Sailors Lose Two Despite Hard Work
The Goderich Sailors are back in a last-place tie in the Western Junior C Hockey League after dropping a 2-1 home-ice decision to Mitchell Saturday. Brett Austin's goal spoiled Mitchell goaltender Josh Nurse's shutout bid with just 42 seconds left in the game with an assist from Brett McGuinness. Sailors Head Coach Todd Goetz says it wasn't really a game that got away.
Goetz credits Mitchell for having a tough hockey team that skates well and that the Sailors played well in the first and third periods.
Goetz says the Sailors' undoing was that they didin't come out hard enough in the second.
The Hawks blasted Goderich 9-0 the first time the two teams met in Mitchell on October 17th.
Goetz says goaltending is quickly rising to prominence for the Sailors.
Goetz says Shawn Gethke has the potential to become one of the best netminders in the league and that he played like it on Saturday.
Goetz says Gethke's 41 saves including one on a penalty-shot by Mitchell's Ryan Magagnin in the third period are good for the Sailors' morale.
Magagnin was named Most Valuable Player in last weekend's Western Junior C All-Star Game in Mount Forest, in which he scored a goal and set up another.
Magagnin was called up at the last minute for the mid-season classic after a Walkerton player was injured in a game against the Sailors the previous night.
Goetz says even though Mitchell scored one of its goals on the power-play, the Sailors penalty-killers still played well.
He says his penalty-killing unit is one of a growing number of bright spots for the Sailors because of the players' willingness to sacrifice themselves to keep the puck out of the net.
The loss followed a 4-1 setback in Kincardine Friday night in which Dean Reynolds and Tucker Dorscht assisted on Tyler Million's power-play goal early in the second period.
What made the loss harder to take for the Sailors was that they almost matched the Bulldogs in shots on goal -- the margin was 32-31 in favour of Kincardine.
The Sailors are back in a last-place tie with Mount Forest at nine points because the Patriots upended Wingham 3-0 Saturday.
Mitchell remains in third place just one point back of co-leaders Hanover and Walkerton -- the Barons edged Walkerton 2-1 to create a tie for first-place with 29 points.
The Sailors' next action is against the Kincardine Bulldogs at MRC next Friday night at 8:30.
