The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks wrapped up their home schedule on Friday night with a decisive win over the Lucknow Lancers.
The game started off without much flow, which could be excused as the Winterhawks faced off against the 13th-place Lancers.
Eric Peicheff made several saves early on in the Winterhawks net, while the ‘Hawks tested Lucknow starter Branden Bean.
As the Winterhawks got into a rhythm, the chances came more frequently, and Jamie Shoemaker put the Winterhawks on the board at 11:16 of the 1st, snapping a wrist shot past Bean to make it 1-0.
James McHaig and Jay Thomson picked up assists on Shoemaker’s marker.
A Lord Elgin Fish & Chips power play followed late in the period, and Josh Deyell fed a point shot through a crowd, which was tipped by Mike Rocca past Bean to make it 2-0, with Shoemaker also assisting.
The Winterhawks carried the 2-0 lead to the 2nd period, after outshooting Lucknow 9-8 in the opening frame.
Momentum continued to shift the Winterhawks way in the 2nd, with Theo Peckham springing Andy Mitchell on a breakaway, and Mitchell made no mistake, beating Bean to make it 3-0, with Josh Hopkin also assisting.
The Winterhawks dominated Lucknow in the 2nd period, outshooting the Lancers 15-6, but could only get the one puck past Bean, leaving the score 3-0 after two.
Little doubt was left as to the outcome of the game as the Winterhawks pulled away with authority early in the 3rd.
Connor Patton struck 1:15 into the 3rd, with assists to Greg Thede and Bryan Kazarian, followed by a shorthanded marker by Blake Underwood at 2:36, assisted by Peckham and Trent Hawke, giving the Winterhawks a 5-0 lead.
Lucknow erased Peicheff’s shutout bid just moments later on the power play, as Tyler Ryan picked up a rebound at the side of the net for a tap-in to get Lucknow on the board.
Another Lucknow power play with just under three minutes to play made it a 5-2 game, but Underwood added one with 12-seconds remaining to make it a 6-2 final, with Matt Shields and Hawke assisting.
Peicheff made 17 saves in the Winterhawks net for the win, while the Winterhawks directed 32 shots on the Lucknow net.
Peckham picked up The Wismer House Player of the Game honours with two assists, as the Winterhawks improved to 15-4-0 on the season.
The Winterhawks head out on the road tonight [Saturday] for a trip to Elora to face the Rocks for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
A win would clinch no worse than 3rd place for the Winterhawks, who enter play tied for 3rd with Shelburne and Seaforth at 30 points, two points back of Clinton and Ripley, who are tied for 1st place at 32 points.
