Michael Vieira opened and closed the scoring for the Essex 73s in their 4-1 win over the Blenheim Blades Sunday night at Blenheim Memorial Arena.
The 73s are in first place in the PJHL Stobbs Division with 49 points, five ahead of Dresden. The Blades have 28 points and are in sixth place.
There was no scoring in the first 20 minutes of play, with the 73s outshooting the Blades 12-4. Blenheim had two power play chances to Essex's one.
The scoreless tie was broken at 1:21 of the middle period, when Vieira scored for Essex. Jack Sanko made it a 2-0 game for the 73s with a goal late in the frame.
Adam Gaiarin extended the 73s' lead to 3-0 with a power play goal at 4:17 in the third period. The Blades averted a shutout when David Cooke found the net, but Essex extended its lead to three goals again on Vieira's second goal of the night.
Connor Meyerink had 22 saves out of 23 attempts for Essex in goal. Chris DeWulf took the loss for Blenheim, having stopped 25 shots.
The 73s next host Wheatley on Tuesday night. The Blades travel to Wallaceburg Wednesday night.
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Ben Larder stopped all 14 shots he faced in net for his fifth shutout of the season, as the Amherstburg Integrity Admirals shut out the Mooretown Flags 4-0 at the Libro Centre.
Amherstburg currently has 39 points in the Stobbs Division, good for third place. The Flags are in fifth place with 33 points.
The Admirals scored two power play goals in the first period. Ty Moss put the first one in the net at 3:34, and Cory Burns doubled the lead late in the period.
There was no scoring in the middle segment. The Addys outshot the Flags 16-4 in that period, with each team holding a power play opportunity.
Amherstburg added two more goals in the third, from Jacob Fields and Josh Talerico.
Cody Ramsdale had 22 saves in net for the Flags before being pulled for Adam Mino, who had 11 saves.
Both teams hit the road on Friday night. The Admirals will visit Lakeshore while the Flags are in Dresden.