The Bantam Rep Sailors traveled to Port Elgin for an exhibition game against the Saugeen Shores Storm on Saturday, November 13. They knew they would need to play hard and smart to win, and that's exactly what they did.
The first period saw Jordan Johnston fiercely guarding the net against the pressure brought on by the Storm. Johnston robbed one Saugeen player of a breakaway goal with his quick gloves very early in the game, while the rest of the Sailors gathered momentum and tried to exert equal pressure back at the opposition. At 11:59 Saugeen Shores drew first blood, but within four minutes Goderich answered back with one of their own, scored by Chad Kernighan and assisted by DJ Stevenson and Taylor Helesic, to tie it up at one goal apiece. The teams were evenly matched and both teams had chances that didn't materialize, until the Storm scored the go-ahead goal with 15.9 seconds left in the first, 2-1 Saugeen Shores.
Brady Bowman took his turn between the pipes halfway through the second period, and had to be on his toes as he fended off the Storm's persistent attacks. At 4:50, Helesic netted the tying goal on nice passes from Stevenson and Kernighan. With just seconds remaining in the second period, the Sailors went ahead for the first time, as Brandon Johnston popped one in with the help of Mykal Hodges, 3-2 Goderich.
Shortly into the third period, Steve De Jager and Mason Nurse got the puck up to Stevenson who widened the Sailors' lead to 4-2. The Sailors did a great job of penalty killing and kept the puck away from their end. In the dying seconds of the game, a Storm player got his hands on the puck and scored on a breakaway, making it a 4-3 final and another Sailor victory. Nice win, boys!