Panthers Split Pair of Weekend Games
The Pelham Panthers split a pair of games this weekend, defeating the Caledon Bombers (1-21-0-0) 5-0 on the road before falling at home to the Fort Erie Meteors (15-5-1-0) 3-0. Following the weekend, the Panthers now sit with an 6-13-4-0 record.
Panthers vs Bombers
After the Panthers failed to take advantage of a pair of power plays early in the period, the Panthers were sent to their third power play of the period at 19:01 of the first. This time the Panthers would convert after Owen Hunks would beat Caledon netminder Nolan Godfrey for a buzzer-beating goal with only a second left in the period. With the goal, Hunks would tie Dylan Leslie for team lead in points. In the second period, Sean Short would find the back of the net in his first game back to make it a 2 goal game at 12:21 of the period. Early in the third, it was Ty Boone who would tally at 3:49 to open the game up to a 3-0 lead for the Panthers. The floodgates would then open later in the period. Short would bury his second of the night 12:11 shortly before Ryan Wercholaz would score an unassisted marker at 13:38 chasing Godfrey from the Caledon net. In the closing minutes of the game, Pelham would protect the 5 goal lead, including killing off a 4 minute penalty kill to secure a 5-0 victory and a 30 save shutout for Pelham keeper Logan Snyder. With the win the Panthers would record their first road win and first consecutive victories on the season.
Panthers vs Meteors
The Panthers would return home the following day for their annual Teddy Bear Toss game in front of a season high of 430 fans. After a tight first period, the Meteors would open the scoring with a power play marker at 16:11. The Meteors would again score 1:38 into the second frame to make it a 2-0 game. The game would take a physical turn with a heated scrum involving Panthers captain Antonino Pugliese and former teammate and Meteors captain Rylan Masterson near the game’s midpoint. Despite the Panthers best efforts, the Meteors would play an effective defensive game the rest of the way, shutting down the Panthers in the process. Fort Erie would seal the victory with an empty net goal at 19:01 of the third. Logan Snyder turned away 25 of the 27 shots he faced in net for the Panthers. After the game, fans donated an impressive 8 bags of teddy bears to Pelham Cares in partnership with the Pelham Fire Department.
This week the Panthers travel up the QEW to face the Hamilton Kilty B’s at the Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena on Thursday November 28th at 7:07 pm. The following week, the Panthers will participate in the Annual GOJHL Showcase being hosted at the Haldimand County Caledonia Centre in Caledonia. The Panthers face the Elmira Sugar Kings on Saturday, December 7th at 10:30 am, and will take on the Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins on Sunday, December 8th at 7:30 pm. The next time the Panthers play at home at the Meridian Community Centre is on Sunday December 15th at 2:45 pm against the Fort Erie Meteors.
