ESSEX NEARS SWEEP IN QUARTER-FINAL SERIES
The Essex 73's closed in on a series sweep on Sunday.
Tycen Chittle led a balanced attack by the 73's with a goal and two assists in a 6-1 win over the Petrolia Flyers at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.
The second-seeded 73's now hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final series in the Bill Stobbs Division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Game 4 is Tuesday in Petrolia.
Riley Pawluk, Matt Smith, Karson Beuglet and Conor Dembinski each had a goal and an assist for the 73's, who had a 46-18 edge in shots on goal. Jack Fuerth had the other Essex goal.
CANADIENS IN CONTROL
Trevor Larue had three goals to lead the Lakeshore Canadiens to a 4-1 road victory over the Wallaceburg Thunderhawks on Saturday.
With the win, the top-seeded Canadiens took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final series in the Bill Stobbs Division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
Eric Larue had the other goal for the Canadiens, who won the series opener 7-0, while Dylan Weston picked up a pair of assists.
SHARKS LOCKDOWN ADMIRALS
Ethan Handley earned back-toback shutouts for the Wheatley Sharks.
Handley made 22 saves on Sunday to lead the fifth-seeded Sharks to a 2-0 win over the fourth-seeded Amherstburg Admirals. With it, the Sharks took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven quarter-final series in the Bill Stobbs Division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Jack Lewis and Mason Gow provided the offence on Sunday for the Sharks, who head home with a chance to sweep the series on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Handley made 26 saves to earn the shutout in a 5-0 win over the Admirals. Matt Carvalho, Devin St. Pierre, Braedon Caetano, Liam Sinasac and Denzel Aguilar scored single goals for Wheatley.
FLYERS IN FIRST
Connor Macpherson had the lone goal of the shootout as the Leamington Flyers rallied for a 3-2 win on the road over the Strathroy Rockets on Saturday in Western Conference play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
With London losing to Lasalle, the Flyers (29-10-0-0) moved into sole possession of first place.
Connor Macpherson and Gavin Grundner scored in the third period as the Flyers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force extra time against the eighth-place Rockets (12-25-2-4).
VIPERS GET SPLIT
The Lasalle Vipers split a pair of road games in Western Conference play in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
Lasalle had its five-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss in Chatham to the Maroons on Sunday after beating the Nationals in London by a 5-1 count on Saturday.
Against the second-place Nationals (22-14-2-1), the Vipers got a 45-save performance from goalie Matthew Sbrocca and single goals from Lee Knight, Ethan Hamelin, Patrick Mcmanus, Tanner Winegard and Jake Eaton.
On Sunday, Max Frattaroli and Noah Morneau scored for the fifth-place Vipers (22-15-21), who never held a lead in the game against the third-place Maroons (24-12-3-3).
LAVIN EARNS SILVER
In his first Paralympic Games, Essex native Zach Lavin earned a silver medal with Canada's para hockey team.
The Canadians fell 5-0 to the United States in the gold-medal final. Canada went 2-2 in the tournament with both losses coming to the Americans in Beijing. A forward, the 25-year-old Lavin finished with one assist in four games.