Falcons welcome back key defencemen
It took Trent Vaillancourt exactly 2:17 to make his presence felt Friday night.
The 17-year-old defenceman for the St. Catharines Rankin Construction Falcons had been sidelined for more than two months with a torn meniscus in his knee, but returned to action and picked up an assist on his first shift as the Falcons disposed of the Port Colborne Sailors 9-3 at the Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex.
It was the seventh straight win for the Falcons who improved to 30-10-1-1 and sit in second place of the Golden Horseshoe Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League with 62 points. The Falcons are tied in points with the first place Caledonia Corvairs who hold three games in hand.
Vaillancourt collected the primary assist on Treyson Dewar’s 18th goal of the season as the Falcons roared out to a quick 4-1 lead just over eight minutes into the game.
“First shift. It got all the nerves out and it was way easier to play after that,” Vaillancourt smiled. “It was great. I just like the feeling. I’ve been missing it for so long and it puts a smile on my face every time I’m out there.”
Vaillancourt, who was drafted in the ninth round (168th overall) by Mississauga Steelheads in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, played in only a handful of games at the start of season before injuring his knee. He came back and played in three games before tweaking the joint again in early December, forcing him once again to the sidelines.
“Oh, it sucked watching every game,” said Vaillancourt, who attends Saint Michael Catholic School in Niagara Falls. “I like supporting the boys but it’s always good being out there.”
Vaillancourt put in the work to strengthen the joint at physiotherapy every day.
“I did a lot of mobility work and stretching and making sure everything is loose,” he said.
Falcons general manager/coach Tyler Bielby is thrilled to have Vaillancourt back.
“He brings a lot of physicality,” Bielby said. “He’s extremely, extremely tough to play against. He leans on everything. He’s got 40-year-old man strength. He’s incredible how hard he plays the game. He wants to get better every day. His attitude is right and he just brings us a solid effort tonight.”
The Falcons also returned defenceman Mitch Dmytrow to the lineup after a lengthy absence due to a leg injury. Dmytrow also chipped in right away with three assists.
“I don’t know if the hockey gods do these things, but they both had an assist on their first shift and it gets us off to a 2-0 lead early in the game and it flew from there,” Bielby said. “Both of them are big additions. They were pegged and brought in here to play top roles on our defence corps and we need to get them ready.”
Bielby finally has a full lineup from which to choose after the roster was decimated with injuries earlier in the season.
“If a guy gets banged up it’s not the end of the world and it also keeps these guys honest,” he said. “We want to get better every day and there’s a guy who wants your spot in the lineup. They are very close and a great group so you don’t sense that, but at the end of the day, there is a healthy competition in the lineup and all they can do is work hard and contribute and control what they can control.”
The Falcons led 4-2 after one period and 7-2 after two versus the struggling Sailors who have dropped 10 in a row to fall to into the basement with a 10-26-4-1 mark.
Bielby would like to see the Falcons lay off the questionable penalties with the playoffs looming.
“The message right from the beginning of the game is discipline,” he said. “That’s been our message for a long time. I don’t like some of the penalties our team takes all year. We’re trying to clean that up. We’re getting closer to playoffs and some of those penalties will crush you. It will be the difference maker.”
Falcon facts: Owen Simpson, Jordan Marconi, William Moore and Noah Read were scratched for the Falcons . . . Luke Hill, Val Johnston, Jonathan Graves, Cameron Colovin, Gavin Torkoff and Zach Scholar did not dress for the Sailors.
STATS PACK
Falcons 9 Sailors 3
Tyler Hunt of St. Catharines with two goals and two assists.
St. Catharines Falcons: Tyler Hunt 2 (22, 23); Brenden Anderson 2 (19, 20); Dylan Pergentile 2 (18, 19); Treyson Dewar (18); Mathew Hlacar (12); Tanner Hunt (5).
Port Colborne Sailors: Brody Coe (3); Jordan Harrison (2); Sammy Cino (1).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Isaac Gravelle (55), by Port Colborne on Cal Gardner (18); Power plays: St. Catharines 2/5, Port Colborne 1/9; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 24, Port Colborne 28.
Attendance: 528.
Up next: The Falcons are in Port Colborne Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and back home next Friday against Pelham.
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