The Major Bantam Lakers played a couple home games on the weekend followed by a road game in Brantford Monday night and came out on the losing end in all three contests in what turned out to be a long weekend.
Saturday vs. Hamilton Reps
The Lakers started their weekend with a game against the much-improved Hamilton Reps on Saturday in St. Marys. The Lakers put themselves behind the 8 ball early by giving up a goal to the Reps within the first two minutes of the game. The Reps added two goals in a fifteen second span at the midway point of the period during 4 on 4 play to put the Lakers down 3-0.
The Lakers play improved in the second but, although they had a few power play chances, they weren’t able to convert them into goals. The Reps extended their lead to four goals with a goal in the last minute of the second period.
The third period saw play go back and forth but neither team scored. The Reps skated away with the 4-0 win to knot the season series at 1-1-1.
Sunday vs. Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Sunday, the Lakers hosted the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs in Goderich in a game between these West and East Division leaders.
Play throughout the first period went back and forth and, although the Chiefs outshot the Lakers 12-6, neither team was able to score.
The second period saw the Chiefs dominate play in the first two minutes, scoring two goals to go up 2-0. The Chiefs then added another goal a couple minutes later to put the Lakers in a tough spot, down by 3. The Lakers got a 5 on 3 power play opportunity in the final few minutes of the period and made the most of it by scoring two goals to narrow the gap to 3-2. The first was scored by
Mac MacSorley with assists to
Greg Williams and
Iain Donnelly (see video below).
The second goal came twenty seconds later when, after Braydon Blight fired the puck just wide of the net, Michael Siddall flipped it on net and Donnelly banged in the loose puck (see video below).
The Chiefs had carried the play throughout the first two periods and had outshot the Lakers 33-14 as the teams headed off the ice to allow the flood between periods.
Down just a goal going into the third the Lakers were still very much in this game although the next goal would prove huge. Tried as the Lakers might throughout the first half of the period, it would be the Chiefs who would score next at the midway point to go up 4-2. This 4-2 score would hold up as the final as the Chiefs took the first game of the two regular season meetings these two teams will play.
Monday vs. Brantford 99ers
Monday night in Brantford at the Civic Centre saw the Lakers experience another trying start as they gave up the first goal of the game eleven seconds in. The 99ers added another goal three minutes later to increase their lead to 2.
The second period saw the 99ers increase their lead to 3-0 before the midway point. The Lakers got their second 5 on 3 power play advantage in two games and, similar to their experience the day before against the Chiefs, the Lakers potted two goals to narrow the 99ers’ lead to just a goal. The first came when Iain Donnelly passed across to PJ Conlon who put the puck back to Mac MacSorley in the high slot. MacSorley’s slapshot through traffic found its way through and into the back of the net (see video below).
The second goal came when Riley McCabe moved the puck to MacSorley who “went roof” on the goalie from a sharp angle to score (see video below).
For the second consecutive game the Lakers headed into the third period trailing 3-2. Unfortunately, the Lakers were unable to match the 99ers' intensity and consequently saw Brantford score three more goals enroute to a 6-2 defeat of the Lakers.
Not ones to dwell on the past, the Lakers are now moving forward and preparing for their upcoming game against the Chatham-Kent Cyclones on Saturday in Bothwell.