After having 12 days of no action, the Leamington Flyers faced the King Rebellion at home last Thursday, January 22 and let a 2-0 lead slip away for a 3-2 loss.
On Saturday night the team traveled to Newmarket and won 3-2.
Thursday, Flyers’ starter Gannon Hunter took the loss making 22 saves, while King counterpart Logan Kennedy stopped 36 of 38 and made some excellent saves to gain the win.
The game was the first one at home for newcomers Vincent Gasquez (#2) and Matthew Thomas (#10).
The Flyers opened the scoring at 5:35 of the opening frame when Landon Bernard and Brayden Degelas connected with Ethan Walker who moved to the left of the slot and unleashed a bullet that handcuffed Kennedy.
Leamington upped their lead at 12:02 when Landon Pickersgill and Jak Thiessen sent Spencer Vandenberg in alone on Kennedy. Vandenberg made his move and flicked the puck past Kennedy while on the doorstep.
The Flyers’ downfall began later in the opening period as King enjoyed a powerplay. Lachlan Larnmad zipped a pass to Jared McNeil who was open at the left post and had a completely empty side to slot the puck.
Five minutes into the second, the Flyers’ defense struggled and Adam Smeeton drilled the tying goal past Hunter. Both teams traded scoring opportunities for the next 10 minutes, but a high sticking penalty to Bryce Belleau proved costly. On the ensuing Rebellion man advantage, Julius Da Silva backhanded the puck past Hunter from the left side of the net and King had a 3-2 lead.
At the outset of the third, the Flyers applied immense pressure to the King defense but couldn’t manufacture the tying goal. Hunter was lifted for an extra-attacker with roughly 90 seconds left in the game, but the Flyers’ offense was kept in check. The loss was their first at home since December 4.
On Saturday night at Newmarket, the Flyers rebounded in a game that began well and turned into a heated battle. As the game progressed, both sides engaged in some back-and-forth scoring attempts and took unnecessary penalties.
Leamington won the game 3-2, but had a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Hurricanes countered with a pair in the second period that tied the score.
Brayden Lappalainen and Ethan Walker put the Flyers ahead in the first, and at 11:30 of the third, Brayden Degelas ripped a right lane shot that beat goalie Carter Froggett and stood as the game winner.
Tre Altiman stopped 33 of 35 shots for his 18th win of the season.
The Flyers have announced that their makeup game versus the Toronto Patriots will take place on Friday, February 13 at 7:10 pm. This Thursday, January 29, they will host the Mississauga Chargers at 7:10 pm.
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