Jan 23, 2018 | dosmond | 482 views
01.20.2018 Bantam AE Thamesford Pizza (2) @ Ayr Flames(4)
The Bantam AE rep squad took on the Ayr Flames Saturday night in Ayr to start off the second half of the Southern Counties schedule and fell 4-2.
Despite a solid start to the game, a couple of defensive lapses saw the home team score three first period goals in less than three minutes.
The Express started the game off well with a control in the offensive zone and generating a couple of scoring opportunities forcing the Flames to stop play in their own zone. On the ensuing faceoff an Ayr defender picked up the puck in his own zone and skated to the outside entering the Express zone. A hard cut towards the net gave the home side a clear path to the net and the shot beat goalie Dawson Sharpe on the blocker side.
This seemed to take the early momentum away from the Express and Ayr would capitalize again on another individual effort as the Ayr forward danced through the Express and snapped a shot glove side. The third goal of the period would come on a fluke play as the home side would gain control of the puck in the corner of the Ingersoll end below the goal line. The puck was blindly fired out in front of the Express net and somehow found a path between Sharpe's pads and into the back of the net.
The Express would manage to get back under control for the second half of the first and managed to generate some opportunities in the second period but could not capitalize on five powerplay opportunities in the second and saw the game heading into the third trailing 3-0.
The Express would get back in the game halfway through the third period as forward Matt Overreem would score to unassisted goals in a 1:41 span to cut the lead to 3-2. But the Flames would add another goal with 4:55 left in the game to round out the scoring.
GAME STATS:
GOALS: Matt Overreem (2)
Assists:
Powerplay: 0 for 7
Penalty Kill: 5 for 5.