Spitfires Can’t Close Gap

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Jan. 5, 2009.

              The New Year has not been a ‘Happy’ one so far for the Aylmer Spitfires as they lost their first two games in this the new calendar year. Aylmer lost to Norwich on home ice Saturday night 4-3 then came up short in a 5-2 loss versus Simcoe on Sunday night.  The two losses prevented the Spitfires from gaining ground on the two teams ahead of them in the standings. Heading into the weekends games, Aylmer trailed Norwich by four points and Simcoe by three. Aylmer sits alone in third place with 35 points now six back of Norwich and five back of Simcoe.  Not to make excuses, the schedule has not been kind to the Spitfires. After a two-week layoff over the holiday season, the Spits returned to action against two teams that never had a break in game action. Both Simcoe and Norwich had to play against each other two times while Aylmer sat idle at home.

              In the game Saturday night against Norwich, the passing did not appear as crisp as pre-holiday contests for the Spitfires thus affecting their power play and some players seemed winded a lot earlier than normal. With that said, the Spitfires gave a strong effort but still lost 4-3.  Norwich got on the scoreboard first with a power play marker. Two minutes later, a high snap shot to the blocker side of the net by Spitfire forward Tyler DeDecker equaled the score at one.  Norwich replied with two more goals before the period was over to give them a 3-1 lead. Norwich doubled Aylmer in shots on goal in the frame 16-8.  Aylmer native Curt Maracle scored the lone goal in the middle stanza. A defender knocked down a slap shot by defenseman Kyle Simpson and the puck fell at Curt’s feet. He quickly spun around and fired the puck low which surprised the goalie to make the score 3-2 Norwich after two.

              Aylmer was able to tie the game at three after a power play goal by Cassidy North. Defense partner Sean Mullin rushed the puck into the Merchant end and maintained control. Some give-and-go passing between he and Maracle had spread the Norwich defense out leaving North open.  Maracle was able to feed the puck through the Norwich defenders to Cassidy who stepped in from the blue line and rifled the puck over the glove hand of the Norwich goalie and tying the game at threes.  However a minute later, Norwich got the game-winning goal on a dump in that Merchant forward Kris Krolouski out raced Aylmer’s defense and shot one by Brandon Rohrer in goal. Final shots on goal were 34-25 in favour of Norwich.

SIMCOE 5 AYLMER 2

              As disheartening the loss may have been against the Merchants the night before, Aylmer had another great opportunity to close the gap on second place Simcoe Sunday night. Aylmer’s last visit to Simcoe had the Spitfires trounce the Storm 9-6.

              Travis Schruder got things rolling for the Spits scoring his fourteenth goal of the year with assists going to Mark Pfohl and Curt Maracle. Things stopped rolling for the Spitfires after that as Simcoe scored the next four goals of the game.  Spitfire Assistant Captain Kyle Simpson cut into the Simcoe lead with a goal assisted by Rhys Thornton and Jayson Farquhar. Simcoe had added another goal late in the second period to complete the scoring as Simcoe won 5-2.  The Spitfires had plenty of opportunity to get back into the game as they had eight power play chances but they failed to capitalize on any of them. Simcoe went 0-3 on their PP tries.

FRIDAY NIGHT GAME

              Aylmer will try to get back into the win column with a game against the Paris Mounties. The game will be on Friday night at 7:45 pm. The game had to be changed from the regular Saturday nighttime slot as the All Star game is being held in Glanbrook on Saturday night.

              C you Friday night at the Complex!

Spitfires Host Norwich Saturday

 By Gus Lagrandeur -- Dec. 29, 2008.

              It looks like the Niagara Junior C West division standings will go down to the wire as the teams are still bunched up with ten games remaining. Aylmer resumes its schedule with a home game Saturday night against Norwich at 7:30 pm.

              Dating back to November, it did not appear there would be any race for first place as Norwich was still undefeated after the first fourteen games. Since suffering the first defeat to Aylmer in regulation on November14th, Norwich has been playing at .500 with a record of 5-5-2.

              The Aylmer Spitfires and the Simcoe Storm have been able to get back into the race for first as the Spits have gone 7-2 and the Storm 7-3 in the same stretch of games. The Merchants once big lead is now down to three points over Simcoe and four over the Spitfires.

              With a record of 18-5-3, the Merchants are holding down first place with 39 points.   Simcoe (17-7-2) are in second with 36 points and Aylmer (16-7-3) for 35 points are in third place.  Woodstock is comfortably in fourth place with 30 points while the New Hamburg Firebirds and the Paris Mounties are battling it out for fifth place. The Firebirds hold fifth with 21 points, three points ahead of the Mounties.

              The Spitfires have ten games remaining in their regular season. They will play five at home and five on the road. The Spits have to play Norwich twice at home and one game against Simcoe, New Hamburg, and Paris. They have one away game at each of their West division opponents in January.

              Fans- attending a Spitfires game with the family is cheaper than a family night at the movies. It is entertainment right in your home town so come out and cheer your local team on this Saturday night at 7:30 pm.

Spitfires Shut Out Mounties

 By Gus Lagrandeur -- Dec. 21, 2008.

The Aylmer Spitfires skated to a 5-0 win over the Paris Mounties on Saturday night at the East Elgin Community Complex. The game was the last game before the Christmas break as the Spitfires will next play on January 3rd.

Saturday night’s game was decided by the specialty teams. The Paris Mounties failed to score on any of their power play chances and they also gave up three short-handed goals to the Spitfires. Aylmer now has thirteen short-handed goals on the season with eight different players scoring with a teammate in the penalty box.

The Spitfires got off to a fast start as Captain Graham Spriel scored in the first minute of play. A few minutes later, Graham scored his second of the night and nineteenth goal of the year for a 2-0 Spitfire lead.

Travis Schruder scored his thirteenth goal of the year and third short-handed tally with a low wrist shot to the far corner. The score after the first period of play was 3-0 but easily could have been more as Spit forwards hit two cross bars and one goal post.

After a scoreless second period, Aylmer’s penalty killing teams took over again. Two goals by the Spitfires on the same penalty kill had the Paris coach thinking he should decline and further penalties assessed to Aylmer.

The Paris power play was so disorganized that it allowed a three on nothing breakaway for Aylmer. Adam Vandepoele, Graham Spriel, and Derek McTaggart had a clear cut breakaway from the centre line to the Paris net. Some nifty passing between Adam and Graham left Adam with easy tap in for his third short-handed goal.

Not to be outdone, Belmont native Joey Hunter got his chance to kill a penalty and he found himself on a breakaway also. A deke to his left and a backhand over the goalies pads gave Joey his first shortie of the season.

Brad Booy earned the shut out in goal for the Spitfires.

ALL STARS SELECTED

The Annual All Star game is set for January 10th in Glanbrook and three Spitfires will represent their team once again.

Adam Vandepoele will make a return visit to the All Star contest. Adam is second on the Spitfires in scoring with 14 goals, 17 assists for 31 points.

Travis Schruder will make his first appearance at the game. Travis has 13 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. He has 4 power play goals and three short-handed goals so far this season.

Assistant Captain Derek McTaggart will be on the blue line for the West Division team. Derek is a strong defenseman who uses his size to his advantage and is able to join the rush on any given play.

A reminder for the next home game is Saturday January 3rd at 7:30 pm against the Norwich Merchants. On behalf of the entire Spitfire organization, here is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

C you next year!

Spitfires Complete Weekend Mission

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Dec. 15, 2008.

The mission, if they chose to accept it, for the Aylmer Spitfires this past weekend was two-fold. One, give them some breathing room ahead of fourth place Woodstock and secondly, cut down the space between them and second place Simcoe.

Heading into Saturday night’s game, Aylmer was in third place just one point ahead of Woodstock. A 5-2 win did give Aylmer’s (14-7-3) a bit of room ahead of Woodstock’s (14-11-0) and also inched them closer to Simcoe.

Spitfire winger Mark Pfohl took it upon himself to complete the teams’ first phase of the mission. Mark scored a hat trick and added two assists to lead the Spitfires to victory.

Pfohl likes to score in bunches. Of Mark’s twelve goals scored so far, six have come on two hat tricks and twice he has had two-goal games.

Rounding out the scoring against Woodstock was Travis Schruder and Curtis Maracle. Brandon Rohrer earned his tenth win in goal for the Spits, stopping 34 of 36 shots on goal.

AYLMER 9  SIMCOE 6 

The second phase of the Spitfires mission this past weekend was to cut into Simcoe’s lead over Aylmer for second place. Simcoe held a three-point lead over Aylmer prior to Aylmer’s win over Woodstock. The lead was now down to one for the Storm and with an Aylmer win; they would jump into second place.

The battle for second place was all about the offence. A total of eight goals were scored and there were 41 shots on goal in the first twenty minutes of play.

The Spitfires fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes but a goal by Curtis Maracle at the 10:25 mark opened the floodgates for Aylmer. Four consecutive power play goals by four different players in a span of three minutes and three seconds gave Aylmer a lead it would not relinquish.

Adam Vandepoele, Curtis Maracle with his second of the night, Travis Schruder, and Graham Spriel all tallied with the extra man in the opening period. Simcoe did score one more to send the game into the first intermission with Aylmer leading 5-3.

The second frame was all Aylmer as well. Travis Schruder scored two more goals to complete his hat trick on the night.  Newcomer Rhys Thorton scored his first as a Spitfire to push the lead to 8-3 after two. Rhys also had three helpers in the game giving him four points in his four games played as a Spitfire.

Simcoe tried to mount a comeback by scoring three goals in the third period but it was too little too late. Curtis Maracle capped off a great offensive night as he scored his third of the night to go along with three assists to make the final 9-6 Spitfires.

The win completed the Spitfires weekend mission. As focused as they were, the team knew it was not an impossible mission.

Now sitting alone in second place, they have their sights on first place Norwich who sit in first place with 39 points. The two teams still have to play three times in their remaining ten games of the regular season.

Next weekend the Spitfires will play in New Hamburg at 7:30 pm on Friday night. On Saturday, the Spits will host the Paris Mounties, also at 7:30 pm.

This article will now self-destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1….

Defense Scores Big in Spitfire Win

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Dec. 8, 2008.

              The defensive corps for the Aylmer Spitfires was pretty offensive in a lopsided win over the Dunnville Terriers last Friday night. But offensive in a good way!  Three D-men scored five goals in a 9-2 drubbing over the last place Dunnville squad.  The win improved the Spits road record to two games over .500 at 6-4-2.    Leading the offensive outburst from the blue line was Port Stanley native Cassidy North. Cassidy notched two goals and added one assist in the game. He now sits tied for fifth with team mate Sean Mullin in scoring among defensemen with 14 points (4G, 10A).  

              Another defenseman having a break out night was Aylmer native Brandon Harbour.  Brandon, in his first year patrolling the blue line for the Spits, has been a steady force all season for the team. Coaches Mike Shewan and Dave Kontzie have used Brandon in all situations from a regular shift to killing penalties and some power play time. The coaches were rewarded on Friday night as Brandon scored his first two goals in his Junior hockey career.

              The third D-man to score on this night was another Aylmer native, Rob DeSutter. Rob’s first goal of the year came on the power play. Rounding out the scoring for the Spits was Adam Vandepoele with two and Tyler DeDecker and Elias Baribeau chipping in one goal.

              Brad Booy earned the win in goal stopping 23 of 25 shots. He now sports a record of 4 wins, 1 loss, and one overtime loss.

NEW HAMBURG 5 AYLMER 4

              Back on home ice Saturday night, the Spitfires hosted the New Hamburg Firebirds. A 5-4 loss by the Spits was their second consecutive home loss after going 7-1-1 in their first nine home games. The contest was a see-saw battle with neither team mounting a consistent attack.

Aylmer found the score sheet first with Graham Spriel banging home a loose puck at the edge of the crease. A minute and a half later, the Firebirds tied it up and then scored on a late power play to end the first period up 2-1.

              Travis Schruder tied the game for the Spits just 38 seconds into the second period. Travis pounced on a Firebird turnover and rifled a slap shot for a short handed goal. It was Travis’ second short-handed goal and the teams’ tenth, which leads the league. The teams continued to exchange goals as New Hamburg went ahead 3-2 only to have Sean Mullin knot it up at three just a few minutes later. The visitors regained the lead midway through the second period and held the lead into the third. The Firebirds scoring leader Bill Walkey scored his second goal of the night for the games’ first two goal lead. It turned out to be the eventual winning goal as Graham Spriel scored his second of the night for the Spits to make the final score 5-4.

              The next stretch of games for the Spitfires this weekend is against teams they are fighting with for positioning in the standings. The Spits will host the Woodstock Renegades on Saturday December 13 at 7:30.  The ‘Gades sit just one point behind the Spitfires for third place. They have one more win than the Spits with 14 but trail the season series so far having won once in four games against the Spitfires.

              The Spitfires will get on the bus and travel down Highway 3 to meet the Simcoe Storm on Sunday night for a 7:00 start time. Simcoe currently hold a slim three point lead over the Spitfires for second place. The Storm have won twice and lost once against the Spits so far this year.

              Fans, come cheer on your local Junior C team. Go Spits Go!

Spitfires Make Roster Changes

              The Aylmer Spitfires have made several roster moves recently with new players joining the team, other players parting ways, and a new coach has been added to the rank and file.

              New to the team this year but not new to the Spitfire organization is Aylmer native Jeff Gillies. Jeff rejoins the Spitfires along the blue line after playing three years with the St. Thomas Junior B Stars.  Jeff first played with the Spits as a sixteen year old. In his second year with the team, he earned the role as Assistant Captain during the season and will look to bring that strong leadership to the Spitfires again.

              Another player from the St. Thomas Stars has been added to the Spitfires. Rhys Thornton scored two goals and added three assists in 25 games for the Stars this season. As a seventeen year old and getting limited ice time, Thornton was sent to the Spitfires to strengthen his game and add some speed to the team. Rhys played some minor hockey in London and then with the Elgin Middlesex AAA Chiefs.

              The Spitfires have also signed on Joe Facca as an Assistant Coach. Facca is no stranger to Aylmer as he got some playing time with the Aylmer Blues in 2003-04. Facca is also an alumnus of the St. Thomas Stars who will look to help out the Spitfire goalies.

              Several players who were on the Spitfire roster as additional players have been released so that they may keep their eligibility for high school hockey. Returning to the defending OMHA Champions Aylmer Midget team are Brandon Aspden, Jason Gregory, and Brett Haines.

              Two more players from the Championship Midget team, Tim Thiessen and Josh Honsinger, will go back and play minor hockey but have moved up a division in Juvenile.

              The Spitfire organization would like to thank all the players for their contribution and wish them the best of luck with their new teams.               

Spitfires Stomp Mounties

 By Gus Lagrandeur -- Nov. 30, 2008.

              The old motto of the “Mounties always get their man” did not transpire last Wednesday as the Paris Mounties failed to get the Spitfires in any shape or form.

A 7-3 stomping by the Aylmer Spitfires over the Mounties solidified the Spitfires hold onto second place and kept the Mounties in sixth place in the West Division. Aylmer’s record improves to 12-6-3 where Paris fell to 5-12-3.

The previous two contests between the teams were close as the games were decided by just one goal with each team winning once. Aylmer made certain that would not be the case on this night as they came out firing on all cylinders.

A four goal outburst in the first period followed by three more goals in the second gave the Spitfires their biggest lead of the season. Paris made the game somewhat respectable by scoring the only three goals of the last period for the final score of 7-3.

The offensive explosion was welcomed by the Spitfires as they have had their share of nail-biting games this year. Of their 21 games played, nine have been decided by one goal. In comparison, last season the Spitfires had a total of 13 one-goal games in the 36 regular season games.

The four goal margin was the fourth game the Spitfires have had decided by that many goals. And when the Spits fire up the offense, they have won three times and lost one.

              In the victory over the Mounties, four players had a three point night. Leading the attack was Joey Hunter with two goals and an assist. The line of Graham Spriel, Adam Vandepoele, and Tyler DeDecker stayed hot as all three scored once and assisted on two other goals. Rounding out the scoring was defenseman Sean Mullin. Newly added Spitfire Elias Baribeau, from Dorchester, chipped in with two assists.

              The Spitfires got a break from action after Paris’ game as they do not play again until Friday December 5th. The Spits travel to Dunnville to face-off against the Terriers. Dunnville has not been tearing up the opposition this year as they hold the distinction of having the worst record in the Niagara Junior C loop at 1-16-1.

              Aylmer will return to home ice the following night as they host the New Hamburg Firebirds at 7:30 pm.

Spitfires Win Streak Snapped

 By Gus Lagrandeur -- Nov. 24, 2008.

              The Aylmer Spitfires had a modest three game win streak snapped at three games with a 3-1 loss to the Glanbrook Rangers. It is only Aylmer’s second regulation loss this season on home ice as their home record is now 7-2-1 and have an overall record of 11-6-3.  After a scoreless first period where Aylmer out shot the Rangers 19-9, the visiting squad came out strong in the second as Glanbrook struck twice in the second period before the period was three minutes old. The Rangers took fourteen shots at the Aylmer net compared to the six shots fired upon the Ranger net.   Travis Schruder scored Aylmer’s lone goal of the game late in the second period. It was Travis’ seventh goal of the year and fifteenth point in his twenty games played. Glanbrook scored once in the final frame to make the final 3-1. It appeared both teams’ power plays took the night off as they both went 0 for 8. Brandon Rohrer got the start and goal and his record fell to 8-5-2.

AYLMER 4 NEW HAMBURG 3

              The Spitfires traveled to New Hamburg on Friday night and skated away with a 4-3 victory.

              Aylmer native Brad Booy got the start between the pipes and improved his record to 3-1-1. Brad stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced, including stopping a penalty shot in the third period.  The line of Graham Spriel at centre, Adam Vandepoele at right wing, and Tyler DeDecker along the left side gave fits to the hometown Firebirds. The line combined for seven points in the game and scored all four of Aylmer’s goals.   Spriel and DeDecker each scored twice with both scoring once on the power play. The two goals for Spriel give him 14 on the year and DeDecker has a team leading 15 goals. Adam Vandepoele had two assists and Brandon Harbour and Spriel had one helper apiece.

              Next up for the Spitfires will be an away game on Wednesday November 26 against the Paris Mounties. The two teams have faced off against each other twice this year with both teams winning one game by the identical score of 5-4.

              Aylmer’s next home game will not be until Saturday December 6th where the Spitfire organization will host “Sponsor Night”. The Spits take this night as an opportunity to give recognition and thanks to all the sponsors who help out throughout the year. The Spits will meet the New Hamburg Firebirds at 7:30 pm.

              Also fans be sure not to miss out on the Spitfires fundraising efforts currently on the go. Tickets are still available for the Hockey Heaven Draw and fans can order their Poinsettia Plants at the next home game just in time for the holiday season.

Spitfires Beat the Unbeaten

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Nov. 16, 2008.  

              The Aylmer Spitfires has accomplished something that no other team has done this season. A 4-3 road victory over the first place Norwich Merchants has given Norwich their first regulation loss in their sixteen games played.

              The Spitfires completed their weekend with a convincing 6-3 home ice win over the Chippawa Riverhawks. Chippawa are currently in second place in the East Division. Aylmer improved their home record to 7-1-1 at home and has an overall record of 3-1 versus the East division.

              On Friday night in Norwich, Aylmer’s power play scored twice and goalie Brandon Rohrer showed All Star form in facing 33 shots on goal. Curt Maracle, his fifth, opened the scoring for the Spits on the power play. A Merchant power play goal four minutes later tied the game at one heading into the second period.  Spitfire forward Tim Donovan scored his first goal of the season to give Aylmer a short-lived lead. Norwich tied the game 59 seconds later only to have Spitfire Travis Schruder regain Aylmer’s one goal lead before the end of the second period.  Aylmer’s second power play goal gave them a two-goal cushion early in the last period. Adam Vandepoele notched his ninth of the year and it turned out to be the game-winning goal as Norwich scored late to make the final 4-3 Aylmer.

PFOHL SCORES HAT TRICK

              Back on home ice on Minor Hockey Night, first year Spitfire Mark Pfohl had himself a night by firing in three goals. Pfohl came to the Spitfires after playing last season with the New Hamburg Firebirds. The three goals gives Mark nine on the season.  Defenseman Derek McTaggart, who recently returned from an injury, scored his first goal of the year. Chippawa replied with two power play goals later in the first period.  Aylmer took the lead in the second with Pfohl scoring his first on the night with the man advantage. Aylmer was then awarded a penalty taken by Captain Graham Spriel. Graham made no mistake and gave the Spitfire a 3-2 lead after two periods of play.   Mark Pfohl stretched the lead to two goals early in the third. A power play goal made it close again for Chippawa but Tyler DeDecker with his team leading 13th goal of the year and then Pfohl’s hat trick goal into an empty net sealed the win for the Spitfires.

              The Spitfires have now completed half of their regular season. In their eighteen games played, they boast a record of 10 wins, 5 losses, and three overtime losses for 23 points. They are in a tie with the Simcoe Storm for second place. The Spits have three players in the top ten in league scoring. Graham Spriel is in third place with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points. Forward Tyler DeDecker is seventh in scoring with 13 goals, 7 helpers for 20 points and Adam Vandepoele is tied for eighth with 9 goals and 10 assists for nineteen points.

              In goal, Brandon Rohrer has a very impressive 2.99 goals against average. His 91.7% save percentage is third best in the league and Brandon has faced the second most shots in 466 in his fourteen games played.   Aylmer’s power play units are number one in the West Division having scored twenty times for 17% efficiency.  The penalty killing teams are third in the division with 87.9% effectiveness. They also lead the entire league in short-handed goals with eight.

              Coming up for the Spitfires will be an away game Friday November 21st in New Hamburg. Game time will be at 7:30 pm against the Firebirds. Aylmer will return to the comfort of home ice on Saturday night as they host the Glanbrook Rangers. Again, game time will be at 7:30 pm. C ya there.

Spitfires Look for Consistency

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Nov. 10, 2008.   

Nearing the halfway mark of the regular season, the Aylmer Spitfires have yet to find their true identity as a team. Are they a contending team? Are they a middle-of-the-pack just going through the motions kind of team?

At times, they look like contenders when they dominate a team like first place Grimsby and win easily. On occasion, they have looked like a team that just play to the caliber of their opponents and find them struggling against the lower teams in the division. 

A reason for this identity crisis is consistency, or lack thereof. And the lack of consistency does not go from game-to-game but from period-to-period.

It has been documented already how the Spitfires have had slow first periods, being out shot several times and then finding themselves having to play catch-up. In some games, after a so-so first period, the Spits played better and were able to steal a victory. The two games played last week are prime examples of similar inconsistent play.

On Thursday, the Spits traveled to Dundas and after a long bus ride, they still managed to come out of the gates quickly. Spit forward Tyler DeDecker scored 1:28 into the game and then again at the thirteen minute mark. Aylmer out shot Dundas 12-8 in that period.

In the second frame, the Spits may have thought they were in for an easy game with their dominant first period and 2-0 lead. The Spits were wrong. They were badly outplayed, out shot, and outscored 4-1 in the second frame.

Two goals within six seconds of each before the period was a minute old tied the game for Dundas. Joey Hunter gave Aylmer a short-lived lead again as he notched his third goal of the year. The hometown Blues gave Aylmer the blues as they scored twice more for a 4-3 Dundas lead after two. Dundas out shot Aylmer 19-6 in that period.

The third period fared no better for the Spitfires as they allowed three more goals while scoring once to make the final 7-4 Dundas. Curtis Maracle scored his fourth of the year in the third. The seven goals by Dundas were the most given up by the Spitfires this season.

In Saturday’s game versus Simcoe, another slow start by the Spitfires dug them a big hole as they gave up four goals in just over twelve minutes. Spitfire Joey Hunter did score late in the period to make the score 4-1 after one.

A more inspired Spitfire team showed up for the second period as Mark Pfohl scored twice, giving him six on the year. Aylmer out shot the Storm 22-7 in the period.

Tyler DeDecker continued his hot scoring hand as he tied the game at four five minutes into the third period. Tyler has scored five times in the last three games and now sits tenth in league scoring and has the second most goals with twelve.

For the second straight home game, the Spits needed overtime and a shoot out to find a winner. The Storms’ first shooter scored on goalie Brandon Rohrer and that was all Simcoe needed to secure the 5-4 win. Spitfire shooters Curtis Maracle, Graham Spriel, and Sean Mullin were all turned aside by Simcoe goalie Chris Wills.

The two losses drop Aylmer into third place with a record of 8-5-3 for 19 points. The Spits will have a couple of tough games this weekend as they face off against the 13-0-1 Norwich Merchants Friday in Norwich.

On Saturday night, the Spits will host Minor Hockey Night as they welcome all players from minor hockey to the game for games and prizes. The Spits will play against the Chippawa Riverhawks who sit in second place in the East division. Game time as always is 7:30 pm.

Spitfires Win in Shootout

By Gus Lagrandeur -- Nov. 3, 2008.       

The Aylmer Spitfires and Paris Mounties played extra time on Saturday night in Niagara Junior C action and still couldn’t decide a winner. With the new shootout rule coming into play, Aylmer scored twice to lead to a 5-4 win and complete a two-win weekend.             

Aylmer came into the game with a 7-4-2 record and sitting all alone in second place. Paris was in sixth place with a record of 3-8-1, but one of those wins was a 5-4 win against Aylmer.     Two power play goals by Spitfire forward Tyler DeDecker paced the Spits to a first period 2-1 lead. Adam Vandepoele sniped a goal early in the second period with a blistering wrist shot from just inside the blue line to stretch the lead to 3-1.             

Paris scored nineteen seconds later to make the score 3-2 heading into the third period. Duncan Long was kept extremely busy in the Paris goal as he had already faced 38 shots on goal in the first two periods. Aylmer goalie Brad Booy had faced 20 in the opening two frames as he looked for his second win of the season.             

A minute into the third period, Spitfire defenseman Cassidy North showed great anticipation as he intercepted a pass attempt at mid-ice. Cassidy then broke out wide to his right and rifled a slap shot through Long, giving Aylmer another two goal lead.              

The pesky Mounties would not give up and scored twice more to tie the game and send the game into overtime. With no goals scored in the OT, Aylmer went into its’ second shootout of the season and Paris would enter their first.             

Paris’ Scot Graf shot first and was thwarted by Booy with a pad save. Aylmer’s Curt Maracle went in on Long and fired a wrist shot off of the right post and into the net for a 1-0 lead.             

Paris leading scorer Adam Manning made a nice move to his right before dragging the puck back to the left and scoring to tie the shootout at one. Spitfire Adam Vandepoele was next and a low wrist shot that found the five-hole on Long gave Aylmer the edge once again.              

A stop by Booy on Paris’ third shot would seal the victory for the Spits. Josh Mitton also tried a deke move but Booy was equal to the task and Aylmer won the shoot out 2-1 and earned the win with a 5-4 final.              

The win capped an exciting night for the Spitfires as they hosted over 160 kids in the annual kids night. A Junior Tyke shootout in the first intermission followed by trike races in the second period break and a season high ‘Chuck-A-Puck’ contest completed a fun night at the complex.

AYLMER 5 CALEDONIA 2             

On Friday night, the Spitfires traveled to Caledonia and skated away with a 5-2 road win. Scoring for the Spits were Travis Schruder, Kyle Simpson, Joey Hunter, Graham Spriel, and Adam Vandepoele.              

Brandon Rohrer earned his sixth victory between the pipes and increased his save percentage to a league best 93%.       

Aylmer will head into the East division again on Thursday night as they will play the Dundas Blues who are in fourth in the East with a 4-4-3 record. Aylmer will host Emergency Services Night as they invite all police, fire, and paramedic personnel to the game versus the Simcoe Storm on Saturday night at 7:30 pm.