The Oakville Blades traveled to the historic Oakville Arena in a cold, exciting match-up against the Hamilton Red Wings. The ice at the old barn is a bit smaller than at the usual Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, but the team didn't seem to have an issue in the arena that the team hadn't played at since 1998. Brendan McGlynn stood on his head and made 33 saves to lead the Blades to a 3-1 victory over the Red Wings, an important two points in an attempt to make a late playoff push.
The Blades got an early two man power-play in the first ten minutes. They did have a nervous moment beforehand, however, when Sean Perichak went down hard into the rock solid end boards, but would return.
McGlynn was between the pipes for a second straight game after the injury to Mark Manolescu. The cold, unpredictable ice surface almost nipped at McGlynn's nose when a bouncing puck got away from him. Luckily, the young goaltender was able to make a quick recovery and kept the puck out with the tip of his blocker to keep the game scoreless.
It wouldn't take much longer for the first goal to find its way into the Oakville net. Joel Knight, a defenceman with only four goals to his credit before today, sent the puck over the glove of McGlynn, who didn't get enough of the shot to make the save. Oakville was able to tie it up with five minutes to go when Ross Sloan converted a Marcel Fatovic shot into a goal of his own.
Oakville was faced to play a man down right off the bat in the second. Chris Polotek shoved an opposing player into the boards, opening the gate behind McGlynn in the process. Thanks to a few solid stops by Glynner between the pipes, the Blades were able to keep the game tied at one. Oakville almost managed to take the lead directly afterwords when Kris Bennett got the puck past Mark Sinclair, but it was declared no goal because the Red Wings puck-stopper knocked the net out of place. Oakville would control possession for the remainder of the period and it all paid off when Bennett got a shorthanded marker just seconds before the final buzzer.
Hamilton's frustrations started to boil over in the third. Unable to create much offence in the Oakville zone, Liam Bird was given four minutes after trying to fight an uninterested David Dischiavi after the whistle. On the ensuing power-play, Bennett managed to hit the post twice, but each time the play would be called off as the net would come off the moorings. Dalton Bew was a bit luckier when he found the puck late in the game, ripping it past the blocker of Sinclair for the put away marker.
The Blades currently sit four points behind the St. Michael's Buzzers in the South Division, but also hold a four point lead over the sixth and final team in the group, Mississauga. Oakville still has two remaining games against the Buzzers in February, so important points in the late stages in the season could thrust the squad into a playoff spot.
