Clinton Radars post two wins over the weekend to move into third place

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

The Clinton Radars have posted another two-win weekend - just their second of the young season - and it all began with a thrilling 8-7 shootout victory over the Fergus Whalers on Friday night in Clinton.

 

The come-from-behind effort began after the Whalers scored the first three goals of the game, starting with a Justin Ewald goal just over two minutes into the first period, assisted by Joey Martin and Nathan Boyle. 

 

Ryerson Doucette then followed with a pair of goals. First he scored with 11:12 left in the first, assisted by Justin Ewald, and then he scored an unassisted goal just before the halfway mark of the period.

 

Nathan Bloemberg then attempted to jump-start the Clinton comeback with a goal at 13:46 of the first, assisted by Kingston Powell and Erick Gulutzen, but Peyton Trott earned the three-goal advantage back less than a minute later, assisted by Justin Ewald.

 

In the second period, the Radars came out flying. Erick Gulutzen scored a power play goal just over two minutes into the period, assisted by Teegan Middleton and Kingston Powell, followed by a Sawyer Olmstead goal under 30 seconds later, assisted by Evan Denunzio and Rodney Ansley, and another Olmstead marker just over six-and-a-half minutes into the period, assisted by Ansley and Trenton Walker, to tie the game.

 

Ryan Forwell earned the lead back for the Whalers with a goal at 12:38 of the period, assisted by Jakob Jackson and Mitchell Krasovec, but the Radars then scored two straight to realize their first lead of the game.

 

Nathan Bloemberg scored his second goal of the game with 5:47 left in the second, assisted by Keaton Middleton and Erick Gulutzen, followed by an unassisted Denver Mason goal with 2:43 left in the second to give Clinton the lead.

 

In the third, the Whalers scored the next two goals to wrestle back the lead. Justin Ewald scored his second goal of the game just under five minutes into the period, assisted by Owen McCambridge, followed by a Joey Martin goal with just 3:39 left in the third, assisted by Mitchell Krasovec. But it was Keaton Middleton who scored with just 33 seconds left in the game to tie it at seven, assisted by Kingston Powell.

 

With nothing being settled in the overtime period, the game headed to a shootout. 

 

Owen McCambridge of the Whalers was stopped on his first shot, while Clinton’s Jack O’Donnell scored. In the second round, Mitchell Krasovec scored for the Whalers and Denver Mason was stopped for the Radars, pulling the teams even. Joey Martin was then stopped for the Whalers and Nathan Bloemberg scored in the third round, winning the game for Clinton and handing the Whalers just their second loss of the season.

 

Jack Dalrymple played for just over nine-and-a-half minutes in the Clinton net, but, after giving up three goals in that time, he was replaced with Greyson Roth, who played the rest of the game, earning the win for the Radars. Noah Lundgren was handed the loss for the Whalers, stopping 27 of the 34 shots he faced.

 

The next day in Mount Forest, the Radars handed the Patriots a 5-4 defeat.

 

Kingston Powell opened the scoring for Clinton with 4:09 left in the first, assisted by Teegan Middleton and Jack O’Donnell, followed by a Patriots’ goal with 1:51 left in the first, scored by Leighton Hurst and assisted by Brett Warrilow and Nathan Graf.
The Radars then scored three straight goals, beginning with an Evan Denunzio marker with 23 seconds left in the first, assisted by Sawyer Olmstead and Beckett Graham. Wyatt Connelly then scored at 13:45 of the second, assisted by Nathan Bloemberg, followed by a second Denunzio goal, also assisted by Olmstead, with 5:47 left in the second.

 

The Patriots then fought back with two straight goals. First, Jaxon Gawel scored with 3:39 left in the second, assisted by Nathaniel Gibbons and Ian Speiran, followed by a Matthew McLellan goal with just 54 seconds left in the period, assisted by Nathan Graf.
The teams then traded goals in the third, leaving Mount Forest one short when the final horn sounded. Keaton Middleton scored just over seven minutes into the third, assisted by Sawyer Olmstead and Denver Mason, for the Radars and then Matthew McLellan scored for the Patriots - his second of the game - assisted by Logan McLeod and Nathan Graf with 7:49 left in the third, but it was not enough.

 

Greyson Roth won the game in the Clinton net, stopping 40 of the 44 shots he faced, while Jacob Fluney stopped 22 of the 27 shots he faced in the Mount Forest net for the loss.

 

In the North Pollock Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League, the Fergus Whalers remain on top with 32 points and a record of 15 wins, one overtime loss and one shootout loss. The Hanover Barons are in second with 12 wins, three losses and one tie (25 points), followed by the Radars, who have climbed into third place with 23 points and a record of 10 wins, five losses, two overtime losses and one shootout loss.

 

The Mitchell Hawks have nine wins, eight losses, one overtime loss and one shootout loss (20 points) in fourth place, followed by the Walkerton Capitals in fifth with 18 points and a record of eight wins, seven losses and two overtime losses, the sixth-place Wingham Ironmen with five wins, 10 losses, one overtime loss, one shootout loss (12 points), the Mount Forest Patriots in seventh place with 11 points and a record of four wins, seven losses, two overtime losses and one shootout loss, and the last-place Kincardine Bulldogs with eight points and a record of four wins and 12 losses.

 

This weekend, the Radars only play once. They will host the Kincardine Bulldogs tonight - Friday, Nov. 6 - in Clinton.