The final Oakville Blades home game of 2016 was one to remember, since Oakville beat one of the hottest teams in the league, the Georgetown Raiders, by a score of 4-3 on Friday.
It took just two shots for the Blades to find the back of the net first. After a couple of big saves by Brendan McGlynn in the Blades net, Jackson Bales was able to score on a wild wrist shot from the point, beating former Team Canada East goaltender Nicholas Latinovich with a dangerous shot that put the home team in the lead.
But it wouldn’t last. With Peyton Reeves in the penalty box, Jack Jacome scored a power-play goal on the doorstep, beating McGlynn for the 1-1 goal early in the contest.
The Blades, however, were the stronger team in the second half of the opening frame. At 12:13 with the man advantage, Matthew Kellenberger took a shot off the end boards that ended up back in front of the net. Drew Worrad was in a perfect spot to pick up the pass, one-timing the puck past Latinovich and in for the 2-1 goal.
Then, at 16:07, the Blades struck again. This time, Ryan Foss skated around the net and made sure to tap in the puck in an open hole beside the right post. It crossed the line and Oakville found themselves in the 3-1 lead heading into the intermission.
Foss was looking to tie Bales as the top scorer on the team, and he did so before the first period was even a minute old. After waiting patiently for the Georgetown defense core to miss a pass, Foss broke down the middle and made a nice move between the legs of Latinovich to make it 4-1 Blades.
The Raiders, though, would score a pair to bring themselves within one. At 5:53, Jacome scored again with another quick snapshot, cutting Oakville’s lead in half. Five minutes later, Jordan Anderson put one up on the power-play, bringing the game close again. Fortunately for the Oakville fans at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, the Raiders couldn’t score again, while Worrad was able to pot his second on an empty-netter to help Oakville finish off the big 5-3.
With the win, the Blades sit four points ahead of the St. Michael's Buzzers in the South Division, while placing third overall in the Southwest Conference, trailing Georgetown and Burlington.
Friday marked the final Blades home game of the 2016 portion of the year. Join us at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex again on Friday, January 6th when the Blades welcome the Burlington Cougars. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!