Goalie saves
LACROSSE: Peterborough 14, Kitchener-Waterloo 13
Lakers come from behind to win
Kevin Croswell might want to get mad more often.
After struggling through 40 minutes in only his second start this season, Croswell came up with a clutch third period of goaltending allowing the Peterborough Lakers to rally for a 14-13 win over the KitchenerWaterloo Kodiaks on Thursday night.
Croswell was pulled briefly in the second and allowed 11 goals through 40 minutes, replacement Cole Murray was beaten once, but Croswell stopped all but one shot in the third period. The Lakers outscored their opposition 5-1 in the third improving to 5-0 at the Memorial Centre before 2,985 fans. They maintain a one-point lead atop the MSL standings over Six Nations Chiefs who beat the Brampton Excelsiors on Thursday 7-5.
Croswell was demoted earlier in the week to the senior B Norwood James Gang only to be recalled with Tyler Carlson unable to play with a knee strain and Kurtis Wagar away with job commitments. He made three tough stops in the final minute, two in the dying seconds, before Ryan Benesch hit a post at the buzzer.
When asked what changed for him in the third, Croswell replied: “I got a little pissed off.
“I was mad about that second period. I took a couple of minutes to myself and thought ‘I have to figure this out. I have to win. I need to win this game. It turned out.’”
The Lakers built an early 4-1 lead but shorthanded goals seven seconds apart late in the period drew K-W within one. They outscored the Lakers 9-5 in the second to lead 12-9.
“I felt good in the first period,” Croswell said. “In the second, I’ve always had bad luck at that end. I don’t know what to say, it was ugly.”
The Lakers reeled off five straight goals to start the third beginning with Alex Henderson stepping into a big shot 58 seconds in. Scott Evans ripped a 40foot overhand on the power play at 8:31, his third of the game, and Brad Self tied it with one of six shorthanded goals in the game, three by each team, 28 seconds later. Self took Darryl Gibson’s long pass and tucked a shot over Mike Poulin’s shoulder
Henderson gave the Lakers the lead at 10:39 sneaking down to the crease to convert Shawn Evans's pass. Mark Farthing made it a two-goal lead with the eventual winner on a fastbreak pass from Mark Steenhuis. Joey Cupido scored a similar goal on a Poulin pass to cut the lead to one before the teams played the final 7:15 scoreless.
“It's nice to know we can come back when we do get down,” said Self, who scored a hat trick and added an assist.
He said everyone deserved blame for the hole they dug.
“In the third period Kevin stepped up huge for us,” Self said. “We didn’t really help him out the first two periods. We gave up a lot of goals off loose balls, fastbreak transitions, faceoffs. We were hanging him out to dry. We can’t be putting that on him.”
Scott Evans, who leads the league with 22 goals, had five points and Shawn Evans, who is tops in points, had seven with five assists. One of his goals came after Poulin stopped his shot but dropped the ball i n his net as he reared back to make a pass. The Lakers rallied from a 7-1
Other scorers included Matt deficit a week earlier to beat
Crough, Jordan MacIntosh and Oakville 13-12. Josh Gillam, who added five
assists, Benesch topped the “We have to show up in the
Kodiaks with two goals and four first two periods. Kitchener
assists, Jordan Critch had a hat played real well tonight and were
trick, Matt McLeod two goals hungry from the start of the.
with singles to Jamie Batson, game. We weren't and we can't
Mike Teeter, Ryan Dilks, Craig continue to do that if we want to
England and Jason Noble. be successful down the stretch,” Self said.