(North York, ON) – The Buffalo Junior Sabres entered Sunday afternoon carrying a two-game losing streak, last winning at home against Hamilton on September 30. They also arrived at the North York Centennial Arena with a two-game losing streak against the host Rangers. Both streaks ended at once, as Buffalo edged North York, 5-4.
David Seward gave the Jr. Sabres the game’s first lead with a power play goal at the 4:45 mark of the first period, assisted by Josh Kielich (in photo). The Rangers evened the score at the 12:53 mark with Ryan Kinsella’s goal, assisted by Patrick Piacentini and Brody Power. Buffalo regained the lead just 47 seconds later on a goal by Nolan Sheeran, assisted by R.J. Sciarrone. North York tied the game at 2-2 in the last minute of the period on Corey Kalk’s unassisted tally.
Kielich gave Buffalo another go-ahead goal at the 10:03 mark of the second period, assisted by Sciarrone. Six and a half minutes later, team captain Derek Patterson increased the Jr. Sabres’ lead to 4-2, assisted by Sheeran and Seward. Liam Kerins, who scored the shootout winning goal against Buffalo at Amherst last Wednesday, scored at the 18:37 mark of the period but Buffalo restored its two-goal lead at 19:26 with Kielich’s second goal of the game, assisted by Ryan Schmelzer and Tyler Gjurich.
The Rangers’ Nicholas Geiser cut the lead to 5-4 with just over two minutes left to play, but Buffalo goaltender Parker Gahagen’s 39 saves were enough to secure Buffalo’s seventh victory of the season.
The team improved its record to seven wins, three losses and one shootout loss. The Jr. Sabres’ next game is Tuesday, October 9 at 7:30 vs. the Oakville Blades at the Northtown Center at Amherst.
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Jr. Sabres forward Tim Kielich and defenseman Tony DeVito served the first of their two-game suspensions Sunday, the result of checking-from-behind major penalties called the night before in Buffalo’s 5-4 loss at the Burlington Cougars.
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