Dolphins down Sailors for six straight

   Josh Short and Isaac Sturgeon both score twice to lead Dorchester pass

   Port Stanley, 7-4, to win their sixth consecutive game

  October 29, 2021

By Rob J. Ross 

DORCHESTER, Ont. - The win streak has now reached six games.

Isaac Sturgeon and Josh Short both scored twice as the Dorchester Dolphins defeated the Port Stanley Sailors, 7-4, for a sixth consecutive victory in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.

"After the first loss, we came together as a group and said, we have a good team here and we can't go out losing. We have to dig deep every game," Sturgeon said. "We take one game at a time because we have a long season ahead of us."

The Dolphins lead the Yeck Division, with 12 points, at 6-1-0-0, one point up on the 5-2 Mt, Brydges Bulldogs. Port Stanley sits in seventh with an 1-5-0-0 record. 

"We're playing fairly good hockey. We still have to clean up our defensive work," Dolphins' head coach Mark Steele said. "I knew we would be able to score goals. Now we have to be able to stop letting them score. We really have to work on the defensive side of the puck."

Sturgeon helped Dorchester build a 5-1 lead by scoring the first two goals of the game, before Port Stanley responded with two goals late in the second period.

"We had a our best start of the season, all over them," Steele said. "Then it was, oh, this game is over, and we put it in neutral, thinking it's going to be a blow out, instead of working to make it a blow out. That's where we have to clean up."

Jakob Marche, Braidon Duncan and Brayden Smith, also scored for the 'Phins.

Port received goals from Richie Albert, Cole Hardie, Connor Roberts and Ryan Jeffrey.

"We did get a little too relaxed with the lead, thinking the game was over then, but nothing is over until the final buzzer," said Sturgeon. "They're (Sailors) a hard working team. They don't quit. They've a good squad and better than last year (2019-20)."

After the scoring ceased mid third period, a melee broke out with just under three minutes left in regulation, featuring four separate fights.

The two teams combined for 82 minute in penalties, 46 minutes coming from the late stoppage in play.

Short leads the Dolphins with seven goals and 11 points this season. Marche has four goals and five assists.

Sturgeon has four goals and nine points in seven games, easily on pace to pass his eight goals and 13 points over 37 games, during his rookie season in 2019-20.

"Sturg had a very good game. He's been getting more ice," Steele said. "He struggled his first year here, in and out of the line-up and then he got hurt and never played in the playoffs. We knew what we had in him and he's reaping the benefits now. He's getting tons of ice, on the penalty kill and power play. He skates. He's the fastest kid in the league when he wants to skate."

The 19-year old has been on a line with Noah Small and Nicholas Shearer.