Richer lifts Spitfires over Sailors

     The defenceman scores in overtime as Aylmer edges Port Stanley 5-4 in a

     PJHL Yeck Division clash of the Elgin County rivals

    Sunday, December 2, 2018

By Rob J. Ross 

ST. THOMAS - The Aylmer Spitfires may have got away with a penalty but they will take the two points.

In the second instalment of the battle Elgin County this season, Aylmer improved to 2-0 with Connor Richer scoring on the power play 3:19 into overtime, lifting the Spitfires over the Port Stanley Sailors, 5-4, in Provincial Junior Hockey League Yeck Division action, at Memorial Arena.

The Sailors felt their goalie Ryan Langford was interfered with by Aylmer's Dylan Vandersleen as Richer fired the puck towards the net. There may have been the case, but Langford did engage in contact with Vandersleen and teammate Brent Brooks battling in front of the net.

Port Stanley led 2-0 and 3-2, but the Spitfires kept coming back, aided by 10 power play opportunities, scoring twice.

"We were working hard and forced them into some of those penalties," Spitfires' coach Bryan Rose said. "We were controlling the play. I'm really happy with the guys. We have played three (games) this weekend, so to get one here is huge."

Aylmer lost to Dorchester, 4-2, on home ice Saturday and fell 6-2 at Mt. Brydges on Friday.

Anthony Pileggi and Tyler Foslett put Port Stanley up 2-0, before Tanner Rickwood and Colin Spence had the game tied with a pair of unassisted efforts, all in the opening period.

A Brent Brooks power play goal gave the Sailors a 3-2 lead. Shane Kocsis-Cochrane and Dylan Vandersleen had the Spitfires holding a 4-3 advantage heading into the third period. Port's Jack Annett knotted the affair at four.

The Spitfires sit seventh in the Yeck with an 8-14-0-1 record, seven points behind sixth place Lucan and seven points ahead of the Sailors.

"We're really, really young and inexperienced. We're learning as we go," said Rose. "We're in some games that we shouldn't be in and some how pull it out. Then there are games where I think we should be leading by six of seven but we are not."

The Spitfires' average age is 17 years, with nine players in their first year of junior hockey. At least a dozen players are from Aylmer or St. Thomas.

"It's a learning curve for these kids, but they are all working hard," said Rose. "Everything is done a little bit quicker. Part of it is a 17 year old playing against 20 and 21 year olds. They're just so much stronger. Some of our guys are not quite strong enough."

Two 20-year olds lead Aylmer in scoring, with Matt Bond having eight goals and 10 assists and Luke Regier, six goals and 10 assists.

The Spitfires added 17-year old forward Dylan Vandersleen just last week, picking up the Aylmer native from the Komoka Kings, of the Greater Ontario Hockey League.

Spitfires captain forward Connor Lacey has proved a good addition with six goals and four assists in 16 games played.

The focus this season is working on keeping rubber out of the cage.

"Defence first. We're trying to take care of our own end first. That's where it all starts," said Rose.

The Spits' defence begins with their goaltender, 17-year old Aylmer native Blake Zehr.

"(Zehr) faced 70 shots (against Dorchester) and to come back here and play well. I'm happy," added Rose.

Aylmer led Dorchester 2-0 in the third period, before a penalty rattled the players.

"They're (Dorchester) a good hockey team. We were hanging on to dear life," said Rose. "We got caught up in what we thought was a bad penalty and we got distracted. Then they came back. That showed our inexperience."

As the young Spitfires add more games to their junior resumes, the plan is to get where Dorchester and the Exeter Hawks currently sit, at the top of the division.

"That is where we want to get too," Rose said. "There are two ways in this league. You can buy it or try to build it. We're trying to build it and hopefully next year or in two years."