Sharks take big bite out of 73's
WHEATLEY - The Essex 73's, coming off a big home-ice win the night before, skated into the Wheatley Area Arena looking to extend their win streak to six games, but the Wheatley Sharks would have no part of that plan.
Wheatley played catchup for the first two periods, falling behind to the 73's 1-0, and 2-1, but would take advantage of a powerplay opportunity part-way through the third period to break a 2-2 tie, and later they would add an empty net goal to defeat the 73's, 4-2.
William Claridge and Matthew Cole scored the Essex goals, while Xander Zanier, Josh Chauvin, Gavin Wasylyk and Brendan Gouin had the Sharks goals.
Brock Devlin took the loss in goal for Essex despite stopping 32-of-34 shots he faced.
Essex takes first meeting with Lakeshore, 5-2
ESSEX - Luke Sherk broke a 2-2 tie with just three seconds left in the second period, and the Essex 73's added two more in the third period to ice the Lakeshore Canadiens, 5-2, in front of a season-high 679 at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.
With the win, the Essex 73's are now 8-2 on the season and find themselves in first place in the Stobbs Division with 16 points.
Essex led 2-1 after the first period on goals by Carter Dembinski and William Claridge. Dembinski opened the scoring off a rebound, and Claridge with a screen shot shot from the point that Canadiens' goaltender Boe Piroski is still looking for.
Between those two goals, Lakeshore got one off the stick of Andrew Ward.
In the second period, Lakeshore would tie the game on the powerplay on a goal that fooled 73's netminder, Birk Cassels, high on the blocker side to tie the game at 2-2.
With the clock ticking down, and most in attendance thinking it was going to be a tie game heading into the final period, Sherk picked up the puck on the player's bench side of the ice, made a quick move around the Lakeshore defenceman, and on what looked like an impossible angle, snapped a shot up and over Piroski on the short-side, giving the 73's a 3-2 lead.
In the third period, Essex popped two more goals on great efforts by Cael McCabe, on the powerplay, and Dembinski, again, as the 73's would go on to win their fifth gasme in a row.
For Dembinski, it was a three-point night, while Sherk had a goal and an assist, and Gavin Gaudet, a pair of assists to help lead the 73's.
Lakeshore edged Essex in shots on the night, 29-27. The two clubs will meet again Friday, November 14th in Essex.
Guevremont, Devlin help 73's to fourth straight win
MOORETOWN - It's never an easy place to win a game when you travel to Mooretown, and the same was true Saturday night when the Essex 73's locked horns with the Mooretown Flags in Provincial Junior Hockey League play.
Essex had their work cut out but in the end, it was Mooretown goaltender, John Chartrand, who kept this game as close as it was.
Chartrand booted aside 47-of-49 shots the 73's peppered him with, while 73's tender, Brock Devlin, although not called upon as much, played equally well in the Essex net. He would turn aside 23-of-24 shots, surrendering a late-game goal to Jace Dupuis to lose his first shutout bid of the year.
The 2-1 Essex win was the 73's (7-2-0-0) fifth game in which they have not allowed more than one goal.
Austin Guevremont had an assist on Cael McCabe's first-period goal, and then notched his team-leading sixxth goal of the season midway through the second period which proved to be the winner.
Mooretown's record drops to 5-5-0-0 on the season.
The 73's will host the Lakeshore Canadiens Tuesday night in Essex. Gametime is 7:00pm.
Joey Gaudet's two goals pace 73's to victory over Blades
ESSEX - The Essex 73's were looking for a little revenge from their last meeting with the Blenheim Blades in which they lost, 3-1.
Essex came out flying and scored the first two goals of the game before the 10-minute mark on goals by Connor Hunt and Austin Guevremont.
Blenheim would get those back before the period ended on goals by Nash Chittle and AP Cam Arnold.
From that point on it was really all Essex as the 73's outshot the visiting Blades, 27-11 in the second and third periods.
After a scoreless second period, Joey Gaudet scored his first of two goals at the 3:21 mark of the third period.
Essex would put the game out of reach scoring three more times in a span of 2:10 with Gaudet notching his second, and singles to Cael McCabe and Carter Dembinski. Of note, Gabe Barrette and Noah Mathieson each had three assists on the night.
Blenheim goalie, Jack Vancoille, stopped 36-42 shots while his counterpart, newly signed goalie, Birk Cassels, made 18 saves.
Cassels, an 18-year old from Lewis Center, Ohio, played parts of last season in Pelham of the Greater Ontario Hockey League, as well as in Gatineau of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. He is a draft pick of the Ottawa 67's of the OHL.
Essex travels to Mooretown Saturday night, hoping to extend their win streak to four games.
