Meteors raise banner, blank Bombers
The Fort Erie Meteors opened the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in style Saturday night.
The Meteors held a brief ceremony before the game to raise their Golden Horseshoe Conference championship banner from last season, then went out and played a nearly flawless game to defeat the Caledon Bombers 4-0.
Meteors general manager/coach Nik Passero appreciated the moment.
“Yeah, that was really, really cool to have all our friends and family here and returning guys and alumni,” Passero said. “It was really nice. I thought there were lots of people here. It was loud. Really, really, really, really cool experience.”
After the banner was raised, Passero said last year was 100 per cent in the rear view mirror.
“That’s kind of how the end of the ceremony went — this concludes the championship season and now we’ve got to move on with it and we’ve got to defend it.”
The Meteors got off on the right foot, turning in a typical solid defensive effort the club has made its trademark.
“Yeah, I thought we locked it down, even early,” Passero said. “These guys, they’re learning, and I think it’s getting through to them what it takes to play here and that’s exciting. We had a good goalie performance by John Lloyd, which we’re going to look forward to for the rest of the year.”
Lloyd faced just 15 shots in recording the shutout, including only a combined eight shots in the final two periods.
“It’s a great day today but we still have one more game tomorrow to finish off the weekend. So definitely looking forward to that as well and the season is just getting started,” Lloyd said.
Lloyd, a 20-year-old native of North York, had a strong season with a 2.13 goals-against average and .917 save percentage last season as the back up to Charlie Burns, who has moved on to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
Lloyd is looking forward to taking the ball and running with it.
“I’m an overager this year, so I’m going to capitalize on all of my opportunities,” he said.
Lloyd was a perfect backup last season, accepting his role while excelling when called upon.
“The team is the No. 1 priority so I just really wanted to be as much of a team guy as I could. Support Burnsy and support the team wherever I could, you know, whether it was staying out later in practice or stuff like that.”
Passero feels Lloyd should have some prospects to play beyond this season.
“He’s got some opportunities to move on,” Passero said. “He put his trust in us to come back here and have this job. We’re putting our trust in him. With his backup, Finn (Moffett), they’re a great tandem.”
Lloyd wanted to finish his junior career in Fort Erie.
“I like the coaching staff here, they like me. I know they’re very connected so there’s definitely a big chance to move forward and move on, whether it be NCAA or Ontario schools.”
Following a scoreless first period, Sam Tonelli scored the Meteors first goal of the season six minutes into the second.
Fort Erie then put the game away with three goals in the final period, including one by rookie Tate Donald.
Metscellaneous: Captain Rylan Masterson, Hunter Coley and Eric Cunningham did not dress for the Meteors . . . The Bombers went 5-44-0-1 last season.
STATS PACK
Meteors 4 Bombers 0
Mets goalie John Lloyd with 15 saves for the shutout.
Fort Erie Meteors: Sam Tonelli (1); Kyle Adamo (1); RJ Schmidt (1); Tate Donald (1).
Caledon Bombers: No scoring.
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Fort Erie on Nolan Godfrey (52); by Caledon on John Lloyd (15), Power plays: Fort Erie 1/4; Caledon 0/3, Penalty minutes: Fort Erie 18; Caledon 10.
Attendance: 479
Next up: The Meteors head to Welland Sunday at 7 p.m.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 6,200 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
