Blades late rally one short, fall to Admirals 5-4

AMHERSTRBURG – For most of the first 50 minutes Saturday night in
Amherstburg the hometown Admirals were coasting along with a 5-1
lead over the visiting Blenheim Blades.
Then things got very interesting as the Blades scored three times in
the last 10 minutes and six seconds, but fell one goal short dropping a
5-4 Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division game to
Amherstburg.
The two teams were meeting for the sixth, and final, regular season
time, and prior to Saturday the Blades had won all five games.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Blades having lost 4-3 in
overtime to the Wheatley Sharks Dec. 21, 6-5 in overtime to the
Lakeshore Canadiens Jan. 6 in Lakeshore, and then 4-0 to the Essex
’73s last Sunday in Blenheim.
It is the team’s first three-game losing steak of the season and their
record in 30 games is now 16 wins, 11 defeats in regulation time, and
three in overtime for 35 points.
The Blades are now in fourth place for the first time this season,
their lowest position of the year, and are three points in back of the
third-place Wheatley Sharks, and six up on the fifth-place Mooretown
Flags, who will be at the Blenheim Memorial Arena Sunday to play the
Blades at 7 p.m.
This coming Friday the Blades travel to Dresden to tangle with the
seventh-place Dresden Kings at 7:30, and then host the eighth-place
Wallaceburg Thunderhawks next Sunday at 7.
Things started out on the right foot Saturday as Connor Roth, with
his seventh goal of the season, put the Blades up 1-0 with just 7:48
gone in the first period. Sam Warriner assisted on the play.

From then until halfway through the third 20 minutes it was all
Amherstburg, as Stefan Jacobs scored two goals and Jaydyn Brown
Stefan Djordjevic and Owen Papulkas one each for the Admirals.
Then at 9:45 on the third period Brad McAlpine cut the deficit to 5-2
with his sixth tally of the season, followed by goals from Ian Campbell
at 15:21 on a powerplay, and Zach Van Boxtel at 18:27 to make things
real interesting.
It was Campbell’s 10th and Van Boxtel’s 11th goals of the season.
Assists on those goals went to Ethan Waddick, Tate Bowden and
Campbell.
However, that was as close are the Blades could get before time ran
out.
BLADES BITS: Former Blades netminder Massimo Agostini picked up
the win in net for Amherstburg, while Owen Lemieux started between
the pipes for Blenheim, but was replaced by Jake Vancoillie at the
start of the third period…Blenheim outshot Amherstburg 35-31…Not
dressed for the Blades were defencemen Craig Spence, Noah
Prudhomme and forward Daniel Norton…The Blenheim Blades Alumni
Association with be hosting their first “Steak Night” since 2019
because of the Covid pandemic on Monday, Jan. 30 at the Blenheim
Legion…Tickets are $20 each, and will be available at Blades home
games through Jan. 29…Next Sunday will be Chatham Crush Minor
Hockey Night with all Crush players wearing their jerseys being
admitted for free.