File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo Inc. / pressmasterFile photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo Inc. / pressmaster
Windsor

Jr. hockey wrap-up - February 23, 2019

A huge second period gave the Leamington Flyers the GOJHL Western Conference regular-season title.

The Flyers clinched first place with a 6-2 win over the Kings in Komoka. Leamington finished the regular season with 71 points, two ahead of the London Nationals. Komoka ends with 45 points and in sixth place and will play the Chatham Maroons in the first round.

The Flyers put up a pair in the opening stanza. Josh King went first at 10:02, and Ryan Gagnier followed suit later in the frame for a 2-0 Leamington lead.

Leamington broke the game open with three straight scores in the second period. Cameron Armstrong put the insurance goal up at 7:05, followed by scoring from Johnny Ulicny and Adam Jeffrey. Komoka goalie Nathan Young was pulled at that point for backup Owen Say, and soon after, the Kings got on the board with two goals, by Dillon Ward and Griffin St. Onge. A Ryan Gagnier goal gave the Flyers a 6-2 second-interval lead.

There was no scoring in the third period, with each team shooting on goal eight times.

Zach Borgiel backstopped Leamington for the first two periods and got 18 saves. Backup Ryan Polidori played the third and stopped all eight shots he faced. Young and Say combined for 21 saves in net for the Kings.

The Flyers will take on the Strathroy Rockets in the first round of the Western Conference quarterfinals, with the schedule to be determined. The Kings will play Game 1 in Chatham on Thursday night.

*******

Josh Pope-Ferguson's go-ahead goal provided the Essex 73s with a commanding lead in their Stobbs Division playoff series with rival Amherstburg.

Essex took Game 3 of the Stobbs quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over the Admirals at the Essex Centre, giving the 73s a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Admirals drew first blood early in the first period when Josh Talerico found the net. The 73s responded later in the frame with a goal from Michael Vieira to even the game at a goal apiece.

There was no scoring in the second period, with Essex outshooting Amherstburg 14-6. The 73s had one broken power play in the segment. Pope-Ferguson's game-winning goal came at 5:22 of the third period.

Connor Meyerink stopped 18 shots out of 19 he faced between the pipes for Essex. Ben Larder had 31 saves for the Admirals.

Amherstburg will try to avoid elimination at home with Game 4 Sunday night.

*******

George Diaco scored twice in the first period as the London Nationals beat the St. Marys Lincolns 3-1 at the Western Fair Centre.

The Nationals finish the regular season with the second seed in the Western Conference and 69 points. The Lincolns are in last place, ending their campaign with 28 points.

Diaco accounted for all of the scoring in the first period. His first goal came at 7:53, and the second right before the intermission for a 2-0 Nationals lead.

The Lincolns got on the board when Austin Maietta scored the only goal of the second period, narrowing the London lead to 2-1.

London picked up some insurance with a Wes Dobbin goal in the third period.

Jukka Schotter stopped 20 shots out of 21 for the Nationals. Kyle Curtin had 44 saves for the Lincolns.

The Lincolns conclude their season. The Nationals await their first-round playoff opponents, the St. Thomas Stars.

*******

The Sarnia Legionnaires had a big first period in their 4-1 win over the Strathroy Rockets at West Middlesex Memorial Arena.

Sarnia leapfrogs the idle LaSalle Vipers, their first-round playoff opponent and takes the fourth seed in the Western Conference with 51 points, with one game to go. The Rockets end their regular season in eighth place with 39 points

Alec DeKoning scored first for the Legionnaires at 5:16 of the opening period. Jake Vince doubled the lead for Sarnia later in the frame. Lucas Fancy cut the lead in half for Strathroy with a goal at 16:36, but DeKoning got that goal back for the Legionnaires with his second goal of the contest.

Sarnia extended its lead to 4-1 with a Logan Gardner goal in the second frame. There was no scoring in the third period, and each side had 11 shots on goal each.

Nolan DeKoning stopped all but one of the 38 shots he faced in net for Sarnia. Vince Michelizzi had 34 saves in his last regular-season appearance in the Strathroy goal.

The Legionnaires conclude their regular season Sunday night at St. Thomas.

Read More Local Stories