London Nips Flyers 5-4 In Overtime

by C. Scott Holland

It was a busy night and had there not been a momentary lapse at the start of the third, the outcome of last Thursday's "Pink At The Rink" game vs the London Nationals may have been different.

The Nats got revenge for an overtime loss at Leamington a week earlier when they rallied from a 3-1 deficit and notched the game-winner midway through the four-on-four extra frame.

It may seem like deja vu, but the Flyers surrendered the first goal of the contest. It came on a loose rebound that skidded off starter Colin Greeley and into the net. However, the Flyers offense and special teams looked much better.

With a man advantage, Ron Soucie unleashed a drive from just inside the blueline while on a powerplay and Mitchell Amante tipped the puck past Nationals' goalie Taylor Edwards to knot the game.

Both sides traded penalties throughout much of the game.

The Flyers took the lead early in the second when Matt Ogden's shot from close range was collected by Tony Spidalieri. For a second, Spidalieri hestitated and to most of the 492 fans, it looked as though he had wasted a golden opportunity. But he moved left to right and flipped the puck high into the net for a powerplay tally.

Several times in the second, the Flyers took shots from within a ten foot radius of the London net, yet could not manufacture a goal.

At 16:53, Austin Mattson assisted on Tyler Quigley's goal which put Leamington into a comfortable 3-1 lead.

That lead was hastily shattered at the beginning of the third period. At 1:04 London's Tyler Bryden ripped a screen shot which eluded Greeley and after winning the ensuing faceoff, London rushed right back into the Flyers zone and caught Greeley off guard again.  To read more go to www.leamingtonpostandshopper.com.