News

WHEATLEY – Following a 5-4 overtime win over the Wheatley Sharks Sunday night at home that saw a huge brawl, the Blenheim Blades headed to Wheatley Wednesday night severely short regular players.

   However that did not matter as the team – missing 10 regulars – dressed five affiliate players, and came home with a 2-0 victory to run their Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division unbeaten streak to four straight thanks to three victories in a row and a tie.

  The Blades remain in seventh place with 16 points and a 7-8-2-0 record. They are now just three points behind the sixth-place Sharks with three games in hand, and thanks to the recent surge are six up on the eight-place Petrolia Flyers, who have also played 17 games, and will be at the Blenheim arena Sunday for a 7 p.m. match against the Blades.

   In the meantime the Blades will still be short several regulars due to suspensions and injuries Friday when they head to Lakeshore to meet the Canadiens at 7 p.m.

   Missing from Wednesday’s lineup were defencemen Noah Tetrault and Colton Shoemaker, along with forwards Will Tetzlaff and Cam Symons, who were all sitting out their first of two-game suspensions, as well as injured players Steven Funk, Nick Delyzer, Sean McNally and Malcolm Campbell, and Connor Wright, who was working, and Christian Moccia, who had school.

   For the game the Blades called up affiliated players Sam McKinlay, Jared Delaey, Carter Wright, Matt Cunningham and Braden Welch.

   Leading the way to victory were goalie Chris DeWulf, with his second shutout of the season, and the red-hot line of Dede Cado, Kier Cumming and Drew Marlatt.

    DeWulf, who has been outstanding during the unbeaten streak, stopped all 40 Wheatley shots, including a penalty shot by Cole Butler to pressure the shutout and the win with just 1:10 to play.

   Bulter had a breakaway but was caught by Marlatt, who was given a questionable tripping penalty that awarded Butler the penalty shot.

    Cato scored the eventual winner with 51 seconds to play in the first period, and Cumming sealed the deal with a powerplay empty-net tally with 30 seconds to play in the third.

    Cumming now has an overtime game-winner and two empty net goals in the Blades last three victories. He assisted on Cato’s goal as well, and Cato returned the favour on Cumming’s, with Marlatt helping out both times.

    In the last five games the line has put up 24 points with Cumming scoring six times and assisting on six, Cato six times and helping out on six and Marlatt twice with four assists.

    Cato now has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points, Cumming 11 goals and 11 assists, and Marlatt two goals and a league leading 20 assists.

    BLADES BITS: The Blades were one-for-five on the powerplay, and continue to be the second best team in the league with a man advantage with the powerplay success rate sitting at 20:48 percent…The Sharks had 40 shots to the Blades 32, and took 32 of the 46 penalty minutes called by referee Kevin Hamlin…The Sharks are by far the most penalized team in the league with 527 minutes to date, while the Blades have just 379…The Blades will be hosting the team’s annual ‘Alumni Night’ Saturday, Nov. 24… There will be two alumni games beginning at 3 p.m., with the Blades playing the Dresden kings at 6:15.