There was nothing getting past Saugeen Shores Winterhawks goalies over the weekend.
Tristan Lewis and Eric Peicheff each posted shutouts as the Winterhawks did not give up a single goal in either game over the weekend.
Lewis made 23 saves on Friday night at The Plex in an 11-0 drubbing of the Lucknow Lancers.
Lewis was feted by his teammates with the ceremonial “rookie lap” during the warmup, as the young goaltender made his Winterhawks debut, and did not disappoint.Mike Fiegehen book-ended the first period, scoring first just three minutes into the game, from Dan Zweep and Luke Pither, then again to finish off the scoring the first, with Andy Mitchell and Justin Donnelly scoring in between to give the Winterhawks a 4-0 lead after one.The onslaught continued in the second period, Curtis Johnston scored off a deflection from Alec Tiley and Andy Fracz to make it 5-0.Chad Jones, Donnelly and Fracz scored to round out the scoring in the second period to make it an 8-0 Winterhawks lead after two.Very little changed in the third period as the Winterhawks scored three more times to complete the rout.Miles MacLean scored at 2:25 from Donnelly and James McHaig to make it 9-0, then Pither from Fiegehen and McHaig to send the score into double digits.Logan Freiburger rounded out the scoring to make it an 11-0 final for the home side.Lewis wasn’t busy, but came up big when called upon for the 23-save shutout in his Winterhawks debut, and was named The Wismer House Player of the Game.History was made as Captain Trevor Smith recorded three assists, improving his career total to 143 points, in the process surpassing Greg Thede as the highest scoring defenceman in Winterhawks’ history.
It was a short turn-around for the Winterhawks who climbed on the bus for Thornbury for an early evening game on Saturday.
Peicheff made 35 saves to backstop the Winterhawks to their second shutout of the weekend, a 3-0 blanking of the Georgian Bay Applekings.The Winterhawks opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game after Logan Freiburger forced a turnover in the neutral zone, springing an odd-man rush the other way.Curtis Johnston fed a pass into the slot to Andy Fracz, who converted for the goal to give the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead.The Winterhawks controlled the play for much of the first period, but Peicheff was called upon to make several big saves to keep the Applekings off the board.Miles MacLean made it a 2-0 game at 13:13 of the first after sustained pressure in the Georgian Bay zone.James McHaig fed a shot from the point that was stopped by Applekings goalie Allan Menary, but MacLean was right there to knock in the rebound. Keegan Angel also assisted on the goal.The physical play ratcheted up in the second period, with Josh Deyell throwing several thundering body checks.The lead was extended to 3-0 just past the midway point of the period when Alec Tiley sprung Dan Zweep and Mike Fiegehen on a 2-on-1 rush.Zweep fed a pass over as Fiegehen drove the net, and Menary made the initial save, but the rebound lay on the goal line for Fiegehen to shovel into the net.Georgian Bay picked up a late power play in the second, but Peicheff again held the Applekings off the board and the Winterhawks carried the 3-0 lead into the third period.The Applekings pushed hard in the third, needing a rally to get back in the game.The Winterhawks did not make life easy for themselves, finding penalty trouble in the final minutes of the game.Georgian Bay had an extended five-on-three advantage, but the penalty killers were up to the task, and Peicheff made several big saves to preserve the shutout and the 3-0 victory.The Winterhawks will return to their second home to conclude the 2023-24 regular season, hosting the first-place Ripley Wolves this Friday night, January 26th, at the Southampton Coliseum.Game time is 8:30 p.m.
