Bantam Lakers Bounce Back and Dominate, News, Major Bantam, 2007-08 (Huron Perth Lakers)

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Jan 08, 2008 | Shaun Peet | 788 views
Bantam Lakers Bounce Back and Dominate
The Stratford Festival Inn Bantams finished up three home games in four nights with a pair of wins on both sides of a loss. The latest win came Tuesday night in Brussels, where the boys defeated Cambridge 4-0.

The first game of the set came on Saturday night in the new Stratford Rotary Complex, with the second-place Lakers taking on the third-place Waterloo Wolves. The boys took control of the game early by establishing a physical presence and forcing several turnovers, and were rewarded with a 2-0 lead going into the final frame. Waterloo came out flying for the third, though, and managed to tie the game with about three minutes to go. However, the Lakers would not be denied on this night, as leading goal scorer Garrett Meurs took advantage of a bad Waterloo pinch to regain the lead. Derek Cowing added an insurance marker into the empty net to seal the victory. Brett O'Drowsky wasn't busy on the night, but made a few big saves late to preserve the victory.

Sunday afternoon in St. Marys the visiting Brantford 99ers came out flying and the Lakers came out flat. Brantford scored 47 seconds into the game and kept on coming. After taking a 3-0 lead after the first, the 99ers would score three more in the second before David Dalby scored the lone goal for the Lakers on the power play. Mac Nichol would draw the assist on the goal. Brantford would add one more in the second and three more in the third en route to the 10-1 thumping.

After a Monday night practice, the boys took to the ice for the fourth straight night in Brussels on Tuesday, once again as the host team, this time against Cambridge. The team seemed energized and eager to regain its confidence after the Sunday game, and completely dominated the game from start to finish. Shots on goal were 23-2, 12-6, and 25-1 for each period, respectively, with the Lakers scoring twice in the first and once each in the second and third. Nathan Gaunt, George Armstrong, Derek Cowing, and Mac Nichol all found the back of the net, with assists going to Garrett Meurs, Ryan Chambers, Cowing, and Nichol. Jake Partridge stopped all 9 shots for the shutout.

The boys will look to continue to improve on their effort from Tuesday night as they head into the Silver Stick tournament in Port Huron, Michigan, with the opening game taking place Thursday night. After the tournament, the final regular season game is scheduled in Lambton before the first round of the playoffs where the Bantams will take on Hamilton. The schedule for the first round of playoffs will be posted on our website as soon as it becomes available.
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