Essex blanks Blades 4-0, run unbeaten streak now 12

   ESSEX – For many seasons the two powerhouses in the PJHL Stobbs Division have been the Essex ’73s and the Lakeshore Canadiens, and it appears that that is the case again this season.

   Prior to Sunday night the then unbeaten Blenheim Blades had not played either team as they ran up an eight-game unbeaten streak. Sunday Lakeshore beat the Blades 6-3 in Blenheim, and Tuesday night Essex, in Essex, did the same skating off with a 4-0 victory.

   The Blades remain in second place with 16 points thanks to their 8-3-0-0 record, three ahead of the third-place Wheatley Sharks, and six up on Lakeshore.

   Things don’t get any easier later this week as Blenheim visits Lakeshore for a 7 p.m. game Friday night, before returning home Sunday to host the sixth-place Walpole Island Wild at 7.

    Sunday will be “Boo-tus” Halloween Costume Contest Night. Anyone wearing a costume – including adults – will get into the game for free. Costumes will be judged by team mascot Brutus Blade and Blades players, and there will be great prizes to be won.

    Tuesday Essex went up 2-0 in the first period with Liam Hall scoring at 33 seconds, and Gabriel Piccolo exactly eight minutes later.

    Luke Sherk had a second-period goal on a powerplay when the Blades were called for having too many men of the ice.

   Madden Drouillard wrapped up the Essex scoring for the night when he found the net at 17:54 of the third period.

     BLADES BITS: Not dressed for the Blades were Breck Rainey, who sat out his fourth game of a six-game suspension, and Ryan Hayter…The Blades took seven of 10 penalties called…Jake Vancoillie was between the pipe for the Blades, and stopped 38 of 42 Essex shots…The shots on goal were 41-21 in favour of Essex.