It was close, but the Oakville Blades fell 2-1 to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex on Friday evening.
No goals were scored in the first period, with neither team finding the back of the net. Brendan McGlynn got the job done for the Blades, stopping all nine shots sent his way, while Andrew Cipollone made all 11 stops the Blades took in the opening period.
One of the best scoring chances of the game came just 20 seconds into the second period. On a two-on-one opportunity, Jack Jeffers fed Jackson Bales in front of the net, but Cipollone kept out the one-timer.
At 2:46 of the second, the Jr. Canadiens potted their first goal of the match. While shorthanded, Jeremy Smith broke through the middle of the Blades zone and beat McGlynn to make it 1-0 for the visiting squad.
At 11:26, the Blades found themselves behind by two. This time, with the Canadiens displaying a lot of pressure, Gianfranco Cassaro banked the puck off of a defender from the point to put JRC up 2-0.
With three minutes completed in the third, the Blades finally got on the board. Oakville had a man-advantage, and after Drew Worrad made a pass in front, Peyton Reeves brought the Blades within one with a goal in close.
The Blades pushed on, grabbing most of the top scoring chances in the third period. But unfortunately, Cipollone was on the top of his game, stopping 24 of Oakville’s shots to give Toronto the 2-1 win on Friday.
Despite the loss, the Blades will head into the weekend far ahead of St. Mike’s in the South Division with 61 points, seven points ahead of the Buzzers for first.
Oakville’s next home game is set for Friday, February 10th when the North York Rangers come to town for a 7:30 PM game start. Hope to see you there!