Blades come up flat in Amherstburg, shutout 6-0
AMHERSTBURG – The Blenheim Blades travelled to Amherstburg Saturday night to tangle with the Admirals in Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division play Saturday night, but judging from the score – a 6-0 win for Amherstburg – it was a wasted trip.
In one of their poorest efforts of the season the Blades managed just 16 shots, while Amherstburg had 46. It was the third time this season the Blades have been shutout.
The loss leaves the 9-17-2-2 Blades in eighth place with 22 points, one in back of the Petrolia Flyers, and two behind the sixth-place Dresden Kings. The Flyers and Blades each have played 30 games with 10 remaining, while Dresden has nine.
Next action for Blenheim will be Sunday when the fifth-place Wheatley Sharks (27 points) visit the Blenheim Memorial Arena at 7 p.m. The two teams tied 1-1 last Sunday in Blenheim.
Following Sunday’s game the Blades will head to Lanspeary Park in Windsor next Friday for an outdoor game against the first-place Lakeshore Canadiens at 7 p.m.
Tickets are limited for the game, and will be on sale in the lobby Sunday for $10 each for all ages, so it would be good if you are planning on going to purchase a ticket between the first and second periods to be assured of a seat.
Amherstburg scored twice in each period – Luca DiGlovanni and Michael Hatch in the first, Liam Kiewtiz and Michael Ruttinger in the second, and Andrew Clark and Kyle Meloche in the final 20 minutes.
Caleb Pinsonneault started in net for the Blades, and played the first 51 minutes and 13 seconds giving up all six Amherstburg goals.
With veteran netminder Chris DeWulf not available because of the flu, goalie Owen Lemieux was called up from the Chatham Major Midget ‘AA’ Cobras and got his first taste Junior action finishing the game facing six shots and stopping them all.
BLADES BITS: Penalties continue to plague Blenheim as the team took six minors to Amherstburg’s two with two misconducts assessed as well…The Blades have sent veteran defenceman Keegan MacVoy to the Essex ’73s… MacVoy dressed for his first game Thursday against the Flyers and was ejected with less than four minutes to play, and his team down 3-2, with a five-minute, major-head checking penalty…Essex lost the game 3-2 and MacVoy picked up a two-game suspension in the process…Also missing were forwards Darby Lemieux and Ryan Malott…The Blades and Admirals have now played all five of their regular season games with Amherstburg winning fou,r and the other ending in a tie…The Blades have been shut out three times this season, including twice by Lakeshore…Scoring goals continues to be a major problem for the Blades as the team has only 66 in their 30 games for a 2.2 goals for a game average…Last season the Blades finished sixth scoring 133 times, and in 2017-18 the club was eighth, and still managed 124 tallies…Only the last-place Wallaceburg Thunderhawks have scored fewer goals – 57…The club’s penalty kill is third best in the nine-team loop at 87.25