The Hamilton Red Wings beat the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, 3-1, in a contest where the winning goal was scored in the first period but the game remained close throughout.
A goal 2:07 into the the first period by Luke Sinclair proved to be the game winner, and powered Hamilton to the victory.
The Red Wings were led by goalie Mark Sinclair, who finished with 33 saves while allowing one goal. Sinclair managed to improve on his goals against average, which stood at 3.84 prior to the game.
Hamilton’s penalty kill excelled, as the Red Wings gave up zero goals despite allowing six power plays.
Hamilton stifled Buffalo’s power play, and did not give up a single goal while down a man.
The Red Wings were helped by Nathan Gomes, who had one goal. Gomes scored on the power play 5:37 into the second period to make the score 2-0 Hamilton. A roughing penalty on Dylan Howatt had put Hamilton on the power play. Jason OConnor provided the assist. Hamilton also got a goal from Alex Zaccaria as well. In addition, Hamilton received assists from Adam Burnett and Marco Mattina, who each chipped in one.
The Jr. Sabres could not produce up to they normal offensive output. Buffalo puts an average of 4.8 pucks into the net per game. The Red Wings were unable to stop the Jr. Sabres from sending pucks towards the net, and Buffalo eventually piled up 34 shots on goal.
The Jr. Sabres were led by Nolan Sheeran, who scored the team’s only goal. Sheeran scored short handed 9:19 into the third period to make the score 2-1 Hamilton. A checking from behind call on Howatt put Buffalo on the penalty kill.
Hamilton incurred 20 minutes in penalty time with five minors. Brandon Mueller made 21 saves for the Jr. Sabres on 24 shots. Buffalo ended with 13 minutes in penalty time with four minors and one major. For the Jr. Sabres, Ben Casale and Howatt were ejected from the contest.
