Flyers beat Rockets twice to take first place

By C. Scott Holland

The Leamington Flyers played three games in five nights, beating Strathroy twice and dropping a close game in LaSalle.

Against LaSalle on Wednesday, the Flyers built a 3-1 lead which was quickly erased as the Vipers won 5-3.

“Wednesday’s game versus LaSalle was a tough one,” said head coach Dale Mitchell. “We looked tired and slow. We blew two separate leads and never generated much offensively. We had only five shots in the third period. It was a game we just want to put in the rearview mirror.”

Thursday night’s home contest showed the Flyers looking more like they were in playoff form as they dominated the first 40 minutes of play and doubled the Strathroy Rockets 6-3.

On Sunday, the Flyers visited Strathroy and came away with a 3-2 shootout win.

In LaSalle, the Flyers took a first period lead when Ryan MacPherson notched a goal 19 seconds into the contest.

The Vipers tied it early in the second.

Midway through the second period, Gavin Grundner and Andrew Uturo netted goals about nine seconds apart to put the Flyers ahead 3-1.

However, before the period ended, the Vipers knotted the game and then took the lead in the third.

Down by one goal, the Flyers pulled starter Boe Piroski for an extra attacker and LaSalle notched an empty-net tally for the 5-3 win.

Piroski stopped 25 of 29 shots, while counterpart Kyle Downey halted 18 of 21.

Facing the Strathroy Rockets 24 hours later on home ice, the Flyers looked confident and full of energy. There was plenty of bodychecking and initially it looked as though the Flyers would romp over the Rockets.

Two minutes into the game, the Flyers led 3-0. Darby Lemieux, who notched two goals on the night, started the fireworks by taking a slick back pass from Koen Taves. Lemieux drilled it past Rockets’ starter Matthew Brazeau.

By the midway mark, Andrew Uturo and Nolan McKibbin hooked passes to Wyatt O’Neil, who gunned a shot off a post to make it 2-0.

In the final minutes of the first, Ryan and Connor MacPherson set up Gavin Grundner, who was on the doorstep and swept the puck into the upper corner for a 3-0 lead.

First period action from the Flyers 6-3 victory over Strathroy at Highbury Arena on Thursday, March 10.

SUN photo

The Flyers’ domination of the Rockets continued in the second and after two Flyers’ tallies and a 5-0 lead, they sent starter Brazeau to the showers. Strathroy replacement – former teammate Chazz Nixon – replaced Brazeau at 6:05. Lemieux and O’Neil each scored their second goals of the game.

At 17:40, Strathroy’s Carson Perry lined a screen shot past Flyers’ netminder Ryan Polidori to break the shutout bid.

In the third, the Flyers took a couple of penalties that led to the Rockets’ Charley Barnes lining a powerplay goal, and in the final minute, with an extra attacker, the Rockets’ Noah Nelson added the last they would get on Polidori. That was as close as the Rockets would come.

Jason Daraiche deposited an empty-net tally at 19:25 to seal the 6-3 victory.

In the second half of the home and home series at Strathroy, the Rockets jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a line brawl had diminished the lineups for both sides.

But the Flyers clawed back to knot the score and send it to overtime, and finally the shootout where they won it 3-2.

Starting goalie Boe Piroski stopped all three Strathroy shooters in the shootout, while Flyers forward Connor MacPherson ripped the eventual game winner against Chazz Nixon.

Connor MacPherson netted his 22nd in the game and Gavin Grundner fired his 25th of the season.

Combined with London’s loss to LaSalle, the Flyers took sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.

Next home game is March 17 vs St. Marys Lincolns at 7:10 p.m. Fans are reminded that the box office opens at 6 p.m. and the ticket sales are cash only. To avoid long lineups, please arrive early and be patient with staff.