Lincs rebound from three-game losing skid with back-to-back wins

Members of the St. Marys Lincolns celebrate Luke McMillan’s game-winning goal during the Lincolns’ 4-2 win over the Elmira Sugar Kings on Feb. 13.

By Spencer Seymour

The St. Marys Lincolns got back in the win column with a pair of victories to end a three-game losing streak.

The Lincolns dropped their third in a row on Feb. 11 to the London Nationals by a score of 6-5, largely due to a catastrophic second period in which London scored three powerplay goals. It marked the second time in three games the Lincolns’ penalty kill had been scored on three times.

Head coach Jeff Bradley noted the team’s lack of discipline and some poor puck management made the difference between winning and losing.

“We had some terrible turnovers, and we were undisciplined,” Bradley told the Independent. “We were taking penalties, and we weren’t able to kill them off. We shot ourselves in the foot, and we decided we were going to give an opponent a game that we desperately needed.”

Lincoln Moore led the Lincolns with a pair of goals, while Jakob Drobny scored his first career GOHL goal, and Oliver Lacko registered a pair of assists in his first game back in the Lincolns’ lineup since Jan. 16. Devun Colebrook and Blake Elzinga also found the back of the net.

The Lincolns did have a better showing against London than in their previous two losses against LaSalle and Stratford, but, according to coach Bradley, they had every chance to win, but ultimately faltered.

“I thought we saw some progress in some things that we should be happy with, and there were some guys who needed to step up who I thought did a really good job,” Bradley said. “I saw our powerplay get a little bit better, in terms of our body and puck movement. We didn’t take a step back physically. But in the end, I thought we basically gave the game away.”

McMillan scores in dying seconds to lift Lincs past Sugar Kings

The Lincolns finally snapped out of their winless drought on Feb. 13 with a 4-2 victory over the Elmira Sugar Kings, with Luke McMillan firing home the game-winning goal on a point shot that bounced and deflected into the net with 15.8 seconds left in the third period.

Although the Lincolns had a somewhat sleepy second period that saw Elmira come back from being down 2-0 to tie the game at two apiece, Bradley said the team’s overall performance was much stronger.

“I felt that’s the team we are. That first period, I think that was us playing up to our capabilities, and to me, that’s about as good as we can be. In the first period, we were organized, we were physical, we were engaged, and we were focused in every aspect of our game.

“In the second period, we took a bit of a step back as far as decisions with the puck,” Bradley continued. “I thought we got away from making hard plays because I thought we got a little bit relaxed with the success we were having, and then that allowed Elmira to get back in the game. But then in the third period, I thought we got right back to it, and regardless of the way the winning goal went in, I thought that was a well-deserved win for us.”

First-period goals by Ethan Weir and Ryan Hodkinson got the Lincolns out to a 2-0 advantage in the first period, and Bradley praised the two forwards for turning in strong showings.

“I thought everybody played very, very well, but Ethan (Weir) can just take this team to a whole other level, and I thought his play dictated that,” said Bradley. “Putting him with Blake (Elzinga) and Ryan (Hodkinson) could be incredibly important for our team, but Ethan needs to play at that level to make that line go, and when he does, it could be an unstoppable line for us.”

“I thought Ryan had not been as dominant and MVP-like these last few games as he has been the entire season, and it took him one game to be the best player on the ice between two of the top teams in the league, so with him, you’re talking best player in the league category now. The impressive thing to me is that Ryan’s lows aren’t all that low. They’re still pretty high. I think that’s what separates good players from great players is their highs and lows, and he is never too low.”

After Lucas Nutting and Sam Ratcliffe tied the game in the second frame, the game stayed deadlocked until McMillan’s knuckle-baller found its way by Liam Reid. Chase McDougall then added an empty-netter.

According to Bradley, the game, given the Lincolns and Sugar Kings’ proximity to one another in the standings, was a must-win.

“Moral victories aren’t enough when you played badly for three games. We need actual results, and that’s what we got (on Friday). We needed to win. The last time we played Elmira, we lost in overtime, but I thought we deserved better.  We could call that a moral victory after our performance in Listowel the game before. But when you lose three straight in the fashion we lost them, I think we had to win and had to perform well, and our guys did that.”

Explosive first period guides Lincs to victory over Stars

In a Family Day matinee, the Lincolns erupted for four goals in the first period, en route to a 5-3 win over the St. Thomas Stars.

Colebrook, McMillan, Callum McAuley, and Declan Ready scored the four first-period goals in a span of nine minutes and 50 seconds.

Elzinga added another goal in the third period.

Bradley was pleased with the team’s execution of their gameplan, noting it was another step towards being at the level they want to maintain.

“I was happy with the result,” Bradley said. “I thought we were physical. I thought we just controlled the play from start to finish. We weren’t careless with the puck at all. We made low-risk plays and relied on our hockey sense and our strength. I think we were able to coast through the end of that game because our start was so good. It wasn’t the full 60-minute performance we wanted, but it was enough to get what we needed out of that game.”

Bradley added that Weir once again delivered a strong effort, as did the line of Ready, Jack Clarke, and Chase McDougall.

“I thought the (Jack) Clarke line really set the tone for us. They played against St. Thomas’ top line for all of the first period, and it just put them on their heels. They hit them every chance they had and came with some offence as well. I also thought Ethan (Weir) had another really good game. He’s engaged physically, and when he is, he’s first on pucks. He’s able to use his brain quite a bit, and I think that’s a really advanced hockey brain.”

When reviewing the continued struggles with consistency, Bradley said the grind of the regular season and the team’s focus on succeeding in the playoffs are factors in their consistency.

“I just think there’s got to be some understanding from everybody that we’re not going to be able to get by not playing a full 60 minutes. It’s a long season, and these kids just cannot wait to get to the playoffs. They’ve shown that they’re able to snap out of it when they need to, and we’ve just got to trust that they’re going to do that when the time is most important.”