the 3rd.
Notwithstanding the score, were it not for a few unlucky bounces, the Lakers could easily have climbed back into the game at a number of times during the match. The team also needs to be commended for not taking a penalty.
The team’s next action will be on January 15th against the visiting Kitchener Jr. Rangers.