Eagles Dominate Short-Handed Chiefs

Article by I. Schoonderbeek/Photos by C. Archer

Make it 6-0.

The Clarington Eagles continued their winning ways Tuesday night in dominant fashion, defeating the shorthanded Lakefield Chiefs by a lopsided 19-0 score.

Lakefield had only 14 skaters dressed for the game, a recipe for disaster against a deep-skilled Clarington squad. Penalty trouble throughout the contest only made things worse for the Chiefs. By the end of the third period, they had only four skaters left on their bench.

Clarington took full advantage of the situation they found themselves in, scoring eight times on the man advantage.

The game marked the return of Eagles forward Brady Darrach who was recently reacquired from the Jr A Lindsay Muskies.

Darrach had an immediate impact, scoring a hat trick and adding four assists for seven points in his first game of the season. “It felt great to put the Eagles jersey back on again,” said Brady. “It seems like we have just as good a team as last year, and I’m excited to be a part of it!”

Several Eagles put up big numbers on the game sheet, including Adam Klaas with a hat trick and Kolby Poulin with two goals and five points on the evening.

Second-year defenseman Ty Harris hit a milestone of his own in the first period, scoring his first Junior goal on a screened shot from the point. The goal drew a loud cheer from the Eagles bench as they called for the retrieval of the puck for Harris to mark the achievement.

Rookie netminder Brayden Friedrich, while not overly busy throughout the contest, was forced to make some big saves. He stopped all 24 shots he faced, including a first-period breakaway while the score was still 2-0. He earned the first shutout of his junior career.

Darrach is not expecting things to come quite so easy when the Eagles take on the second-place Little Britain Merchants Thursday evening. “You can pick up some bad habits in games like this,” he said. “We have to make sure we come to play because Little Britain will be a much tougher test.”

The Eagles are back in action at home this Thursday, October 6 when they host undefeated Little Britain at Garnet B. Recreation Complex. Puck drop is at 7:25 p.m.

Fans attending are reminded that this Thursday is the annual food drive. If you can, please bring a non-perishable food item(s) with you.

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