Brendan McGlynn made 26 saves and Brandon Hughes recorded two assists as the Oakville Blades took down the Stouffville Spirit in a 5-1 victory on Friday.
Seven minutes into his first OJHL game with his first shot, 15-year-old AP Zach Gallant scored. He gave the Blades the 1-0 lead. The goal came just seconds after Brandon Hughes sent the puck over to Gallant in the slot, who fired it home for the one goal advantage.
The period was nearing the half way mark and it was already 2-0 Blades. This time, sharp shooter Ryan Garvey took one of his trademark wrist shots up close and beat Connor McCollum. The goal gave the Blades the two goal lead before the first period was even half over. Garvey steps up his game whenever key players are out for the night.
McGlynn’s stellar performance did have one blemish during the first period. Robert Clark was able to end his shutout streak with just over four minutes to go in the first. Clark wristed it past the Blades puck stopper after some defensive complications in front of the net.
With three minutes to go in the opening frame, the Blades were able to restore their two goal lead. This time, it was Ryan Burns who tipped the puck in the crease after a shot from Brandon Hughes from the right face-off dot. It gave the Blades a 3-1 heading into the intermission.
With 3:30 off the clock in the second, the Blades were able to make it 4-1. Kamil Tkaczuk, who made a recent commit to Middlebury College, fired a beauty of a wrist shot from the corner, beating McCollum up high for the 4-1 goal. The goal marked the end of the night for McCollum, who was replaced by Aaron Taylor for the remainder of the game.
The Oakville Blades got into some penalty trouble near the end of the second, but with Joseph Deveny in the box for the Spirit, the Blades added to their lead with 2:36 remaining in the period. Josh Kosack made a great play by skating in on Taylor during the cycle, but it would be Christian Rajic who would get credit for the goal after tipping the puck in front for the 5-1 marker. It was the fifth and final goal for the Blades, who played to a scoreless third period before wrapping up the 5-1 victory. They now move into second place in the South Division with 58 points, just three points behind the Toronto Patriots.
The Oakville Blades play the Lindsay Muskies tonight starting at 7:30 PM at the Sixteen Mile Arenas. Tickets are $5.00.