The Hamilton Red Wings gutted out a close 3-2 win against the xBuffalo Jr. Sabres.
No lead was more than one goal during the contest, and the winning goal was scored by Josh LaFrance at 14:25 of the third period.
LaFrance was all over the ice for Hamilton, as he finished with two goals in the win.
Hamilton also got a goal from Jason OConnor as well. In addition, Hamilton received assists from Mitch Reid, Marco Mattina, and Matt Smith, who contributed one a piece.
xBuffalo managed to stay out of the box better than usual, finishing with one minor for two minutes in penalty time. The Jr. Sabres wound up below its season average of 14.0 penalty minutes per game. xBuffalo did not reach the goal total it has come to expect this season. The Jr. Sabres average 4.8 goals per game. xBuffalo forced the Red Wings goalie Mark Sinclair to work between the pipes, taking 60 shots.
The Jr. Sabres were helped by Tim Kielich, who grabbed one goal. Kielich scored 19:50 into the second period to make the score 2-2. Ryan Kuhn picked up the assist. Ryan Schmelzer also scored for xBuffalo. Other players who recorded assists for xBuffalo were Daniel Lafontaine, Michael Ederer, and Nolan Sheeran, who each chipped in one.
Mark Sinclair made 58 saves for Hamilton on 60 shots. The Red Wings incurred 10 minutes in penalty time with five minors. xBuffalo’s Brandon Mueller stopped 14 shots out of the 17 that he faced. The Jr. Sabres registered one goal on five power play opportunities.
