This weekend of January 22nd and 23rd the Highlanders hosted the Niagara Falls Canucks and the Burlington Eagles in Chesley, posting a win and a tie.
On Saturday it was the Canucks, and the Highlanders started off slowly, playing at a measured pace - outshooting the opponents 7-3 in the first, but no goals were scored in that period - though there were a couple of good chances.
At the 12:14 mark of the second period Brenden Welsh (Owen Sound) dished up a pass from the Highlander blue-line up to the Canucks blue-line, where Spencer Elder (Owen Sound) picked it up and went in alone, scoring with a back-hand shot to the top left corner of the net. Ethan Skinner (Kincardine) also assisted on the play. Nearing the end of the second period the Highlanders were on the power play and at 1:21 scored to open up a 2-0 lead. It was a nice goal, starting when Welsh sent the puck down the boards to Elder, who spotted Jamison Buck (Collingwood) open across ice. With Elder throwing a hard pass over, Buck one-timed it into the open net.
About the mid-way point of the third period the Canucks had an opportunity to get back in the game when they had a two-man advantage for about a minute and 15 second span. Fortunately for the Highlanders, Welsh was able to clear the puck out of the home team’s end with a wrap-around from behind the net and out to the neutral zone. Ben Van Ooteghem (Saugeen Shores) anticipated the arrival of the puck and was able to break down the right side - beating the Canuck defenders to the goal - where he was able to deke and tuck the puck into the net between the goalie’s skate and post at the 6:56 mark. Buck also assisted on the play. This short-handed goal livened up the bench and just as the second penalty-kill was ending Brady Anderson (Chesley) chipped the puck up the boards to Skinner who broke in alone and performed his version of the deke and tuck at 5:26 to give the Squire John’s a 4-0 lead. With 18 seconds left in the game, Darcy Witt (Collingwood) picked up the puck behind the net from a Jamie Little (Grand Valley) shot from the point and slipped it out to a waiting Logan Davidson (Creemore) who fired the puck into the top right of the net, ending the game with a 5-0 score, Tyler Fassl recording the shut-out win.
Sunday’s game against the Burlington Eagles was the first time this season the two teams had met. The Eagles were first on the board at 10:08 of the opening period after some fore-checking on goaltender Aaron Johnston while he was behind the net with the puck caused him to lose his stick. In a scramble of players that moved out to the front of the net, a Burlington player found himself alone in front with the whole side of the net to deposit the puck in for a 1-0 lead.
At 12:12 of the second period the Highlanders evened up the score at 1-1 when Spencer Elder (Owen Sound) sniped a shot to the top right of the net after receiving a pass out from behind the net by Ethan Skinner (Kincardine). Brady Anderson (Chesley) also assisted on the play.
With 2:47 left in the third Ben Van Ooteghem (Saugeen Shores) gave the Highlanders a 2-1 lead when he picked up the puck in the neutral zone, breaking away to go in alone to put the deke on the Eagles goalie and slip the puck into the net. It was looking like another win for the Highlanders – and almost ensured on a dump-in from outside the blue line that just missed the empty Eagles net – but with the goalie pulled Burlington worked hard and managed to tie the game at 2-2 with 16 seconds left in the game.
The Highlanders will have a re-match 5:30 p.m. next Saturday, January 29th at the Central Arena in Burlington and then a home game in Chesley on Sunday against the Hamilton Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m.