The Huron Perth Minor Midgets last tasted defeat in league play on October 2nd. Since that 3 -1 loss to London Gold, the team has reeled off 11 wins and 3 ties vaulting them alone into first place in the Alliance East Division. The beat continued on the weekend with 2 wins against division rival Kitchener and undefeated London Gold.
The action began on Saturday in Stratford against the visiting Kitchener Jr. Rangers. The Lakers started off with a few good scoring chances early on but were unable to hit the scoreboard as the Kitchener goalie stood tall. The Rangers got rolling in the second period outplaying and out chancing the home team but could not beat Laker goalie
Daniel Dekoning. The score was tied 0 – 0 after two periods. With less than 6 minutes to play in the game,
Quinten Haddock was Johnny on the spot when he buried a rebound after a nice three way passing play involving
Garrett James and
Jacob Middleton. The Lakers were finally on the board with a 1 – 0 lead. That would be all the Lakers would need as Dekoning made a nice toe save in the last two minutes to preserve the shut out and
Nathan Templeman iced the game in the final minute with an empty netter to make the final score 2 - 0. Haddock earned the assist on the goal. Kitchener outshot the Lakers 31 -18.
The Lakers were jacked for their Sunday afternoon matinee against the talented, high flying and undefeated London Jr. Knights Gold squad. The Knights record going in to game was 21 wins, no losses and 1 tie. The Lakers last league loss was against London on October 2nd, over two months earlier.
The Lakers held their own in the first period and took the lead on a power play goal by
Garrett James. Jamesy buried the rebound from the top of the crease with assists going to
Ethan Adair and
Quinten Haddock. The period ended with the Lakers on top 1 – 0. London responded with two quick goals to start the second period. The first on a power play when the London player sniped a shot from the slot that beat
Daniel Dekoning high blocker side. The second goal was a great individual effort where the Lakers gave the London sniper a little too much room and he walked in buried a shot bar down over Dekoning’s glove. The Lakers tied the score with some hard forechecking which resulted in
Jake Lapointe blasting a low seeing eye slapshot that bulged the twine for his first goal of the season. Assists earned by
Drew Gross and
Taylor Moir. The tie was short lived when London regained the lead on a deflection that beat Dekoning between the legs. The Lakers went into the break down 3 – 2. The stage was set for an exciting third period.
London took a 4 – 2 lead early in the third period when the Lakers failed to clear the puck out of their own end. A London player walked out from the side of the net and beat Dekoning with a backhander that found a hole and slowly crossed the goal line. It was gut check time for the Lakers as they were down by 2 with eleven minutes left in the game. This would turn out to be the most exciting eleven minutes of hockey this group of young men would play this season. The Lakers pulled within one on the power play when
Jacob Middleton fed a beauty pass to
Drew Gross who was parked on the side of the net. Grossy made no mistake one timing the pass in to the open side of the London goal.
Adam Zehr earned the second assist on the goal. Half way through the third period, the Lakers tied the game when
Alex Peters took a feed from Middleton. Peters took one of his paten wrist shots that rebounded off the post and in beating the London goalie high on the glove side. The excitement was pouring over the Laker bench and the Laker fans were hyped as the score was tied 4 – 4 with the game winding down. With just over 3 minutes to play and as the Laker power play ended,
Blake Pickering jumped on a rebound from the top of the crease and got enough of the puck to beat the London goalie with an end over ender that found the back of the net. The Laker fans were ecstatic and the boys were pumped as they took a one goal lead into the final minutes of the game. The Lakers took a penalty with just over two minutes left in the game. Dekoning made a number of stellar saves throughout the game but none bigger than in the final seconds. With the London goalie pulled, the play started when Haddock chipped the puck passed the London defenseman at the Laker blueline. Haddock gained centre ice and was checked just as he took a shot towards the empty London cage. The London player grabbed the puck and fed a pass straight up the ice and hit his teammate who moved in on a breakaway as time wound down. The London player went for the deke as Laker defenseman
Ryker Killins did everything in his power to catch him. With 7 seconds left in the game, Dekoning stretched out his right pad and made the save as the London player and Killins slammed in to the net dislodging it. A face off win by the Lakers sealed the deal. A 5 – 4 win. The Lakers players spilled over the boards and mobbed Dekoning when the final buzzer sounded. An incredible win. An incredible team effort. Though one game does not make a season, this affair was a game for the ages. Great work guys.
The Lakers continue play on Tuesday December 6th when they travel to Brantford to play the hot 99er’s. Keep it up Lakers.