Short seven regulars Blades lose to Lakeshore 6-3

BELLE RIVER – The Blenheim Blades hit the road to Belle River
Friday night to tangle with the Lakeshore Canadiens missing seven
regulars due to injuries. and ended up on the short end of a 6-3 score.
The win was the 15th in a row for Lakeshore, who sit second in the
PJHL Stobbs Division with 38 points, two behind the first-place Essex
’73s, while the loss, coupled with the Wheatley Sharks 7-0 shutout
victory over the Dresden Kings Friday, dropped to the Blades to fourth
with 33 points while Wheatley climbed into third with 34.
The Blades do not have a game Sunday at home, with the next
action being on Walpole Island against the Wild Thursday at 8 p.m.,
with Lakeshore coming to Blenheim next Sunday at 7.
Missing from the Blades lineup with injuries were regular
defencemen Matt Hayter, Remi Steen and Owen Reeve, and forwards
Darby Lemieux, Beau Moison, Zach Van Boxtel, as well as newly
signed defenceman Will McCracken who has yet to play a game.
There was no scoring in the first period with Lakeshore netting four
straight goals in the second, as Spencer Higginbottom got two and
Kyle Walker and Bryce Scarlett one each, before Brad McAlpine
scored a powerplay goal for Blenheim with assists going to Craig
Spence and Tate Bowden at 19:12.
Julian Gignac made it 5-1 Lakeshore at 3:14 of the third period.
The Blades got back into the game thanks to a powerplay tally by
Bowden, his 17th at 8:29, and a shorthanded score by Gavin Meriano,
his eighth at 16:22, but Lakeshore iced the win 25 seconds later when
Scarlett scored his second of the night on the powerplay.
Spence and Andrew Goulet assisted on Bowden’s goal, and Spence
also helped out on Meriano’s tally.

BLADES BITS: Spence has been red hot lately, and was named
played for the month of November in the Western Conference’s
Stobbs Division scoring 11 goals, and helping out on 15 others for 26
points…With the three assists Friday Spence now has 19 goals and 34
assists for 53 points, tops in the division, while Bowden sits second
with 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points…Lakeshore outshot
Blenheim 39-30…Landon Hoskins will miss Thursday’s game against
Walpole as he will be sitting out a one-game suspension for a fight in
the last 10 minutes of Friday’s contest…The home game on the 17th
will see all children 12 and admitted for free on behalf of Chatham-
Kent councilor Anthony Ceccacci…As well Santa Claus will be on hand
to greet fans as they come into the Blenheim arena, and fans are
urged to bring canned goods of food that will be collected and then
donated to The Word Of Life Church’s soup kitchen…Attendance was
572.