This past weekend saw Jared Zufelt return to action with the Major Bantams after a 32 game absence due to a leg injury. It was a long anticipated return and it spurred his team mates on to have a strong weekend.
Saturday: vs. Kitchener Rangers
First up for the Lakers was a late Saturday afternoon tilt with the Kitchener Rangers in St. Marys. The Lakers are in a heated three way battle with the Rangers and Brantford 99ers for the 3rd spot in the division with just a few games to go. The first period saw the Rangers score first and then establish a two goal lead just over halfway through the period. The Lakers responded 30 seconds after the Rangers' second goal to cut the deficit to a goal.
PJ Conlon netted the first Lakers' goal with an assist from
Nick Castell. The period ended with the Lakers trailing by a goal but with the momentum starting to shift their way.
The second period saw the Lakers continue to gather steam and they scored to tie the game about five minutes in with a
Mac MacSorley goal (assists to
Jayden Landry and
Riley McCabe). The Rangers then got into some penalty trouble. Although they were able to kill off the first penalty the Lakers made them pay on their second power play a couple minutes later when Conlon scored his second goal of the game to give the Lakers a 3-2 lead (assists to Nick Castell and Minor Bantam AP
Jacob Middleton). Having scored three straight goals the Lakers were firing on all cylinders.
Although the Lakers had gone penalty-free in the second period that would not be the case in the third as their penalty kill squads would be called upon to kill off three penalties. The boys were up to the task and the Lakers emerged unscathed. Conlon finished off any hope of a Rangers' comeback by scoring his third goal of the game and keeping up his goal a period pace. Conlon's hat trick goal was assisted by
Michael Siddall.
PJ "Hat Trick" Conlon
The 4-2 win gave the Lakers a slight edge in the race for 3rd place in the East Division and gave them the season series at 2 games to 1.
Sunday: vs. Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs
Next up for the Major Bantams was a match-up against the League-leading Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs in a mid-afternoon game on Sunday in Strathroy. The Chiefs are a high-scoring team that averages over 4.6 goals per game. It would prove to be another test of the Lakers' defensive play to contain these prolific goal scorers.
The first period was fairly evenly played with five shots by each team. It would be the Chiefs who would get on the scoreboard first though when they took advantage of their first power play opportunity about midway through the period to get a goal and jump out to a 1-0 lead. The Lakers refused to let the Chiefs get another goal to widen their lead and the period ended with the Chiefs up just 1-0.
The second period saw these two teams continue to battle. The Lakers had several power play opportunities, including a brief dozen second 5 on 3 in the last minute of the period, but the period ended with the Chiefs still leading 1-0.
The third period saw the Lakers faced with being two men short for over a minute but their defensive play was strong and the Chiefs were turned aside. As time wound down and the Lakers still a goal behind the boys dug deep to try to get the equalizer. Alas, it was not to be as the Chiefs scored to make it 2-0 with just under two minutes to go. Although the Lakers didn't win this game, they had proven they could play at the Chiefs' level and were not a team to be run roughshod over.
With back-to-back strong games over the weekend the Lakers are well prepared for their participation in the very competitive
Toronto Marlies' Holiday Classic Tournament which starts Sunday, December 27th.