A three goal second period was all the Shooter’s Photography
Midget LL team needed on Monday night as they bounced the Port Dover Pirates 3 –
1 in a spirited match up.
After a scoreless first period where Ingersoll failed to score on some creative play making throughout, the home side would turn it on in the second. Early in the period Max Branderhorst found an open Tyler Bergman at the side of the net but Bergman’s shot just missed. The Express would get on the board with 6:49 left when Daniel Pullen’s shot beat the Pirate goalie but rang off the post. The puck came out to the other side of the net where an unchecked Dylan Daltrey slid the puck in for the early lead.
Shortly after Brendan Aarts was set up nicely by Alex Schuett but his shot hit the post behind the Port Dover goalie. Two and a half minutes after opening the scoring the Express would get their second of the game when Aarts found Branderhorst in the Pirate zone. Branderhorst fed the puck to Schuett who was trying to send a pass back to Branderhorst on a give and go, but Schuett’s pass was deflected by a Pirate defenseman and re-directed between the legs of the goalie and into the net. Just over a minute later Matt Molnar would take a nice feed from Branderhorst and extend the Ingersoll lead to 3. Late in the period Molnar would make an end to end rush only to see his shot slide through the Port Dover crease behind the goalie.
Molnar could have had a potential hat trick in the game but his effort in the third period where he undressed to visitors went off the post again. The visitors would get one back in the third but that’s all they could manage and their frustrations would soon get the better of them. Both teams would take four minor penalties in the final period as the referees tried to keep the game under control but as the final buzzer went the Pirate players couldn't control their emotions forcing the Express to defend themselves. Both teams were chippy after the buzzer and a Pirate cross check led to a little dancefest that was soon joined by a Port Dover player coming off the bench and charging an Ingersoll player from behind. Both teams were assessed a couple of major penalties and game misconducts for the festivities with the visitors earning a couple of extra misconducts.
Ingersoll is in action again on Friday Feb. 7 when they visit the Paris #3 Wolf pack.