Blades losing streak hits five

Up until now the Blenheim Blades have not struggled in their 2022-
23 Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division 42-game season
sitting solidly in third place basically from the start.
However, when the Mooretown Flags Jace Dupuis scored a
powerplay goal with just 14 seconds left to play the Blades ended up
on the short end of a 3-32 score that saw the team drop its fifth in a
row.
The Blades sit in fourth place in the eight-team loop with 35 points,
and are now five behind the third-place Wheatley Sharks, and just
four up on the Flags, who have played four less games, while the
Sharks have played two fewer.
Next action for Blenheim will be a road game Friday in Dresden
against the Kings at 7:30 p.m., followed by a home tilt Sunday against
the Sharks at 7.
Blenheim actually had a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to a
goal at 13:42 by Connor Roth, his sixth of the year, and Darby
Lemieux, his 10th, at 18:49.
Ryan Sanders and Ayden McKinlay assisted on the Roth goal, with
Ethan Waddick and Alec Webster doing the same on Lemieux’s.
Ayden Letang cut the Blades lead to 2-1 at 15:03 of the second
frame, with Masen Flett tying things at 2-2 on a powerplay at 4:43 of
the third period.
Blades forward Zach Van Boxtel then took a charging penalty with
2:05 to play, and Dupuis decided the game for the Flags as the clock
wound down.

BLADES BITS: Once again Blenheim outshot their opponent, this time
39-30, but could not put enough behind Mooretown netminder John

Chartrand…Jake Vancoillie was between the pipes for the Blades and
made 27 stops…Attendance was 365…The Blenheim Blades Alumni
Association will 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…The ice time sponsors were the Ridge Landfill
Community Trust and Victory Ford of Chatham.