The Blenheim Blades kicked off their 2023-24 exhibition season Sunday night by hosting the PJHL’ s Stobbs Division newest team – the
Walpole Island Wild (formerly the Wallaceburg Thunderhawks) – and skated to a 7-0 shutout victory before 305 fans at the Blenheim
Memorial Arena.
For the most part both team’s lineups were young players hoping to earn a spot for the coming season.
The two teams will face-off again Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Walpole Sports Complex. Sunday’s game was basically over in the first period as the Blades scored four times, then added a second-period goal, and two in the third.
Three goalies trying to make the Blades – Daniel Rodger, Cooper Crowe and Liam Godwin – shared the shutout stopping all 30 Walpole shots.
The Blades fired 40 shots on the Walpole goal. Andrew Goulet, Elliot Bezaire, Craig Spence and Bezaire netted the
first-period Blenheim goals, with Gavin Meriano scoring the lone tally in the middle 20 minutes, and Meriano and Goulet wrapping up the third-period scoring. Former Dresden King Breck Rainey picked up two assists, along with Spence and former Amherstburg Admiral Logan Graziano. Remi Steen, Carson Lippert, Everitt Swayze, Adian Filipowic, Bezaire
and Casey Tellier helped out with an assist each.