Falcons edge Panthers in OT
Xavier Drummond has proven to be a valuable addition for the St. Catharines Falcons.
The Falcons added the speedy forward in the off season after he bounced around with four teams over the last three seasons.
Drummond picked up and goal and an assist Friday as Falcons edged the Pelham Panthers 4-3 in overtime in a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference game at Jack Gatecliff Arena.
The Falcons, who improved to 17-3-0-1, have now won seven straight and picked up points in 17 straight games.
The Panthers dropped to 13-10-0-2.
Drummond, a 19-year-old native of Bradford, started last season with Newmarket of the Ontario Junior Hockey League before being demoted to junior C Midland where he scored 32 goals in 28 games.
He came to the Falcons after enrolling in the sports management program at Brock.
“I really wasn’t too happy with the way hockey ended last year and came to school this year and then Frank (Falcons coach/general manager Frank Girhiny) ended up bringing me in and it clicked right away,” Drummond said. “The guys are great in the room. It’s a great coaching staff and great environment in the room.
“It’s been a great ride.”
Drummond is relieved to have finally found a home.
“It’s a tough experience going from team to team because you never get to settle,” he said. “You meet the guys and they you are gone in a few weeks.”
Drummond has seven goals and 21 points in 19 games this season.
“On past teams, I’ve tried to bring more of an offensive flair but in junior you have to play the defensive side of the game,” Drummond said. “Frank has really helped me with that side of my game.”
Girhiny loves what Drummond brings, both on and off the ice.
“He’s a quality young man who comes from a real good family,” Girhiny said. “He’s skilled and he’s really learning the other side of the puck which is creating more offence.
“He’s been great for us. Considering he was guy who wasn’t going to play, he’s a top six forward.”
The Falcons dominated the opening 20 minutes but the Panthers struck first with a short-handed goal by Dylan Bigger with just over two minutes to play. Kyle West then got the Falcons even before the end of the period with a power-play goal. The Falcons held a 17-3 edge in shots on goal.
There was no scoring in the second period which saw the Falcons outshoot the Panthers 8-5.
The Falcons took a 3-1 lead in the third but the Panthers rallied with a pair of late goals by Jackson Barrett and Thomas Young to tie the score. Young’s goal came on the power play with 1:44 remaining and Carson Edwardson in the box for high sticking.
Tanner Brown then netted the winner at the 1:07 mark of the extra period.
“I thought we had a lot of perimeter shots. We weren’t getting dirty,” Girhiny said. “I thought our transition was good, our speed was good, and if we score a couple of more goals in the first period, it’s a different game for sure.”
Pelham coach Mark Barrick wasn’t the least bit satisfied with one point.
“We should have had two (points),” he said. “Our guys deserved it.”
The Panthers appeared to have scored in the second period but the goal was waved off. Several former Falcons in attendance on alumni night visited after the game with Barrick, a former Falcons coach, and indicated the puck had crossed the line.
“I was happy with about half the game,” he said. “I wasn’t happy with our first period and it seemed like we played our best hockey when we got down 3-1 and took over and controlled the game after that.
“If we would have played 60 minutes the way we played in the last 15, it may be a different hockey game.”
Falcon facts: Jake Orr, Kristopher Black, Brannon Butler and Jaleel Adams were scratched for the Falcons . . . Nathan Gallen and Brodie Thoms did not dress for the Panthers . . . Shirley Storey was fan number 1 million in Falcons history to attend a game.
Falcons 4 Panthers 3 OT
BPSN Star of the Game: St. Catharines forward Xavier Drummond with a goal and an assist.
For the St. Catharines Falcons: Drummond (7); Kyle West (9); Tanner Brown (3); Noah Blakely (2).
For the Pelham Panthers: Thomas Young (9); Dylan Bigger (2); Jackson Barrett (1).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Pelham on Jack McGovern (19), by St. Catharines on Nicholas Kidd (44); Power plays: St. Catharines 1-for-5, Pelham 1-for-6; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 28, Pelham 16.
Attendance: 456.
Up next: At Pelham Sunday at 2:30 p.m. It is Hockey Day in Pelham. Half the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Pelham Cares. A food donation bin will also be set up at the Pelham Community Centre.
Canucks 4 Kilty B’s 3
Ben Evans scored twice in the third period to lift the Niagara Falls Canucks past the visiting Hamilton Kilty B’s at the Gale Centre.
Justin Kyle and Mitch Mendonca also scored for the Canucks.
Anthony Pinelli, Anthony Cordeiro and Mark Duarte replied for the Kilty B’s.
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