Major Bantams Conclude Regular Season with a Loss to Cambridge, News, Major Bantam, 2009-10 (Huron Perth Lakers)

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Jan 14, 2010 | cmetzger | 1720 views
Major Bantams Conclude Regular Season with a Loss to Cambridge
The Major Bantam Lakers played the Cambridge Hawks on Sunday in Goderich in the final regular season game for both teams. With the play-off positions having been decided before this game (Hawks in second, Lakers in third) this game had less importance than it might otherwise have had.

The first period opened with play going back and forth but no quality scoring chances until Mac MacSorley burst in on a short breakaway about four minutes into the game. Unfortunately, his backhand shot just missed the net. The Lakers got another good chance at the halfway point of the period when MacSorley again blew past the defender to get a shot away but the Hawks’ goaltender made the blocker save. The Lakers did well at keeping the Hawks to the outside and eliminating any good scoring chances. However, there was one instance with a few minutes to go in the period when a Hawks’ forward found himself all alone in the slot at the hash marks with the puck. He fired the puck at the net but Lakers goalie Cole Wardlaw coolly turned the shot aside and steered the puck into the corner. The Lakers continued to press and generated some sustained pressure in the Hawks’ end. With just seconds to go in the period, Braydon Blight had a shot from the point through a crowd of players in front of the net that seemed destined for the far top corner but somehow the Hawks’ goalie got a glimpse of it and was able to snag it with his glove. Although the Lakers had the better scoring chances and outshot the Hawks 9 to 6, the period ended scoreless.

The teams traded scoring opportunities early in the second period when Riley McCabe let a boomer slap shot go towards the top corner that the Hawks’ goalie was able to just get enough of to deflect up into the netting and out of play. After the face-off, the Hawks came down and manufactured a short breakaway. Wardlaw again denied the Hawks’ shooter to preserve the scoreless tie. Wardlaw had to come up big again with just under 9 minutes remaining after a shot pinballed off two players before he made the quick pad save. Through the middle part of the period the Lakers were better at moving the puck around in the Hawks’ end and consequently had several shots from the point that saw goal mouth scrambles over the rebounds, but at the end the pucks just seemed to be on the Hawks’ sticks rather than the Lakers’. There were also a couple 2 on 1 chances as well where the pass across just wasn’t quite on and ended up in the Lakers’ feet. It was turning out to be one of those games where the Lakers were playing well but it just wasn’t “clicking” as well as it might have. The Hawks finally got on the scoreboard with two and a bit minutes to go on a deflected shot. Wardlaw had to come up big again with thirty seconds to go. As the period ended, the Lakers would head to the dressing room trailing 1-0.

Early into the third period the Lakers got a great opportunity but the “clang” of the post meant the equalizer wasn’t there. A couple minutes later Wardlaw was faced with a Hawks’ breakaway and again, the Hawks couldn’t convert. Shortly thereafter the Lakers had a flurry of pressure in front of the Hawks’ net but again, no goals. The Hawks got an insurance marker with about five minutes to go on a laser beam shot tucked just inside the top corner. A couple minutes later, the only power play opportunity of the game was handed to the Lakers. The bounces just didn’t seem to go the Lakers’ way this game and, although the Lakers played well, the game ended with the Hawks ahead 2-0.

Next up for the Lakers is their playdown series against the Hamilton Reps. The Lakers have home ice advantage and open the series on Saturday in St. Marys at 5:30 pm.
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