HAGERSVILLE – Backed up by shutout goaltending by Curtis Dortenzio, the Hagersville Hawks improved their record to 5-5-1, Saturday night with a 7-0 crushing of the Port Dover Sailors, at the Hagersville Arena.
The Hawks took a 3-0 first period lead with goals scored by Derek Friesen, Cole Martin and Dan Mederios. Assists were gathered by Mederios, Kyle Phibbs, Travis Bell, Matt Rimac, Bailey Fletcher and Derek Low.
The Hawks kept pressing and by the end of the second frame had the game in the bag after goals by Fletcher, Friesen and Mitch Green who scored on a powerplay. Mederios, Fletcher, Brayden Hill and Cole Martin assisted.
It was now only a matter of preserving Dorenzio’s well earned shut out and the Hagersville defense kept the Sailors to 9 third period shots while Hagersville was pumping 17 of their own towards shots towards Horia Lucaciu and Justin McSpadden who shared the duties in the Port Dover net.
Rimac accounted for the only third period goal, scored on a powerplay from Jacob Solomon and Friesen.
Fortunately for the Hawk’s they have a very solid penalty-killing unit who fended of all seven shorthanded situations with players in the penalty box. At the same time, their Powerplay connected twice on their seven chances.
The Hawks were coming off a 5-4, OT loss against the second place Glanbrook Rangers from last Wednesday, and a 3-2 loss to Niagara Thursday.
It took a lot of work to earn the single point Wednesday as the Rangers opened strong with a 3-1 first period lead. Mederios opened the score on a Hagersville powerplay at 1:03 but Glanbrook’s Brad Paris, Noah Matteson and Aaron Smith.
The Rangers owned the momentum throughout the first 20 minutes, outshooting Hagersville, 11-7.
The Hawks rallied in the second period with powerplay goals by Martin and Green, two of the four Six Nations players in the Hagersville lineup. Glanbrook’s Garnet Batrynchuk sandwiched a Ranger powerplay goal in between them to stay one goal ahead with 20 minutes remaining in regulation time.
Both teams worked hard in the third but at 5:11, Dan Medeiros evened the score at 4-4. Neither team was able to crack the tie by the end of regulation time, so that meant a sudden death OT period would determine the winner.
The Rangers’ game winner came at 4:20 of sudden death scored by Chris Haigh from Curtis Edwards and Chad Carey.
Thursday night The Hawks and the Niagara Riverhawks stayed neck-and-neck throughout most of the game. It was 1-1 after 20 minutes and 2-2 after two periods, but that would be all Hagersville could manage.
After Niagara’s Alex Cipriano gave the Riverhawks the 3-2 lead at 42 seconds, Niagara closed the door the rest of the way and the one goal lead stood up as the game winner.
Hagersville will play host to the Dundas Blues on Saturday, Nov. 1st, at 7:30 before traveling to Grimsby in what could be a clash of the first place contenders at 7:30. Then, on Wednesday, they will get a chance for a little retribution when they visit the Glanbrook Rangers.
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