Shorthanded Blades beat Flags 6-3

MOORETOWN – Despite being short eight regulars the Blenheim
Blades, with help from five APs from the Chatham-Kent ‘AA’ Cobras,
defeated the Mooretown Flags 6-3 in the team’s final regular season
game before 171 fans Wednesday night in Mooretown.
The Blades and the fifth-place Flags will open their best-of-seven
PJHL Stobbs Division quarter-final series next Thursday at 7 p.m. at
the Blenheim arena, with Game 2 Saturday, March 11 in Mooretown
at 7:30, Game 3 Sunday, March 12 in Blenheim at 7, and Game 4
Wednesday, March 15 in Mooretown at 7:30.
For the season the fourth-place Blades played 42 games winning 24,
losing 14, and losing four in overtime for 54 points. In those 42 games
the club scored 172 goals and allowed only 102.
Blenheim and Mooretown met six times during the regular season
with the Blades winning four games and Mooretown two. The Blades
scored 20 goals in those six games and Mooretown 16.
Since January 22 the Blades have recorded eight wins, lost twice and
allowed only 16 goals for a 1.60 goals-against per game average.
Wednesday, for various reasons, the Blades were missing
defencemen, Alex Edwards, Alec Webster, Noah Prudhomme and Ben
Brooks, along with forwards Ayden McKinlay, Connor Roth and Zach
Van Boxtel.
So for the game the Blades called up APs Remi Steen, of Blenheim,
and Macquire Graham, Gavin Merino, Andre Goulet and Warren
Everitt of the Cobras.

Macquire, a defenceman, opened the scoring with his first Junior
goal at 3:09 of the first period. The tally was unassisted.
Mooretown then grabbed a quick 2-1 lead with goals by Matthew
Anderson at 3:39 and Brody Genyn, on a penalty shot, at 4:33.
Austin Drew, with his 10th goal of the season, tied things at 2-2 with
an assist going to Ben Barnard.
The Blades then basically put the game away in the middle 20
minutes thanks to two goals by Tate Bowden and one by Barnard.
Bowden finished the season with 25 goals and Barnard seven.
Logan Gardner cut the Blenheim lead to 5-3 after 40 minutes when
he scored for the Flags at 15:19.
The only for of the third period came off the stick of Blenheim
defenceman Brad McAlpine, his eighth of the year at 18:33 of the
third period.
The goal was a powerplay marker with Barnard and Even Wells
assisting.
Jake Vancoillie was in net for the Blades and earned his 14th win of
the year stopping 33 shots, while his teammates fired 28 at
Mooretown goalie John Chartrand.

BLADES BITS: For the series with Mooretown admission prices have
changed…Adults will now be $9, Seniors and Students $7, youths 6 to
12 $5 and those under six remain free…Blades forward Daniel Norton
was assessed a five-minute checking-from-behind penalty early in the
third period that carries a one game suspension…The three stars of
the game were Bowden, first star, Barnard, second star and
Mooretown’s Anderson the third star.