Flyers jump to first place with win over Chatham

By C. Scott Holland

LEAMINGTON — After nearly a six-week layoff, it was a return to Jr. B hockey action for both the Leamington Flyers and Chatham Maroons as they played here on a night when weather conditions were very nasty.

The Flyers looked sluggish at the outset, regrouped in the second, and played strong defensively in the third to take a 7-5 victory which vaulted them into sole possession of first place.

Flyers’ head coach Dale Mitchell reflected on his team’s performance postgame.

“It’s no secret that with the long layoff there would be some rust to shake off,” he said. “Our first period was not pretty at all, as expected.”

In the opening frame, a small crowd of about 150 watched as Flyers’ goalie Ryan Polidori was victimized for three tallies. Cam Symons got Chatham on the board 38 seconds into the game, and then Cameron Welch’s screen shot from the point eluded Polidori.

The Flyers battled back when Andrew Uturo drilled the puck past Maroons’ netminder Luka Dobrich before Chatham regained a two-goal edge on a powerplay late in the period, with Symons collecting his second of the game on a scramble around the net.

A scramble for a loose puck occurs in the Flyers’ zone last Thursday night in a contest played here. The Flyers rallied to win the game 7-5.

Scott Holland photo

The Flyers looked more comfortable in the second frame, although they were stymied by Dobrich for the period’s first half.

At 7:25, Connor Mc- Cracken cruised down the left lane and flung the puck towards the Chatham net, catching the Maroons’ goalie off guard. On the heels of that tally, Uturo scored his second of the game to knot the score at 3-3. Jason Daraiche’s goal less than two minutes later gave the Flyers a 4-3 lead.

The Flyers’ lone lapse of the period came at 18:05 when Cameron Welch netted a rebound for his second of the night, knotting the game up again.

Mitchell thought his team looked much better in the second.

“We made some adjustments after the first period that the players executed well and it gave them the opportunity to come back in the game,” he said. “Our depth guys really stepped up tonight, which was really nice to see.”

The Flyers’ defensive prowess returned in the third and a couple of timely goals aided the cause.

After having served a minor penalty, Gabe Piccolo redeemed himself by cashing in the handiwork of Wyatt O’Neil and Noah Prudhomme.

By the midway point, O’Neil and Connor MacPherson set up Gavin Grundner’s left lane shot and the Flyers found themselves up 6-4.

The pesky Maroons kept on coming and Lucas Fancy tabbed a goal that came on a third rebound at 12:50, narrowing the Flyers’ lead to 6-5.

The Flyers defense then shut down the Maroons for the remaining eight minutes, including the final 45 seconds when Chatham lifted Dobrich for an extra attacker.

Gavin Grundner tabbed an empty-net insurance goal in the final seconds after he had fallen to the ice.

The Flyers next home game is Thursday, February 10 at 7:10 p.m. versus the London Nationals.