The Oakville Blades came into this game against Burlington Cougars knowing they had to win to keep their season alive, but the game didn’t start well for the Blades.
Early in the first period, Burlington's Thomas Lenart scored on a shot from the half-board that squeaked by Oakville's goalie, making the game 1-0.
Shortly after that, David Plauch scored off a bad rebound from Blade's goalie, Cole DeFazio, increasing Burlington's lead to 2-0.
Down two, Blades' coach pulled DeFazio and replaced him with Tristan Malboeuf.
Then Cougar Matthew Franzoi banked a puck off of Josh Vegenas’ foot to make the game 3-0.
Cougars' Thomas Lenart scored 30 seconds later, making the game 4-0. So far, Burlington's offensive massacred the Blades' defence in the first period.
The Blades looked to get one goal to get back into the game in the second period.
But the second period was worse, as the Cougars scored five goals in the second, increasing their lead by 9-0.
It was an utterly defeating game for the Blades in front of their hometown crowd at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.
Blades' Evan Pringle finally managed to get the team on the scoreboard in the third period, but that was all the team would get.
With the 9-1 loss, the Oakville Blades are eliminated from the 2022 OJHL playoffs.
Oakville now looks to the future and hopes for a fresh start next year. Many players will return next year as the Blades look to be competitive in the OJHL west division.