Plenty of scoring paces Jacks to a 7-4 win over Ayr

Wellesley remains third in the division after a weekend that saw one of its games postponed; team has just one game this week, on the road in Paris

AFTER BEATING THE AYR Centennials last Saturday night by a score of 7-4, the Wellesley Applejacks’ weekend got unexpectedly quieter when the following afternoon’s game against Delhi was postponed.

When the dust settled, the Jacks (14-4-1-3) were still in third place in the South Doherty Division, with the Tavistock Braves remaining on top with a record of 20-2-1-0, followed by the New Hamburg Firebirds (18-6-0-2).

While Saturday’s game saw the visiting Centennials draw first blood and eventually outshoot Wellesley 37-26, the Jacks were able to salt things away thanks to plenty of scoring, particularly on the power play, with the team capitalizing on three of its six chances.

Ayr got on the board first at 8:08, but the Jacks responded quickly, with James Ranson potting a goal just a minute later. Zach Ribeiro and Zachary Lyons picked up assists. That would be it for scoring in the first, as the teams went into the intermission tied at 1-1.

Wellesley dominated the second period entirely, with Kyle Soper (Ribeiro, Lyons) making it 2-1 on a power play at 5:22. Alex Uttley (Sean Pickering, Ranson) potted yet another on a power play at 12:57. The Jacks scored one more for good measure, with a second from Uttley (Lyons) at 15:15. That set the tone for the remainder of the game, as Wellesley would never relinquish the lead.

The second frame also saw the most tension, as the refs doled out eight penalties overall.

The final period was as even as the first, albeit more action-packed. Pickering (Uttley, Soper) started it off strong with a goal at 4:06. Ranson (Tyler Schwindt, Soper) potted the next one at 7:21 on a power play, making the score 6-1 before the Centennials finally found some life again.

Ayr scored an unassisted goal at 12:05, followed by another one at 13:36. At 18:01, Ayr managed to get one more goal in on a power play. That string made the game a little closer at 6-4, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

With the Centennial net empty for an extra attacker, Uttley got his third of the night, putting the game away and making it a hat trick for the captain. Assists went to Pickering and Lyons. Final score: 7-4 for the home team.

The following day, instead of welcoming the Delhi Travellers for a matinee game, the Jacks found themselves with a day off, the match postponed because of a roster issue.

Chances are the Jacks were looking forward to the chance of a couple more points courtesy of a team they’ve had some success with already this year. The Travellers have just two wins (2-22) and sit just above last place in the division, their four points just one ahead of the Burford Bulldogs (123-0-1).

The Jacks are on the road Friday night to take on the Paris Mounties in their sole action of the week – they’ll be on something of a break until they head to Tavistock on December 14. The Wellesley arena next sees action December 15 when the Woodstock Navy Vets come to town.