Goderich Flyers rally for first win of season

They needed a win.

Badly.

And after nearly a dozen tries, the Goderich (Jr. C) Flyers finally got one — a 6-3 drubbing of the Wingham Ironmen Sunday at the Goderich Maitland Recreation Centre.

Flyers forward Ethan Pearce scored twice and Jack Stecho had a goal and two assists in the team’s first win of the season.

Goderich goaltender Liam McCarthy made 41 saves and held his own down the stretch, despite falling into a 3-1 hole midway through the second period.

The Flyers (1-11-0-0) remain last in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s seven-team North Pollock Division, well back of the fourth-place Ironmen.

But they have a few bragging rights after mounting a fantastic rally to salvage a game that appeared headed out of control.

Ironmen forward Josh Dales opened the scoring at 11:22 into the first period, with assists from Nate Bloemberg and Turner Mckenzie.

Goderich tied it at 15:19 with a power play goal from Owen Shore (assisted by Stecho and Iain MacIsaac). The game remained knotted at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Then came a pair of Wingham power play goals early in the second period.

Austin Becker scored at 6:06 (from Tayt Bramhill and Matt Tolton), followed by a Kyle Stanbury tally at 9:36 to make it 3-1 Ironmen.

Goderich climbed steadily back into the game from there.

Pearce scored on a power play at 15:35 with assists from Shore and Stecho. Then Jeff Fritzley scored even-strength at 17:38 with assists from Max Dupuis and Brett Harrogate.

It was tied 3-3 after 40 minutes, and in the final frame Goderich pulled away for good.

Pearce scored his second of the game 1:38 into the third period from Cohen Lesouder and Shore, giving the Flyers a 4-3 lead.

Brett Reesor padded the lead at 10:54 on a goal from Dupuis and Cameron McCarthy.

Stecho added an empty-netter at 18:97, with assists to Austin Aldrich and Liam McCarthy.

Ironmen goaltender Will Crump made 27 saves in the loss, and falls to 2-2 on the season. He was also credited with an assist on Stanbury’s second-period goal.

Flyers fall to Mitchell Hawks

It was another story entirely on Saturday, when the Flyers fell 8-1 on the road to the second-place Mitchell Hawks.

Flyers goaltender Thomas Sheldon was pulled at the first intermission, after allowing four goals on 16 shots in the opening period.

Liam McCarthy allowed three goals on 34 shots the rest of the way, as Mitchell outshot the Flyers 51-33 on the night.

Fritzley scored the lone Goderich goal, at 14:50 into the first period, with assists from Stecho and Harrogate.

Ironmen defeat Kincardine Bulldogs

On the road Saturday in Kincardine, the Ironmen got on a roll early and never stopped.

They cruised to a 6-0 victory over the fifth-place Bulldogs, thanks in part to a 22-save shutout from goaltender Garrett Golley.

A spate of power play goals, and one short-handed tally, tell the rest of the story.

Wingham’s Austin Becker opened the scoring on a power play 2:09 into the first period, with assists from Kyle Stanbury and Tayt Bramhill.

Josh Dales made it 2-0 Ironmen with an even-strength tally at 3:14 with assists from Turner Mckenzie and Brandon Bishop.

Then Josh Pham scored a short-handed, unassisted goal for good measure at 15:49.

Wingham led 3-0 at the break.

Bramhill and Stanbury both scored on power plays the second period (at 13:36 and 19:12, respectively), and assisted on each other’s goals.

Wingham led 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Nate Bloemberg scored the game’s final goal with a man-advantage 16:15 into the third period.

Golley improved to a 4-2 record on the season and carries a 2.29 goals against average.

Cents stay perfect with road win

The Seaforth Centenaires defeated the Creemore Coyotes 6-2 on the road Saturday evening.

Seaforth remain the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League’s only unbeaten team, with a 5-0-0-0 record and 10 points, good for first place.

The Petrolia Squires are in second with a 4-2-0-0 record and eight points on the season.