Another weekend, another split for the Jacks
Still on the road, Wellesley falls to Woodstock then takes it out on Paris; team to play home-opener Saturday night
SEEMINGLY A PATTERN THIS season for the Applejacks, the team split yet another pair of game last weekend.
The Wellesley Junior C squad fell 6-4 to the Woodstock Navy Vets on October 5, then picked up the momentum on the following day against the Paris Mounties, winning by a final score of 7-3.
These results put the team in sixth place in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s South Doherty standings, just behind weekend rivals Woodstock. Top spot is held by the New Hamburg Firebirds, followed by the Tavistock Braves in second, then Paris in third and the Norwich Merchants fourth.
The game against Woodstock started off promising in the first period, with a quick goal around the three-minute mark by Shaun Pickering, assisted by Danny Ranson. The Navy Vets returned the favour around the halfway point. The Jacks regained their lead with a goal by Peter Cascagnette, (Zach Ribeiro, Warren Gorman), wrapping up the first period with a 2-1 lead.
Second period saw the score evened up by the end, with Woodstock scoring while short-handed. The Jacks pushed and regained the lead on a power play, with another goal by Pickering (Alex Uttley, Cascagnette). The Navy Vets levelled out the score 3-3 on a power play, about five minutes before the period ended.
Despite their strong start, the Jacks ultimately fell in the final period. Woodstock gained the lead quickly about two minutes in, but an unassisted goal by Ribeiro evened things out at about the halfway mark. However, Woodstock managed to pull ahead in just under two minutes following this with two consecutive goals, making the final score 6-4.
The Jacks didn’t let this deter them in their following game on Saturday, once again on the road. The Mounties, however, drew first blood at the fiveminute mark with a goal on a power play. Wellesley returned the favour, also on a power play, with a goal by Ribeiro (Reade MacInnes, Gorman) about five minutes later. Tyler Schwindt (Brendan Baker, Will Martin) ended the period on a good note, scoring around the 12-minute mark.
The lead quickly continued into the second intermission, with Pickering scoring an unassisted goal just 12 seconds in. The Mounties responded on a power play midway through the period. But the Jacks hit back with twice the force, with Kyle Soper (Pickering, Uttley) scoring on a power play, followed by MacInnes (Soper), also on a power play. This resulted in a comfortable 5-2 lead for the Jacks headed into the third frame.
Play was intense after the intermission, but there was no scoring until about 14 minutes in, where all of the action occurred in a quick burst. The Jacks kicked it off with Koby Seiling scoring an unassisted goal. This was followed by the Mounties scoring just 40 seconds later, then Wellesleys Gorman (Robert Colton, Ranson) coming back around 20 seconds after that. This resulted in a final score of 7-3 for the visitors.
The Jacks hope to continue the momentum in their next game against this weekends’ competition, the Navy Vets. Their first game on home ice is scheduled for October 13 starting at 7:30 p.m., making it their official home opener. They will play the Norwich Merchants the following day, also on their home turf. Game time is 2 p.m.