Wingham Ironmen in fifth after COVID-19 policy 'error'

BY DENNY SCOTT

Before even taking to the ice over the weekend, the Wingham Ironmen dropped two spots in the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) North Pollock Division due to what’s being reported as an administrative error.

Blackburn News is reporting that the PJHL has stripped the Ironmen of three wins from December due to the team using an ineligible player based on the league’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.

According to Blackburn News, the Ironmen were investigated for six games in December and had to forfeit three wins due to the infraction, including a Dec. 10 win versus Kincardine, a Dec. 12 win versus Walkerton and a win versus Goderich on Dec. 19. In each case, the Ironmen will be on the wrong side of a 5-0 decision due to the situation.

Citing a release from the team, Blackburn News is reporting the issue was an “administrative error” and declined to provide the identity of the player.

The change in standings happened before the team fell to the Mount Forest Patriots 4-2 in Wingham on Sunday.
The Ironmen are now in fifth place with 27 points, trailing the Kincardine Bulldogs with 31 points and the Patriots with 33 points. The Hanover Barons (49 points) and the Mitchell Hawks (47) lead the division.

MOUNT FOREST 4, WINGHAM 2
The Mount Forest Patriots visited Wingham on Sunday and, after outshooting the home team 23-15, posted a 4-2 win over the Ironmen.

After a nearly scoreless first period, the Patriots’ Caleb Cribbin scored a goal assisted by Kyle Kuznik with less than three minutes to go in the first. Wingham’s Evan Visser responded with an unassisted marker with just over one minute remaining.
In the second period, Darcy Winkler single-handedly gave the Patriots a 3-1 lead, scoring the only two goals of the period. The first marker was a powerplay goal assisted by Cribbin and Christopher Prucha, while the second was an even-strength effort with assists going to Prucha and Cribbin.

Wingham’s Visser scored the first marker of the third, netting an unassisted goal, while Cribbin scored his second of the game with less than 30 seconds left. The final goal of the game was an empty-net, unassisted marker.

Mount Forest’s Joshua Peters earned the win in net, stopping 13 of 15 shots while Wingham’s Devon Carson stopped 19 of 22.
The game was a relatively calm affair, as far as penalties were concerned, with Carter Ryan of the Patriots earning his team’s only penalty with a two-minute cross-checking call in the first period. Wingham’s Matt Tolton subsequently served a two-minute boarding penalty.

In the second period, Wingham served two penalties, a two-minute cross-checking infraction assessed to Dana Smith and a two-minute slashing penalty to David Kozak. There were no penalties in the third period.

The Ironmen will take on Kincardine in a home-and-away series on the weekend. On Friday, Feb. 25, the Ironmen will host the Bulldogs then on Feb. 26, the Ironmen will travel to the Davidson Centre in Kincardine. In their last three match-ups, the Ironmen posted two wins and a tie with the Bulldogs.

For more information, visit winghamironmen.pjhlon.hockeytech.com.