April 26th – The Saints opened the 2018 season in the belly of the beast, facing off with the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Clarington Green Gaels. Twelve Saints were getting their first taste of Junior B action and, early on, the youthful squad seemed unfazed by the moment.
Luca Romano opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, netting his first career goal. After that, rookie Dougie Crawford took over, scoring four times in the first period. Clarington didn’t back down and responded, scoring three late goals to head into the intermission with a 6-5 lead.
The second period opened with the teams trading chances. Saints rookie goaltender Cory Campbell stood tall, but then the Gaels dug in and went on a run. Seven goals in eight minutes put the Saints on their heels and Clarington in the driver seat. The period closed at 13-6 for the Gaels.
“We caught them early, hitting them hard and fast,” said Saints Head Coach, Dan Ransom Sr. “They realized they were in a game then and, being the experienced ball club that they are, they ramped it up.”
The third period saw the Gaels keep the pressure on. They added two more tallies in the first two minutes and then stifled the Saints attack with solid defence the rest of the way.
Final score: Gaels 18 - Saints 6.
Next up – these two teams get right back at it. The Saints host the Gaels in their home opener at Ray Twinney at 3PM. Be sure to get there early as the Saints will be unveiling their new home jerseys and giving fans a chance to win one of their vintage jerseys.