Kevin Sousa - OJHL Images
Oakville, ON - Oct 18, 2014 : Ontario Junior Hockey League game action
Following a 2-2 tie on Wednesday night against the Georgetown Raiders, the Oakville Blades returned home to take on the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in an exciting Friday night contest. It was an incredible performance by the Blades, and the offence was lead by Matt Lippa, who had a big game, scoring one goal and contributing five assists in his team's 9-1 win over the Sabres.
The Blades got off to a tremendous start, recording seven shots in just the first three minutes of the contest. Oakville’s speed, toughness and skill allowed the hometown team to have complete control of the game early, something they needed to do for the full 60 minutes for it to mean anything.
Their persistence paid off five minutes in. Just 30 seconds into their first power-play of the game, a blast by Greg Campbell made its way through a screen before Max Lindsay tipped it, giving Oakville the 1-0 lead early.
Buffalo was able to get their first two shots of the game during the very next shift, but it took just a short time for Oakville to take back control. While on their second power-play of the game, Campbell got his second point of the game after sending the puck over to Jackson Bales, who somehow beat Buffalo goaltender Nate Skidmore from a strange angle. 24 seconds later, Matt McLeod, wearing his fresh #19 jersey, tapped the puck past Skidmore with it sitting on the line, making it 3-0 before the half-way mark of the first period. The goal prompted the Sabres to make a goalie change, replacing Skidmore with Alex Connal.
The Sabres were able to get some momentum late in the period, closing in the shot total just a tad. Eventually, Kenny Tenecza was able to score on the doorstep, beating Brendan McGlynn with four minutes remaining in the opening frame.
The Blades weren’t done scoring just yet. Before the game hit the half-way mark, Matt Lippa scored his team leading 9th goal of the season, beating Connal blocker side with the wrist shot. The Blades made it 5-1 with seven minutes remaining when Tanner Shaw tipped a Campbell point shot, beating Connal for the goal.
Oakville would make it 6-1 just under three minutes into the third. Tyler Rollo, nicknamed the “Deking Dynamite” by some in attendance, beat a non-existent Buffalo defense before forcing it to the net. A couple players would take a whack at it, but it would be defenseman Paul Butler who would finally put it home. Lindsay would make it 7-1 with 14:56 remaining after he picked up the loose rebound and flipped it past the Buffalo goaltender for the marker. Defenseman Greg Campbell would find himself on the scoreboard once again, recording his fourth assist of the night.
The Sabres really struggled to clear rebounds out, and it proved to be lethal once again. With eight minutes remaining, the Blades scored their eighth of the contest when Brandon Hughes beat Connai after picking up the rebound. It would be the sixth goal for the team while picking up the loose puck, which was way too common all night. It also marked the fourth point for Tanner Shaw, who posted a goal and three assists during his incredible performance. Sean Kohler would add another with three minutes to go, giving Oakville their ninth and final goal of the game as the team managed to defeat Buffalo by a wild score of 9-1.
