Kingston Clinches Playoff Spot Beating Sarnia 4-1
By Carl Chimenti
The Kingston Frontenacs scored all the goals they would need in the first nine minutes and later would add two more, one on an empty net goal in the final period, as they handed Sarnia a 4-1 loss before another large and faithful crowd of 4,339, Sunday afternoon, at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
Nick Surzycia did all he could for the Sting, allowing three goals, while making a total of 23 saves on 26 shots. Tyson Doucette extended his point streak to three games (2-2-4) scoring the only Sting goal on the power-play, in the first period. Doucette was selected as the third star, scoring his team leading 22nd goal of the season. Cooper Way and Lukas Fischer assisted on the lone goal.
Paul Ludwinski’s (Chicago Black Hawks), first period goal proved to be the game winner, as the Frontenacs clinched a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the win. Ludwinski was named as the first star. Jax Dubois scored twice, including an empty net goal and was the second star for Kingston. The Frontenacs out-shot the Sting 27-17, but Sarnia was better on the draw, in the face-off circle 27-25. On the power-play Sarnia went 1/3 and the Frontenacs scored once on four chances.
The Sunday afternoon Matinee was the first of three straight home games for Sarnia at the Hive. The next home game will be Wednesday night, against the Mississauga Steelheads, with puck drop at 7:05pm.
Goals came quick in the first ten minutes of the opening period. Kingston scored twice, with the first coming at 6:20, an even strength goal from Dubois from Luke McNamara and Maleek McGowan. Ludwinski made it 2-0 at 8:22 on the power-play from both Roman Schmidt (Tampa Bay Lightning) and goaltender Mason Vaccari. Sarnia came back with a power-play goal of their own at 9:40.
Doucette picked up the puck off the back boards and his forward motion with the puck hit a Kingston player, which deflected into the net. Way and Fischer assisted on the goal. The second half of the period settled into a defensive battle with no further scoring. The Frontenacs out-shot the Sting 9-3. The second period was scoreless, with Sarnia having the better of it on the shot clock with an 8-7 margin. Surzyciz made the save of the period with less than two minutes remaining stopping Gabriel Frasca from in close. Both teams had a number of man-advantages as Sarnia went 0/2 and Kingston 0/1.
