Blades clinch third place on “Moms Night” in Mooretown

MOORETOWN – The Blenheim Blades, thanks to a 4-3 victory in Mooretown
over the Flags Saturday night, sewed up a third-place finish in the PJHL’s Stobbs
Division.
The win came on the team’s first ever “Moms Night”, with most of the players
moms joining their sons on the Badder Bus trip to Mooretown.
The Blades now have 58 points in 40 games on the season thanks to their 28-
10-1-1 record, and have mathematically eliminated the Wheatley Sharks who sit
in fourth with 47 points.
The team’s final two regular season games will both be at home – Sunday,
Feb. 18 against the Sharks, and Thursday, Feb. 22 against the Lakeshore
Canadiens. Both games start at 7 p.m.
Blenheim jumped into a 1-0 first period lead at 7:29 when Zach Van Boxtel
netted his sixth tally of the season with an assist going to Brad McAlpine.
The Flags then took a 2-1 thanks to goals 15 seconds apart at 10:27 and 10:42
with Dylan Dupuis and Levi Plain scoring.
Ayden McKinlay and Van Boxtel scored at 14:34 and 17:19 respectively in the
second period to put back in the lead by a goal, with Masen Flett of the Flags
tying things at 3-3 when he scored at 18:18.
The goal for McKinlay was his second since rejoining the Blades from the
Chatham Maroons a month ago, while Van Boxtel’s was his seventh.
Nick Cameron and Alec Webster set up McKinlay’s marker, and Craig Spence
and Justin Ewald did the same on Van Boxtel’s.
The with the Blades on a third-period powerplay, Ewald netted the eventual
winner at 9:00, with help from Spence and Breck Rainey. The goal was Ewald’s
16 of the season.

Spence’s two assists give him 73 points on the season, and first place in the
Stobbs Division scoring race. Dupuis is second with 70.

Owen Lemieux was in net for Blenheim and stopped 39 of 42 Mooretown
shots for his 17th win of the season.
BLADES BITS: With the win the Blades have set another new record for wins in
a single season with 28 and points with 58, breaking the new records set when
they beat Walpole Island Feb. 1…The Blades and Flags met six times this season
with Blenheim winning all six, including three in overtime…Against the bottom
four teams – Dresden, Walpole, Mooretown and Amherstburg – the Blades
went 23-0-1-0…Since January 1 the Blades have recorded nine wins, one loss in
regulation time, and one in overtime for 19 of a possible 22 points…Blenheim
outshot the Flags 50-42…Van Boxtel was named the game’s first star, Lemieux
the second and Mooretown netminder John Chartrand the third…Not dressed
for the Blades were Tate Bowden, Ethan Chittle, Darby Lemieux, Landon Hoskins
and Will McCracken…Next Sunday’s game against Wheatley will be Brutus Blade
Sign Night, as well as a Skate With The Blades for fans once the game is
over…Fans are urged to bring a sign, and their skates, in support of the
Blades…Attendance was 273.