The next two exhibition games were exciting to watch as our Bantam Reps fought hard to bring home the victory.
On Friday, January 14, the Sailors met the Saugeen Shores Storm at the YMCA. Although the first period was filled with end to end action and great opportunities for both teams, it was the Storm that got on the scoreboard with the first two goals within the first five minutes of the game. The Sailors were hungry for payback as DJ Stevenson netted the first Goderich goal on a nice pass from Chad Kernighan, 2-1. Kernighan was tearing up the ice, and was certainly none the worse for wear after being off on a medical leave for three weeks. Less than a minute into the second period, Luke Fraser gave Taylor Helesic the perfect set-up and the tying goal was scored. Mykal Hodges then followed suit by setting up Fraser for the go-ahead goal, still less than a minute into the period. With the score now 3-2 for Goderich, Steve De Jager and Stevenson were doing some great passing and finally got the puck to Brandon Johnston, who squeezed the fourth goal in the net, 4-2 Sailors. A lovely slapshot by defenseman Eric MacPhee was tipped in the net by Kernighan, making the score 5-2. And yet again, Stevenson and De Jager set up Johnston for his second goal of the night, 6-2 Sailors. The third period saw the Storm come to life again, and after a brief scuffle in the crease, Saugeen squeaked one past netminder Jordan Johnston to narrow the gap, 6-3. A minute later, Helesic sent a lovely pass up ice to give Fraser a breakaway, and he planted one firmly in the net, making it 7-3 Sailors. Not giving up, the Storm had a burst of speed and energy and scored their last goal of the night, making it 7-4. At the end of the third period, Trevor Lockie and Kernighan were able to set up Evan Guest, who netted the last Goderich goal of the game, making it a solid 8-4 victory.
Two nights later, the Sailors faced off against the Mt. Brydges Cougars in a fast-paced contest that ended in our favour. Although the Sailors were skating hard, the Mt. Brydges team was pouring it on also and it was 2-0 Cougars by the end of the first period. The first Goderich goal was a fluke, as De Jager passed the puck out front from behind the Cougars' net. It deflected off the opposition and went in, 2-1. The Cougars were not happy about that goal and came on strong over the course of the next few minutes, scoring two more goals in short succession, making it 4-1 Mt. Brydges. The Sailors were just as hungry though, and narrowed the lead to 4-2 when Brandon Johnston scored on a nice pass by Stevenson. Then Helesic got the puck to Fraser, who scored with 3:34 left in the second. The Goderich boys showed patience and perseverance in the third period. The Helesic/Fraser combination was hot as they scored early on in the third to tie the game at 4-4. Mt. Brydges came back with a goal of their own, going ahead once again 5-4. Stevenson waited for just the right moment to shoot, and netted the Sailors' fifth goal of the night, tying it up yet again. Once more, Fraser and Helesic headed into the zone with a plan. Fraser drew the Cougar's goalie out of position, took a shot that narrowly missed, but Helesic was there to tuck it in behind the goalie and into the net, 6-5. With 25 seconds left in the game, Fraser got a breakaway and perfectly beat out the goalie, scoring his third goal of the night and completing the hat trick. Not to be outdone, the Cougars answered back with one more goal, but it was too late to clinch a victory. The Bantam Rep Sailors walked away with a well-deserved 7-6 victory.