The Oakville Blades finished off the 2015 portion of their home schedule with a big 5-1 victory over the on Sunday.
The first period saw some solid action at both ends of the ice, with both Brendan McGlynn and Jake McGrath having to make big saves early in the contest. McGrath, a member of Team Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, had some of the tougher chances, with the likes of Bryce Misley and Patrick Kudla who challenged him early. On the other hand, McGlynn was forced to face the most amount of rubber, with his best save coming with five minutes to go in the period on a deflection from former Blade Sean Kohler. McGlynn tipped it away with his stick and kept the shutout alive.
With 45.9 seconds remaining in the first, the Blades found a way to beat McGrath for the 1-0 goal. The strong third line once again showed their strength, with Ryan Foss finding Eric Holland in front and alone before #89 found the back of the net. Holland has enjoyed playing against the Buzzers this year, recording three points in three games with the club before Sunday's affair.
With 12 minutes to go in the second period, the Blades cracked McGrath again. On their 25th shot of the night, Peyton Reeves recorded his seventh goal of the season after converting a good pass from Evan Brown that gave Oakville the two-goal advantage.
St. Mike's typically likes to compete with the Blades for the full 60 minutes so after a bit of work, they finally found a way to beat McGlynn on their 24th shot. Cameron Searles found an opening on the blocker's side and used his quick wrist shot to score his fourth goal of the season against Oakville.
Fans at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex went a very long time without seeing captain Ryan Garvey score a goal at home, with his last taking place against Pickering in mid-October. That doesn't mean he's struggled. #93 recorded 13 points in the past 12 games which kept his strong season intact. At the 6:26 mark of the third period, Garvey returned to the goal column after turning passes from linemates Jackson Bales and Drew Worrad into Oakville's third goal of the season. Brendan Doherty went on to score his second goal in as many games. Bales potted one of his own shortly later, helping the Blades extend their lead and hold on for the 5-1 victory.
With the win, Oakville will head into the Christmas break with two straight wins, giving them a lot of momentum before returning to the ice on December 30th to take on the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. Don't forget that you can watch Team Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge for free on FastHockey.com, so make sure to cheer on Tyler Rollo and Josh Kosack!