The Oakville Blades started off their 2016 home schedule with a 4-2 victory over their rivals from Georgetown.
Andrew Masters may have been very strong between the pipes for Georgetown, but that couldn't stop him from allowing the first goal of the game. After 13 minutes of action, defensive quarterback Patrick Kudla would take a shot towards the net, only to be tipped in by Peyton Reeves for his eighth of the season to make it 1-0 Blades.
Oakville got another one with just 5.9 seconds remaining in the opening period. Kudla got one for himself after making a few quick dekes in the offensive zone before firing a quick backhander off the crossbar and in for the 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The second period saw a goaltending showcase, with both Masters and Brendan McGlynn putting on a clinic. Masters did a good job in the Raiders net, stopping both Eric Holland and Ryan Garvey on breakaways mid-way through the second stanza to keep his team in the game. It was Oakville's goaltender who ended up playing a perfect 40 minutes, keeping Georgetown at bay while never having to be overly athletic thanks to playing a safe, smart game.
McGlynn's shutout came to an unfortunate end after 5:36 of play in the third. Josh Dickinson made the marker for Georgetown after tipping in a shot from the point from recent Team Canada East member Matthew Cairns to make it 2-1.
With just one shot in the first 14 minutes of play in the third, the Blades looked to be slowly fading away. That all changed with a goal by Christian Rajic, who hadn't scored on home ice since November 20th against Stouffville before getting injured in a fight, gave his team the two-goal lead with a wrist shot in the slot, taking a pass from Kudla to give the defenseman his third point on the night.
Georgetown, however, was still in it. With 4:39 left in the game, Jordan Crocker turned a pass from Andrew Court in front into the Raiders second goal of the contest. Fortunately enough for the Blades, long time clutch forward Ryan Garvey was able to pot the empty-netter to give Oakville the 4-2 lead, holding on for the final minute to take the victory.
With the win, Oakville will take on the Mississauga Chargers on Saturday night at Port Credit Arena before returning home on Friday for a rematch against their rivals from down the road. Hope to see you there!