They say a first impression is everything, and two Saugeen Shores Winterhawks newcomers certainly made a good first impression on Friday night at The Plex.
Chad Jones and Hunter Dubecki each scored in their debut game for the Winterhawks, en route to an 8-1 victory over the visiting Shelburne Muskies.
Dubecki opened the scoring 6:02 into the game, streaking to the front of the net and taking a feed from Justin Donnelly for the one-timer goal to make it 1-0, with Josh Deyell also assisting.
The Winterhawks extended the lead to 2-0 at 15:52 of the first, when Josh Hopkin took the puck on a coast-to-coast dash that ended with him tucking the puck around Muskies netminder Malcolm Young.
Shelburne answered back shortly after on the power play to cut the lead to 2-1 after one period of play.
The Winterhawks cut off any Shelburne momentum early in the second period, with Jones unleashing a big slap shot at 1:42 of the second, with assist to Matt Shields.
Jamie Shoemaker added a goal just over a minute later to make it a 4-1 game, as Justin Marlowe worked the puck into the crease, where Shoemaker flipped the rebound up and over Young.
The power play stepped in late in the second period for what would turn out to be their only chance with the man advantage, with Michael Johnstone burying the loose puck in the crease after Lauchlin Elder tucked the puck around Young from the side of the net.
The third continued on the same trajectory, with the Winterhawks pouncing early.
An opening shift full of pressure resulted in a rebound coming out to Brock Pinnell, who deposited the puck past a helpless Young to make it 6-1, with assists to Jay Thomson and James McHaig.
The onslaught continued with Donnelly making it 7-1 at 7:04, with assists to Jones and Mike Fiegehen.
Miles MacLean rounded out the scoring from Shields and Pinnell to make it an 8-1 final for the Winterhawks.
Jeff Flagler wasn't overly busy, but was sharp when called upon, making 26 saves for the win in goal, while the Winterhawks directed 48 shots at the Muskie net.
Jones was named The Wismer House Player of the Game with the goal and assist in his Winterhawks debut.
The win improves the Winterhawks to 6-3-1 on the season, they are off for the rest of the weekend and will return for two road games next weekend.
They head down Highway 21 to Petrolia on Friday night, December 3rd, followed by their first-ever trip to Creemore the following night, Saturday December 4th.
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