Jay Johnston - OJHL Images
Ontario Junior Hockey League, Regular Season Game Action between Whitby Fury and Oakville Blades
The Oakville Blades were finally able to shake off their multi-game losing streak, defeating the St. Michaels Buzzer by a score of 3-0 on Friday.
The Blades got off to an incredible start. In the first eight minutes, the Buzzers had failed to record a single shot on Oakville’s stellar defense. As a result, all the action was going the opposite way, and Oakville would record a goal thanks to incredible pressure. With about seven minutes knocked off the clock, Daniel Jelic’s point shot went through a confused St. Mike’s defense, only to have Joe Seney tip the loose pack in. It was the only blemish for George Argiropoulos, who had to be sharp throughout the opening game.
Despite St. Mike’s goaltender looking strong, the Blades would finish with a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. With the Blades up a man in the final minute, Christian Rajic’s slick pass to Matt Lippa found its way into the net, giving Oakville the comfortable lead heading into the dressing room.
The Blades puck control domination continued in the second. With just five minutes off the board in the middle frame, the Blades held an 18-4 advantage in directing the puck towards the net. The whole defensive core looked solid in the early stages, but it was the pairing of Daniel Jelic and Ryan Markovic that really stood out. In the rare instances that they were ripping shots from the blue line, they were forcing St. Michael’s to shoot from far out, limiting the actual scoring chances by the blue and white visitors.
The Blades didn’t score another goal in the second, but the control continued to happen. One line in particular, featuring Max Lindsay, Rajic and Lippa, showed incredible promise in all three zones of the ice. The chemistry that the line full of new players have already is great for a young team like the Blades, who have many new players competing on the roster this year.
Just three minutes into the third period, the Blades got their third goal of the game. Following a perfectly placed pass from Jackson Bales, defenseman Tyler Burns placed a perfectly angled wrist shot into the back of the net. The third goal ended any momentum their opponents had from their flurry of shot attempts, as Oakville managed to shut down the Buzzers to break the winless drought.
