News

  Wednesday it was the shorthanded Blenheim Blades taking 10-2 beating at the hands of the Amherstburg Admirals in Amherstburg, while Sunday night before 386 fans at the Blenheim arena it was the Blades who took that defeat out on the Wallaceburg Lakers 10-1.

   The win keeps the Blades (20-10-1-0) in second place in the Great Lakes Junior ‘C’ Hockey League with 41 points, one ahead of the Admirals who are 18-8-3-1 with a game in hand.

   The Blades can increase that margin to three points with a win over the Wheatley Sharks Monday night in Wheatley. Game time is 7:30. Next home game for the Blades will be Sunday when the Lakeshore Canadiens come to town for the first time this season. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

    The loss was the 15th in a row for the last place Lakers who have won just three times in 30 tries.

    In Wednesday’s loss to the Admirals the Blades were missing seven skaters and goalie Klinton Kenny. Against the Lakers the Blades were only short three skaters and it showed on the scoreboard.

   Drew Marlatt led the way for the Blades by scoring the first three goals, and the natural hat trick gives Marlatt 20 tallies on the season, and along with an assist he is now at 43 points and is in second place in league scoring just three points behind Wheatley’s Brett Bowman.

   The first two of Marlatt’s goal came at even strength with the third being scoring on the powerplay; the first of six extra strength tallies the Blades put up on the board as the Lakers Wade Esselment was sitting out a seven-minute penalty for various infractions.

     Bryan Boersma, Kirk McKillop twice, Kier Cuming and Justin Delgado, early in the second period, also scored before Esselment got out of the penalty box.

     Delgado and Boersma, who was celebrating his 21st birthday, added goals later in the second period.

      Boersma, the league’s leading point-getting defenceman, now has nine goals and 19 assists on the season, while McKillop is at six, Delgado at six and Cumming at five.

     Brayden Hopkins led the way in the assist department with four, while Nick Delyzer had three, Dustin Maines two, and Bryce Broad, Corbin Hagerman, Dylan Hathaway and Hunter Burk one each.

    Kaden Ritchie spoiled Blades netminder Klinton Kenney’s bid for a shutout when he scored a powerplay goal at 12:22 on the third period.

    On the night the Blades outshot the Lakers 47-20.

    Blades Bits: The Blades league-leading powerplay, thanks to six powerplay goals in seven chances against the Lakers, is now rolling along at 30.70 per cent because of 35 PP goals in a 114 opportunities. Lakeshore is second at 22.7 per cent. Last year the Blades PP was the second poorest in the league at 13.86 per cent. Last year the Blades scored just 121 goals in 40 games. This year the team already has 136 in just 31 games with nine left to play. Sunday, Jan. 20 will be Kent County Fillies night and any player wearing their team jersey will get in for free. The Blades alumni will hold a Steak Night Monday, Jan. 25 at the Blenheim Legion. Details to follow. The Blades are currently selling tickets ($10) on their upcoming “Vacation Draw”. First prize is a week (July 9-16) at a chalet at the Mountain View Villas at Cranberry in Collingwood and $1,000 spending money. Second prize is a queen size Sealy posturepedic mattress and box springs valued at $1,200 from Kettles in Ridgetown Your Appliance and Mattress Store, and the third prize is a $500 gift card from Kettles. Tickets are available in the lobby from Eric Hilton on game nights as well as at The Bottled Grape, The Blenheim News Tribune, Century 21 O’Brien and Wayne’s Pizza. Players and executive members also have tickets or you can call Bill Saunders at 519-676-7603.