New Tecumseth Civics goalie TJ Sherwood dives for a puck with Knights of Meaford forward Justin Pereira in close.
The Knights of Meaford put their recent three-game losing streak behind them with a solid 5-3 win over the New Tecumseth Civics on Thursday night at the arena.
The Knights carried a 1-0 lead into the second period, fell behind 2-1 and then rallied to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. Meaford made it 4-2 in the third, before the Civics scored with their net empty late in the period. An empty netter for Meaford with just a few seconds left on the clock iced the win.
“That was a good character win for the guys tonight,” Assistant Coach Dean Martin said after the game. “We had a three-game losing streak we wanted to snap. It was a good battle.”
Jason Stone had two goals in the game. Skylar Robertson and Eric Lowry each had a goal an assist. Chase Lewis had the other Meaford goal. Mitchell Bolduc had two assists. Single helpers went to Tyler Strutz, Will Vernon, Niko Walsh, Connor Long and David Hooper.
Martin said the key to the win was how the team reacted after falling behind 2-1 in the second period, despite playing well at the time.
“The guys didn’t deflate. They responded well, we got the equalizer and then it was nice to play with the lead,” he said.
Goaltender Maris Saulgriezis was strong in the win. The victory gives the Knights a record of 15 wins, eight losses and three overtime/shootout losses for a total of 33 points. The team doesn’t get much rest this week. The Knights are back in action on Friday, December 8 with a road game against the Almaguin Spartans.
The Knights then travel to Port Colborne on December 12 for the GMHL’s annual Showcase event. The team will play two games that day. They take on the Bradford Bulls at 11 a.m. and at 3 p.m. they play the St. George Ravens.