Spence 5 point night leads Blades to victory

It was Elementary School Night Thursday with the Blenheim Blades
hosting the last-place Amherstburg Admirals at the Blenheim arena,
and it could also have been called Craig Spence Night as the Blades
captain put on quite a show, scoring three goals and setting up two
others, enroute to a 7-5 victory.
The win gives the PJHL Stobbs Division second-place Blades 25
points, thanks to a 12 win, five losses and one tie record, and a three-
point edge up on the third-place Lakeshore Canadiens and Wheatley
Sharks.
Sunday night Blenheim will once again hit the ice at the Blenheim
arena when they host the fifth-place Mooretown Flags. The two
teams have played twice so far this season with the Blades winning
both games.
Things didn’t start well Thursday with Amherstburg getting a goal
from Travis Knight with just over six minutes gone in the first period.
However, that lead did not last long as Spence netted a powerplay
tally just a minute and six seconds later, with assists going to Matt
Hayter and Darby Lemieux.
Landon Hoskins’ third goal of the year at 14:45 put the Blades up 2-1
with assists going to Spence and Justin Ewald.
With just 11 seconds left in the opening 20 minutes it was Spence
again scoring, with an assist going to Alec Webster.
The second period was only 53 seconds old when Zack Van Boxtel
netted a powerplay marker, his third goal of the year, with assists
going to Lemieux and Brad McAlpine to put the Blades up 4-1.
The Admirals cut the Blenheim lead to 4-2 when Charlie Coristine
scored at 8:50, with the rest of the frame belonging to the Blades

thanks to goals by Joey Hayter, his fourth on a powerplay, and Ryan
Sanders, his fifth.
Spence and Lemieux assisted on Hayter’s goal, and Ewald and Joey
Hayter on Sanders tally.
Spence then finished off his scoring for the night with a powerplay
goal in the third period giving him 13 tallies on the season. Ewald and
McAlpine picked up assists.
Amherstburg got goals in the third period from Stefan Jacobs,
Coristine, on a powerplay, and Connor Demelo.
BLADES BITS: The Blades were missing four players – Stobbs
Division leading point-getter Tate Bowden, Remi Steen, Beau Moison
and Andrew Goulet…Owen Lemieux was in net for Blenheim and
picked up his seventh victory… Blenheim outshot Amherstburg 42-37
and took 12 of 18 penalties called, including seven minors in the third
period to the Admirals three…The first-place Essex ’73s lead the
division in penalty minute with 419, with the Blades second at
400…The next closest team is Walpole with 345, followed by Dresden
at 284, Wheatley at 274, Lakeshore 262 and the Admirals 246…The
three stars of the game were Spence, the first star, Joey Hayter the
second, and Ewald the third…The game ice time sponsor was
Blenheim Sobeys.