Dec 05, 2011 | Dan Culbert | 397 views
Third Period Not Enough
Playing a solid third period will win most games, but in the case of Sunday's Contractors Rental Supply Midgets game in London after being out worked for the first two it was not enough. For the third time this season, the 99ers fell to a team below them in the standings by allowing themselves to be out hustled in a 5-4 loss to the last place Oakridge Aeros.
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The team was in trouble from the drop of the puck and struggled to keep Oakridge off the board for the first 10 minutes of the first before getting their legs and finally killing off the only penalty of the period. The best chance for Brantford came when Mike Gotkowski was sent in alone but failed to get a shot on net.
As has been the case in all three games against them, the Oakridge team opened the scoring with a powerplay goal less than a minute into the second when a long shot went off the glove of Connor Curtin and trickled over the line. The home team extended the lead to 2-0 when a Brantford forward made a poor effort on a play at the point allowing the defenseman to walk in a fire a shot that found the net to the blocker side of the Brantford goalie. The 99ers cut the lead to 2-1 less than a minute later when Larry Hill hit Dakota Culbert cutting through the middle and he out raced the defense to score on the breakaway as his shot was partially stopped but somehow found it's way through the Oakridge goalie. The momentum was short lived as the Aeros answered back two minutes later after a Brantford player turned the puck over on the boards and then allowed the defenseman to walk into the slot. Curtin made the stop, but the rebound was left for a wide open Oakridge forward to slip it into the open net. Brantford had several chances to cut into the lead exchanging chances first with a shift of sustained pressure with 3 or 4 good opportunities, but then gave up a breakaway as a pinching defenseman was trapped and again on the resulting powerplay, a Ray Munro shorthanded breakaway, provided a chance but when he made his move, he was unable to get a shot on net.
As mentioned, the team put forth a solid effort in the third but found itself chasing the Aeros all the way, and never quite able to pull even. Culbert scored his second just 25 seconds into the period banging in a rebound of a Hill shot, but this was equalled on the next shift when an Oakridge forward beat two Brantford players in a battle below the goalline and then was able to jam in a wrap around. The 99ers continued to press, having several chances and were rewarded when Andrew Lombardi scored on a jam play after a rush by Blaise Burtnick gained the zone and Gotkowski was able to poke the puck free. On the next shift Culbert stole the puck at centre and broke in alone looking to tie the score, only to lose the puck on his deke and hit the side of the net. Then the following shift Oakridge answered back to extend their lead to 5-3 when a player was left all alone in front to score from the right side of the slot. To their credit, the 99ers didn't give up and for the fourth time cut the lead to a goal when Gotkowski scored with assists going to Burtnick and Tyler Schaeffer. The 99ers pulled their goalie in the last minute, but even after Oakridge took a penalty with 20 seconds to go, the face-off was outside the line and there was no sustained pressure as the clock ran out.