NATS NEWS

SARNIA – For the second night in a row the underdog Sarnia Legionnaires gave the vaunted London Nationals all they could handle Thursday in Jr. ‘B’ hockey playoff action at Sarnia Arena.

The top seeded Nats scored in double overtime to win the contest 2-1 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series.

Game Three goes Saturday in the Forest City with the fourth match set for Sunday in Sarnia.

Sarnia, which lost Game One late in the third period Wednesday, scored the first goal in Thursday’s clash, with Cam Ware finding the back of the net with a hard drive from the side boards. Drayton Todoroff and Carson Peer picked up assists on the play, which came before the game was three minutes old.

London’s Josh Castle tied the affair with the only goal of the middle stanza.

The Legionnaires killed five straight London power-plays, thanks in large part to the stellar play of Captain Ben Schoch, who seemed to be on the ice most of the night.

In the first extra period Sarnia came within an eyelash of winning the game on three separate occasions. The best chance came when Josh Barraclough got in alone, only to be foiled by Nats goalie Brock Baier.

Jacob Chandler got the winner on a power-play in the second overtime.

After the winning goal was scored someone on the Legionnaires bench tossed a couple of water bottles in the direction of the officials, an act that could lead to a suspension.

Sarnia netminder Nolan DeKoning was splendid between the pipes, making 48 saves.

Baier faced 33 Sarnia shots.

The Legionnaires played a good defensive game, seldom allowing the Nationals to get away on odd-man rushes.