Our bantam rep Sailors came out on top after winning a very physical and sometimes rough playoff game with the Saugeen Shores Storm at the YMCA on Thursday, February 17.
All hands were on deck during the first period as the Sailors came on strong from the get-go. Jordon Johnston in net made some brilliant saves, and defenceman Tyler Moss blocked what was sure to be a Storm goal early on in the period. Steve De Jager put the Goderich team on the scoreboard first at 14:38, set up nicely by Brandon Johnston and DJ Stevenson. Not long after, Trevor Lockie sent the puck up to Taylor Helesic who made no mistake, putting the Sailors up 2-0. Just a few seconds later, Evan Guest set up Chad Kernighan for a lovely goal that widened the gap to 3-0. And the Sailors struck again about two minutes later, when Mykal Hodges assisted Luke Fraser in the fourth Goderich goal. The Storm decided that was enough and revved their game up a notch, scoring three goals in the last seven minutes of the first period, 4-3 Sailors heading into the second. Again, the Sailors knew what they needed to do. Fraser was looking for a clear shot but none was to be found, so he left the puck for defenceman Mason Nurse who had followed him in. Nurse blasted it in the Storm net, putting the Sailors up 5-3. There was a great deal of hustle by both teams, but it was De Jager again for the Sailors, on a beautiful pass by Stevenson, who scored the last Goderich goal at the end of the second, 6-3 Sailors. The third period was very physical with the Storm becoming more and more frustrated. Johnston between the pipes made a fantastic sprawling save shortly after the start of the third, setting the tone for the rest of the period. Despite VERY crowded penalty boxes on both sides, the Sailors were able to fend off the attacking Storm until the last minute of the game, when a Saugeen player popped one in to close the gap a bit. The Sailors were ecstatic as they walked away with a well-deserved 6-4 victory. Our boys are looking to win the rematch also, which will be played on Monday night, February 21 in Southampton.