Oct 31, 2013 | abader | 615 views
Bantams win first of season!
A balanced offense, good penalty killing, a sharp power play and solid defensive play all allowed the Mitchell Scotiabank Bantams to record their first win of the 2013-14 season last Monday, Oct. 28 in Walkerton.
Quaid Austin and Kevin Rops scored in the first period to kickstart the attack, then linemate Jack O'Rourke scored his first of two goals 1:54 into the second period with the man advantage - their second power play goal of the game.
For good measure, Mitchell added what was essentially a shorthanded goal after Jake Preszcator flipped home the puck from close range after defender Jamie Adair kept the play alive in the Walkerton end. Judd Walker's penalty had just expired when Jake scored. Before the middle period ended, though, Mitchell struck again, with Cooper Preszcator and defenceman-turned-forward Ryan Bader worked hard behind and beside the Walkerton goal to set up Brett DeJong, who did the finishing beside the helpless Capitals' goaltender.
O'Rourke scored his second of the night early in the third as Mitchell kept up the pressure on their hosts, again from linemates Rops and Austin, who was moved up to the forward line with the absence of injured Garrett Yost. Not to be outdone, defender and captain Luken Van Pelt completed the scoring when, after receiving a pass from Bader in the neutral zone, he soared in unmolested and flipped a backhanded shot into the net to complete the scoring. Van Pelt's first of the year was also a power play goal.
Aaron McNeil made 16 saves for the shutout, aided by solid work in front of him by defencemen Connor Gettler, Kaeleb Baker, Jacob Deck, Adair and Van Pelt.
Walkerton returns for the second half of the home-and-home set this Friday, Nov. 1st, at 9 p.m. with the hometown Meteors hoping for just as solid an effort as they received on the road earlier in the week.
Mitchell continues their busy week in Goderich Saturday, hoping to put out a better effort than they did against the visiting Sailors in their regular season opening 6-2 loss. The club also travels north next Monday, Nov. 4 when they face South Bruce, or Teeswater, in Teeswater at 8:30 p.m. before making travel plans for the Thorold tournament Nov. 8-10th weekend.