Lincolns start pre-season with three victories
Pat Payton St. Marys Lincolns opened their six-game, pre-season schedule with three wins on back-to-back nights this past weekend.
Even with no points at stake, that record would be enough to make most coaching staffs happy. However, the Lincs’ brass was most pleased with how the team accomplished those victories.
“It’s always nice to win, but I liked what I saw again tonight,” coach Merlin Malinowski said Sunday night after Lincolns skated to a 4-2 win over Listowel Cyclones at the Pyramid Recreation Centre.
“I like the toughness of our hockey team, I like our size up front, and I like the work ethic—both up front and at the back end, too.
“Now, we just have find out who works well with who, and try and find those good combinations. That will be our job right through to Sept. 12 (the start of the WOHL regular schedule).
“I really like our team. It seems to have a little bit of everything . . . a well-balanced squad,” Malinowski added.
At the PRC Saturday night, three goals by veteran forward Brenton Kemp, 20, sparked Lincolns to a 4-3 victory over league rival London Nationals.
In Stratford the previous night, Lincolns kicked off their exhibition schedule with an exciting 3-2 overtime victory over the Midwestern League Cullitons.
Lincolns 4 - Cyclones 2
At the Pyramid Centre Sunday evening, the veteran forwards did the offensive damage for the Lincolns against Listowel.
Second-year centre Curtis Logan scored twice and assisted on another. Linemates Jamie Commerford and Dan Ryan each clicked for a goal and an assist, and Brenton Kemp capped off a fine weekend with a pair of assists.
“We showed a lot of speed up front, and a lot of good transition,” assistant coach Jamie Baker noted. “We’re only a couple of games in, and guys are trying to get used to playing with different guys, but everyone was doing well out there tonight.”
First-period goals by Commerford and Logan staked Lincs to a 2-0 lead.
After a St. Marys goal was waved off at 7:48 of the middle frame, Eric McClure put Cyclones on the board with a nice tip-in goal at 9:08.
Less than a minute later, Logan restored a two-goal advantage when he slipped the puck through goaltender Jamie Prigoni’s legs.
Mike Villamere pulled Listowel to within a goal again, connecting with a high shot at the 18:52 mark of the period.
Ryan gave Lincolns an insurance marker at 5:41 of the third after being neatly set-up at the corner of the net by Commerford.
Trevor Pearce and newly-signed Jesse Raymond split the goaltending duties for St. Marys. Overall, Lincs out-shot Cyclones 31-16, including 14-5 in the opening 20 minutes.
It was the first pre-season game for Listowel.
Lincolns 4 - Nationals 3
In St. Marys Saturday night, Kemp—a former National—scored twice in the final seven minutes, including the winner with 3:40 left on the clock.
Lincolns led 2-1 going into the third, but Nationals grabbed a 3-2 edge before the period was nine minutes old. Kemp tied it at 13:17, and then potted the winner just over three minutes later.
Centre Jamie Nelson added a goal and assisted on Kemp’s winner, while Tom Jobson contributed a pair of assists.
Steve Stanza had a goal and an assist for London, which connected twice on powerplays.
“Everyone competed very well, and we had four 1992s (16-year-olds) in the line-up up front and they showed well,” Lincs’ assistant Paul Petrie reported. “And the goaltenders played well again.
“There’s a reason you play exhibition games. There’s kids who show you that they can play and there’s kids who show you that they can’t play. Unfortunately, two or three kids showed that they can’t play in this league.”
Lincolns 3 - Cullitons 2 (Overtime)
In front of an estimated 800 fans Friday night at Stratford’s RBC arena, hard-working Jamie Nelson fired the winner with just 4.2 seconds remaining in a five-minute overtime period.
After Kyle Provily helped create a turnover in the centre-ice area, Nelson beat Cullitons’ goalie Braden Van Nynatten with a low wrist shot between the legs.
Nelson, a Stratford native, may have been Lincolns’ best player on this night.
The two Perth County teams gave the fans their money’s worth. It was a fast-paced affair, featuring good goaltending and lots of tough, physical play along the boards.
“I thought we competed well,” said assistant Jamie Baker, who ran the Lincs’ bench along with goalie coach Mark Nelson.
“We still have kids who are trying to make this hockey club, but even the veterans were all out there working hard tonight and wanting to win. Every guy on that bench wanted to compete hard and wanted to win. I think it showed.”
The teams traded first-period goals. Lincolns’ forward Brett Catto opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 8:18. On the same powerplay 40 seconds later, Stratford defenceman Tyson Avery tied it with a shot from the point.
The highlight of a scoreless second period was a wild scrap between Avery and Lincs’ forward Kevin McLelland, who played football for the Western Mustangs last year.
Lincolns went up 2-1 just 50 seconds into the third period when Provily tipped home a shot on a powerplay. Assists went to Nelson and defenceman Tyler Bryson.
Cullitons tied it with 7:24 remaining when captain Mitch Good connected on a powerplay. Pat Looby earned his second assist of the night on the goal.
After killing off a 5-on-3 Stratford powerplay early in OT, Lincs dominated the remainder of the extra period—out-shooting the home team 10-4.
Overall, Lincolns out-shot the Cullitons 45-38. Trevor Pearce and Jesse Raymond handled the goaltending chores for St. Marys.
“I said last night, St. Marys is going to come in here and it’s going to be a good game and it was,” Cullitons’ coach Phil Westman said.
“These teams have a close rivalry, and the players all know each other. Both teams worked hard tonight.”
Pre-season notes:
•In last Friday night’s game in Stratford, Cullitons dressed seven returnees and the Lincolns six.
•Lincs dressed six returnees as well in both the Saturday and Sunday games.
•Sunday’s game in St. Marys was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2, but moved to Aug. 24 to accommodate Listowel’s wishes.
•Lincolns and Cullitons had a rematch last night (Aug. 26) in St. Marys. The teams play an interlocking regular-season game—which counts in the standings—on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at the PRC.
•Lincs’ next pre-season game is this Friday, Aug. 29 in Listowel, starting at 7:30 p.m.