The Oakville Blades proved that persistence pays off, taking 47 shots on net in a 5-1 victory over the North York Rangers on Friday night, November 18, 2016 at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex.
The first ten minutes was absolutely dominated by the Blades, taking the 16-1 shot advantage early in the contest. One of the best opportunities came with about four minutes left in the period when Drew Worrad fed Jack Jeffers with a good pass on the rush. Jeffers was able to beat North York’s goalie, but just hit the crossbar and the puck was deflected out of play.
But just a minute later, Oakville made it 1-0 anyways. After receiving a pass from Bryce Misley on the power play, Jackson Bales fired a hard shot from just off the boards and beat Jeremie Lintner for the 1-0 goal to head into the first intermission.
After a very slow start, North York would find the scoresheet. At 5:23 in the second, Jonathan Giordano’s wrist shot proved to be too much for Brendan McGlynn after it was sent in from close range, hitting the crossbar and passing the goal line to make it 1-1.
With seven minutes left in the second, the Blades took back the lead. This time, Evan Brown got obstructed on the breakaway, but managed to make a behind-the-back pass to Matt Hayami. The former Toronto Red Wings forward had an open cage to shoot on, beating Lintner to make it 2-1 Oakville.
Then, a minute later, the Blades got another one. This time, Worrad fed Jeffers from the left side of the net, with Jeffers easily re-directing it over Lintner’s shoulder and in for the 3-1 goal.
The Blades were the much stronger team throughout the game, and it showed. Just past five minutes into the third, Ryan Foss took a pass from Christian Rajic from behind the net and shoved the puck in at the doorstep, giving Oakville the 4-1 lead.
Then, just before the third period hit the halfway mark, the Blades scored again. This time, Worrad finally got one for himself with a quick snapshot right in front of the crease, giving Oakville the 5-1 lead late in the contest. It was the final goal of the contest for Oakville, who would hold on to the 5-1 victory on Friday night.
The next Blades home game will take place next Friday night when the Whitby Fury come to town for Oakville’s annual Toy Drive game! Simply bring a new unwrapped stuffed animal with tags to the game. When the Blades score, you can toss the toy on the ice.
Come support the Oakville Firefighters Toy Drive with the Oakville Blades! See you at 7:30 PM!