Major Midget Lakers Extend Winning Streak
Wednesday night at Medway Arena in London the determination of the Lakers Major Midget team was on display. With confidence high after a successful weekend set where 6 points were achieved, the London Jr. Knights would put the Lakers team to the test.
The London team came out fast and hard which seemed to surprise the Lakers. The smaller rink didn’t give much time to the defence which was continuously pressured by the relentless forecheck of the London forwards. Near the end of the first period the London Jr. Knights eventually wristed a shot past a screened Michael Roefs (Ingersoll) to lead 1-0.
Although down 1-0 after one period of play the team was not discouraged. The score remained 1-0 until late into the second period when the Lakers scored two power play goals. Mitchell Berizins (Ingersoll) and David Dalby (Stratford) set up Jordan Currie (Seaforth) who sent a perfectly placed shot to the top left hand corner over the goaltender's shoulder equaling the score at one. Minutes later Mitchell Berzins tip from the Mitchell McIntosh (Stratford) shot found the back of the net and the Lakers took the lead 2-1. London would not leave the period down as they promptly popped a goal past Michael Roefs to once again even the score at two going into the third period.
Third period action was highly contested and the determined Lakers team was not to be denied as the level of play was elevated by all team members. A quick goal in the first minute by Bryan McCauley (Ingersoll) off of a dump in by Mathew Lupton (Embro) put the Lakers back on top. Assists were credited to Mitchell Berzins and Mitchell McIntosh. Again London responded with a goal of their own approximately 5 minutes later. David Dalby (Stratford) provided what turned out to be the game winning goal at the 12:33 mark of the period. The Lakers continued with superb play that eventually resulted in Kurtis Lavis (Ingersoll) blowing a shot past the London goaltender to put the game out of reach for the Jr. Knights. Assists were credited to Bryan McCauley and Mitchell Berzins.
Michael Roefs yet again played a very consistent game and made large saves at key points of the game.
The Lakers outshot the London Jr. Knights 45-27.
Next action for the Midget Lakers is this weekend, October 2-4, in the Alliance Showcase Tournament in Stratford at the Stratford Rotary Complex. First game is Friday evening at 6:00 pm versus the Brantford 99’ers. Saturday, the Midgets square off against Kitchener Jr. Rangers at 2:00 pm and finish off the weekend on Sunday versus the Hamilton Reps at 11:00 am.