Blades win for 25th time, nip Admirals 3-2

AMHERSTBURG – The Blenheim Blades, looking to set a new team
single-season win and points record, moved a step closer to the
current mark of wins – 26 – and points – 55 – Saturday night thanks to
a 3-2 road victory over the Amherstburg Admirals.
Holders of third place in the PHJL’s Stobbs Division with 25 wins and
52 points, the Blades will look to make it 26 and 54 Sunday night
when they host the last-place Walpole Island Wild at 7 p.m. at the
Blenheim arena.
Then it will be on to Walpole Thursday for an 8 p.m. rematch with
the Wild.
The 52 points moved the Blades 10 up on the fourth-place Wheatley
Sharks with six games to play. The Sharks have nine games remaining
so a third-place finish is not yet a lock for the Blades.
Saturday’s win did not come without a cost as forward Ethan Chittle
sustained a knee injury, and had to be taken to hospital by
ambulance.
Amherstburg held two, one-goal leads in the game, but each time
Blenheim battled back to tie things, and then get the win.
Finnigan Russett opened the scoring for Amherstburg at 7:51 of the
first period, with Joey Hayter tying things at 1-1 with a powerplay goal
at 10:09.
The goal was Hayter’s ninth of the season, with assists going to
Cameron Robertson and Craig Spence.
Cole Vaillancourt made it 2-1 Admirals at seven seconds of the
middle 40 minutes, but Hayter knotted things at 10:37 with his 10th
tally, assisted by Zach Van Boxtel and Spence.

Justin Ewald then tallied the winner with his 14th of the year at
12:14, with assists going to Ryan Sanders and Everitt Swayze.
Owen Lemieux was between the pipes for the Blades, and registered
his 15th win of the season against three losses.
Hayter was named the game’s first star.
BLADES BITS: The Blades outshot the Admirals 34-27…The six-game
regular season between the two teams has been completed with the
Blades winning five of the games, while losing one in overtime…Not
dressed for Blenheim were Tate Bowden, who was sitting out a one-
game suspension, Darby Lemieux, Breck Rainey, Andrew Goulet, Will
McCracken and Ayden McKinlay…The players not playing have scored
43 goals so far this season…Spence’s two assists gives him 68 points
on the year, tops in the Stobbs Division…Sunday will be Chatham-Kent
Crush Night with players and staff of Crush teams getting in for free
wearing a team jersey or a jacket…Tickets, $20 each, for the Blades
Alumni Stean Night at the Blenheim Legion on Feb. 5 will be available
in the lobby…Attendance was 347.