Dec 03, 2023 | Winterhawks News | 670 views
Hawks Bounce Back in Durham
The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks salvaged a weekend split by going into Durham on Saturday and taking it to the Thundercats.
The Winterhawks took control early against their longtime rivals, though it took until the third period to pull away with a 5-1 win.
Justin Marlowe opened the scoring 12:47 into the first period on a goal assisted by Jordan Vanhaelemeesch, though Durham answered back to make it a 1-1 game after one period, despite the Winterhawks holding an 18-6 shot advantage.
Mike Fiegehen put the Winterhawks ahead for good early in the second, scoring 57-seconds into the middle frame, with Winterhawks starting netminder Clayton Fritsch picking up the assist.
Durham goalie Brendon Landry kept his team in the game for the rest of the second period, continually turning aside Winterhawks shooters.
Finally, the dam burst in the third period and the Winterhawks put the game away with authority.
Captain Trevor Smith scored two minutes into the final frame, with Dan Zweep and Marlowe assisting to make it 3-1.
Josh Hopkin made it 4-1 just 39-seconds later, with Fritsch picking up his second assist of the game.
Justin Donnelly finished off the scoring at 6:53, from Fiegehen and Matt Shields to give the Winterhawks a 5-1 victory.
Fritsch recorded 23 saves and two assists in the win, while the Winterhawks outshot Durham 42-24.
It was a refreshing victory after a frustrating loss 24 hours earlier at home, when the Minto 81's took a close-checking 2-1 decision at The Plex.
The Winterhawks opened the scoring midway through the first period when Logan Freiburger and Fiegehen forced a Minto turnover in the neutral zone.
The resulting rush sent Fiegehen in behind the 81's defence, but Minto goalie Marc Williams was able to get a piece of the big winger's backhander, however, Matt Shields was johnny-on-the-spot and batted the rebound out of midair into the Minto net.
The Winterhawks appeared to extend their lead late in the first period when Lauchlin Elder fed a centering pass to Trent Hawke, who fired a laser beam over the glove of Williams.
The puck made a loud clank as it hit the net, causing the referee to wave off the goal as he believed the puck had struck the crossbar.
A closer look at the video showed the puck hitting the back bar inside the net, but the call on the ice stood and the Winterhawks instead took a 1-0 lead to the second period.
The Winterhawks held the 81's at bay as neither team was particularly controlling of the close-checking play, but it all unraveled in the span of 15 seconds.
Cole Pellett evened the score for Minto at 14:41 when he picked up a rebound off the pads of Jeff Flagler to make it a 1-1 game.
Minto skated right back into the Winterhawks zone as Brendan Clayton fed a shot through traffic to make it 2-1 Minto at 14:56.
The Winterhawks couldn't get the goal back and that ended the game with a 2-1 final score for Minto.
The win and loss puts the Winterhawks record at 8-4-0 on the season, maintaining their spot in second place in the OEHL standings, though several teams are right on their heels.
One of those clubs is the Creemore Coyotes, who are one point behind the Winterhawks. That sets up a pivotal match-up next Saturday night when the Winterhawks meet up with the Coyotes in Creemore. Game time is 7:30 p.m.