The Oakville Blades took the lead against the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in the first period and maintained it until the end of the game to secure a tight 3-1 victory.
Oakville took over the lead for good with a goal by Christian Rajic at 4:20 in the first period. Josh Kosack assisted on the tally.
Buffalo was stymied by the Blades’ netminder Brendan McGlynn, who stopped 39 shots during the victory. The solid play of McGlynn will be reflected in his goals against average, which pre-game was 3.02.
Oakville pulled out the victory even though it was hit with 14 penalty minutes.
The Blades were helped by Drew Worrad, who racked up one goal. Worrad scored on the power play 13:19 into the first period to make the score 2-0 Oakville. A unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Zach Evancho had put Oakville on the power play. Bryce Misley picked up the assist. Oakville additionally got points from Kosack, who also had one goal and one assist to lead the team in points. Other players who recorded assists for Oakville were Patrick Kudla, Ryan Foss, Jackson Bales, and Ryan Garvey, who each chipped in one.
The Jr. Sabres’ offense operated below their season average. Buffalo puts an average of 4.3 pucks into the net per game. The Blades were unable to stop the Jr. Sabres from sending pucks towards the net, and Buffalo eventually piled up 40 shots on goal.
The Jr. Sabres were led by Brenden Dunning, who scored the team’s only goal. Dunning scored on the power play 1:41 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Oakville. Buffalo earned a power play opportunity when Foss was put in the box for roughing. Griffin Lunn provided the assist.
Oakville registered one goal on eight power play opportunities. The Jr. Sabres’ Tucker Weppner stopped 17 shots out of the 20 that he faced. Buffalo totaled 17 minutes in penalty time with six minors and one major and went 1-for-6 on the power play. For the Jr. Sabres, Wilson Vershay was ejected from the game.
