Pirates bring down league leaders

The Picton Pirates (10-8-1) turned in one of their finest defensive efforts of the season in bringing down the league leading Port Hope Panthers on Saturday night.
Picton surrendered just 28 shots in picking up their fifth straight win.
“We really did a tremendous job at keeping Port Hope away from the centre of their ice and of the three goals they scored, two of the them were goals that (Goaltender Haydn McIroy) would like to have a second chance at,” Pirates assistant coach Ryan Woodward said.
McInroy picked up his third win of the season and continued his mastery of the Panthers.
In three trips to Port Hope this season, the Bloomfield native has two wins and a shootout loss.
Tyler Kearns staked the Pirates to 1-0 lead when defenceman Ian Wallwork set the London native up for his seventh of the season.
Despite outshooting the Panthers in the second, Picton finished the second tied with the Cats.
Courtland Araujo scored a couple of minutes into the frame, but Kearns and Mitch Rosborough set up Pirates leading point getter Evan Greer for a powerplay marker at 8:35.
The Panthers drew even again when Chris Jones scored with about five minutes left.
In the third and the game very much in doubt, Picton bagged a pair of goals in the opening five minutes to set the tone.
The ‘Kid’ line of Jeff Kingdon, Ryan Sizer and Jack Davison clicked on the powerplay at 3:59 with Kingdon pulling the trigger for his tenth of the season.
Less then two minutes later, 17-year-old rookie Ryan Vader scored his fifth of the season and the goal stood up as the eventual game winner.
Eric Hayes and Jesse Lloyd assisted.
Port Hope would make it close in the last five minutes with Josh Fulford scoring at 16:29, but Rosborough fired the puck into the vacated Panther cage with two seconds left to salt the game away.
Davison picked up his second assist of the game and the goal gives Rosborough 11 points in nine games this season.
Picton looks to make it six games in a row on Thursday when they host the Amherstview Jets.
Pirates GM Jason Parks said the game should be a dandy.
“I think the guys are on a roll and have something to prove as we haven’t been able to beat Amherstview yet this season,” Parks said.
Puck drop is 7:30 pm.