Home Opener Success!
Friday night in Zurich was the Midget Lakers home opener against the Chatham-Kent Cyclones. It was clear from the drop of the puck that the Lakers team was well prepared for the game. Intense pressure was applied by all lines however the goaltending of the Cyclones stood up to the test. The Cyclones opened the scoring on a shot that eluded Lakers goaltender
Michael Roefs. At the end of the first period the Cyclones may have led on the scoreboard 1-0, but this certainly did not reflect the overall play of the Lakers team as the shots ended up 22-6 after one period of play.
The second period of play began the same as the first and the hard work finally paid off with a quick goal on the power play from Matt Lupton who snuck up the back side and rifled a rebound shot top shelf to even the score at one a piece. The Cyclones quickly responded at 17:53 of the second period with their own power play goal to regain the lead. Close checking by both teams was carried through the period until the 2:50 mark when Dylan Williams and Kyle Murphy connected with Cole Pellett to re-establish even keel with Cyclones. At the end of the second period the score was 2-2.
The third period is where the Lakers took advantage of a tiring Cyclones team. Pressure was non-stop and the goaltender for the Cyclones team could not withstand the barrage of shots the Lakers produced. The flood gates opened at the 18:19 mark of the period when Drake Morrell streaked down the left wing after taking a pass from Mitchell McIntosh and promptly wristed a perfectly placed shot to the top right hand for his first goal of the season. Three minutes later Cole Pellett’s hard work at the net resulted in what turned out to be the game winning goal with assists credited to Mitch McIntosh and Drake Morrell. The Cyclones made one last effort to keep the game within their reach however the relentless play of the Lakers team would not subside. Jordan Currie and Mitch McIntosh applied pressure to the Cyclones defence during shorthanded play with their efforts paying off with a goal by Jordan Currie that the Cyclones goaltender couldn't’t handle. A final goal was put in the back of the net by Drake Morrell for his second goal of the evening.
Although not tested much throughout the game Michael Roefs played a solid game when called upon. Three point efforts by Drake Morrell and Cole Pellet coupled with 53 shots generated by the Lakers team completed a successful opening night.
The Lakers look to build on this game when they see action against Chatham-Kent Cyclones on Saturday and Lambton Jr. Sting on Sunday.
by Brent Powers