The coaching staff set a goal for the Minor Peewees this past weekend; win all three games. After achieving their weekend goal the Lakers find themselves sitting on top of the Alliance standings after a 4-0 start.
vs. London Knights Green
On Friday night in London it took the Lakers only 2½ minutes to take the lead with a goal by Keaton Middleton with an assist going to Nick Jung. London would draw even early in the 2nd period and Lakers goaltender, Tristan Lewis had to make some timely saves to keep the game tied at 1-1. The Lakers would regain some momentum when Chayse Herrfort would score with an assist going to Jon Baker halfway through the 2nd period.
In the 3rd period London would press for the equalizer but Lewis would again stand tall until teammate Jared Nash would find the net at 6:28 with an assist going to Ian Vanden Heuvel. With 2 minutes left in the game, Brent West would deliver a nice pass to Baker who would convert to make the final score 4-1 Lakers. Although the Lakers outshot London a great deal of the game was gritty play in the neutral zone.
vs. Hamilton Reps
On Saturday the Lakers traveled to Hamilton to play the Reps on Olympic-size ice which has been troublesome for the Lakers in the past. There would be no scoring in the 1st period and it was obvious that the Reps were trying to play the Lakers very physical. The Reps physical play would catch up with them however, getting a penalty at the 8 minute mark and the Lakers power play would go to work when Luka Marinic would bang home a rebound on a shot by Keaton Middleton with Jared Nash also assisting on the play. Four minutes later, Nash would bat a loose puck out of the air and into the Hamilton net to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead.
Shortly into the 3rd period Jon Baker would take a pass from Brent West to put the Lakers up 3-0, with Middleton also assisting on the play. The Lakers defense would then get caught pinching at the offensive blue line giving up a break away that Wyatt Nicholson was unable to stop. The Reps would take their 2nd hitting from behind penalty of the game and the Lakers would again go to work on the power play. West would send the puck back to Jacob Hrudka at the point and on the ensuing shot Chayse Herrfort would stop the puck and send a backhander past the Reps goalie. Marinic would score for the Lakers again on the power play when Nick Jung would find him with a nice pass. Still on the power play, West and Middleton would work the puck behind the Hamilton net before Middleton would feed Herrfort in front for his 2nd goal of the game.
There was no scoring in the 1st half of the game and had it not been for Nicholson’s 2 breakaway saves the game could have ended up far differently. West played a solid game getting three helpers while Herrfort was also called upon for some shifts on defense as the Lakers were playing the game with only 4 defensemen. Final score, 6-1 Lakers.
vs. Sun County Panthers
With both teams playing their 3rd game of the week-end, this game would prove to be a test of endurance. The Panthers would score first on the power play near the end of the 1st period but Ian Vanden Heuvel would respond for the Lakers hammering a blast from the point that would find the back of the net. Keaton Middleton and Luka Marinic would assist on the play. The Lakers would dominate the play for the 1st half of the 2nd period before getting a shorthanded go ahead goal at 7:13. Chayse Herrfort would thwart a Panther breakaway and feed the puck off the boards to Nick Jung who would then chip the puck to Middleton who would break in all alone and score on a nice deke. The Panthers would respond 2 minutes later with their 2nd power play goal of the game to tie the score at 2-2.
The score remained tied and it wouldn’t be until 2:21 remaining in the game when Middleton stripped a Sun County defenseman at the offensive blue line and scored his 2nd of the game on another nice deke. The remaining 2 minutes would be tense as the Lakers would desperately try to preserve their lead before Jared Nash would seal the win with an empty net marker with only 8 seconds remaining. Tristan Lewis got the win in net for the Lakers. Final score, 4-2 Lakers.
The Minor Peewees now travel to Hamilton next weekend for the Tim Horton’s International tournament.