WHEATLEY – In what is believed to be, in the Blenheim Blades’s long history of Junior hockey, the club’s longest winning streak to start a season has now reached eight victories after beating the Wheatley Sharks 6-3 Wednesday night in Wheatley in PJHL Stobbs Division action.
The streak may also be the longest at any point, in any season, for the team that began play in 1965. The Blades went 7-0 at the start of the 2012-13 campaign, but finished with a 21-18-1 record, and were fifth in the final standings losing to the Dresden Kings in the first round of the playoffs.
Wednesday’s win gives the team 16 points and they sit second, four behind the unbeaten Essex 73’s, ( and three up on Wheatley. Both Essex and Wheatley have played 10 games to Blenheim’s eight.
Next action for the Blades will be Sunday when they host the defending champion Lakeshore Canadiens at 7 p.m. before heading to Essex Tuesday for a 7 p.m. contest.
Defenceman Brad McAlpine led the offense for the Blades scoring his second and third goals of the season, with Tate Bowden (9), Darby Lemieux (5), Andrew Goulet (2), and newcomer Braden Twigg getting the others.
It was Twigg’s first game as a Blade after being obtained from the Junior B Komoka Kings Tuesday.
McAlpine, Bowden and Goulet also had an assist, as did Ryan Sanders, Zach Van Boxtel, Justin Ewald, Everett Swayze and Gavin Meriano.
Issac Legood had two of the Wheatley goals, with Brady Drouillard adding a powerplay tally with 51 seconds to play.
Jake Vancoillie was between the pipe for Blenheim and stopped 39 of 42 Wheatley shots for his fourth victory of the season. For his effort he was named the game’s first star, with McAlpine the second and Legood the third.
BLADES BITS: Sunday, Oct. 29 will be “Brutus Halloween Costume Night” when the Blades host the Walpole Island Wild…Through their eight games, the Blades have only allowed 13 goals while scoring 40…Not dressed for the Blades were forwards Breck Rainey and Ryan Hayter…Rainey was sitting out the second of a six-game suspension and Hayter was working…AP Dominic Goure played his second game of the season…Attendance was 303.