News

Port Stanley Sailors knew they’d be in tough against perennial contenders Exeter Hawks Saturday night what with injuries and illnesses.
Head coach/GM Dale Howard took note of his depleted lineup and installed the infamous neutral zone trap before the game, diagramming it in the dressing room on a whiteboard. It’s a tactic of defensive-minded teams who opt not to play run ’n’ gun against superior firepower.
Gone was the choking forecheck, the contested outlet pass. Instead, jamming up the neutral zone was the goal.
Speaking of goals, the Sailors didn’t score any, except for the one that was waved off as it was kicked into the net. Exeter scored eight goals on 58 shots.
Howard marvelled at his players’ upbeat attitude after the game. They appear to have finally, totally bought into the installed systems. They talked postgame of how they played the Hawks even-up for large swatches of the game, and only ran into trouble when they wandered from the path.
And who was the best Sailor on the night? ‘They all were,’ said Howard. ‘They all did well.’
Next up for Sailors is the Two Leagues Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. in Strathroy at the West Middlesex Arena, versus Mount Brydges Bulldogs. It is a home game.
A single admission also gets you into a Junior B contest between LaSalle Vipers and Strathroy Rockets, at 7:30 p.m. Two minor games are on the bill, starting at 12:30 p.m.