Carmeuse Lime Ltd was on their game Thursday night at the
North Middlesex Ilderton Arena, where they shutout the hometown Jets, 8-0. Carmeuse captain, #15 Dawson Kays, assisted
by #9 Ryan Cooper (A) and #7 Tyler Arts, registered the first goal at 9:38 of
the first period. Arts would later lend
his services to #6 Eric Savoie who made the score 2-0 at 2:22.
Carmeuse looked right at home on Ilderton’s large ice surface, orchestrating passes which were accompanied by absolute stick handling, which, at times, made the puck appear to be part of the shell game. Opposition players could only guess where the puck would next appear. As the clock started to count down the last four minutes of the period, Ilderton was in control of the puck in the Carmeuse end, but not for long. The shell 
game resumed and Arts, accompanied by two Jets, made his way to the Ilderton end. Arts would brilliantly stay with the puck as he jumped through the two defenders, just in front of the net. He would not score. Seconds later, the Jets would take possession of the puck and make a visit to Carmeuse net-minder, #30 Ryan Calder, who followed with brilliance of his own, flipping in the net to make a save that will not soon be forgotten. With the puck in play, Carmeuse #14 Ben Jentz would capably put the puck on the sick of #18 Bram O’Connor who made the score 3-0 at 3:33. At 1:54, #5 Riley Jayne, assisted by #3 Jacob Branderhorst and #10 Aaron Lonsberry (A), went bar down. With just seventeen seconds left in the period, the Carmeuse powerplay would have opportunity when an Ilderton player was called for elbowing, the first penalty of the game.
The Carmeuse powerplay was a wonder to behold as the players maintained their focus, accompanied by the patient discipline this team is no known for. Precision passing kept the Ilderton defense busy and the Ilderton net-minder wondering when and where the shot would come from. It was the shell game all over and the arena fell silent as fans from both centres watched. At 14:00, Savoie, assisted by Arts and Kays, exposed which shell the puck was under. Less than a minute later, Carmeuse defenseman, #2 Tucker Forbes, expeditiously passed the puck to Jentz who was waiting on the doorstep of the Ilderton net. At 13:19, Carmeuse held a commanding 6-0 lead.
The Ilderton powerplay would finally get an opportunity at 8:18 when the referee’s whistle sounded. Jentz was called for head contact. The Carmeuse penalty kill would be tested for four minutes. The score was unchanged as Jentz stepped back on the ice at 4:18. Just a little over two minutes later, at 2:00, the final penalties of the game would be called, when Carmeuse net-minder took offense to an Ilderton player making himself at home in his crease. The Ilderton player was given two minutes for interference and Calder was given two minutes for roughing. Fourteen seconds later, Savoie, assisted by Arts and Forbes, scored his third of the night at 1:36. (Savoie’s second hat trick this season.) With just twenty-two seconds remaining Cooper, assisted by Jentz and Branderhorst, made the score 8-0.
Hockey is a team game and Carmeuse Lime Ltd proves this each and every time they step on the ice. Each player knows his role, yet there are times their efforts are not recorded on the game sheet. On Thursday night in Ilderton, three hardworking defensemen, #8 Nick Likins, #16 Brock Swain and #19 Jack VanEgdom didn’t have their names written on the game sheet, but their efforts were not unnoticed.
On a bigger scale, you can see how important the team game is to Carmeuse as you view the stats to date.
Carmeuse travels to Port Stanley Monday night where they face-off against the Jr Sailors at 8:20.