Pirates work overtime to pacify Panthers

Isaiah More and Gerrit Kempers both scored in Picton’s 6-5 overtime win in Port Hope Monday night.

Story and photos by Jason Parks
It took drama, overtime and plenty of offence, but the Picton Pirates kept their winning streak alive in Port Hope on Monday night.

The club’s 6-5 win against the Panthers made it four victories in as many tries and pushed Picton’s record over the .500 mark for the first time this season.

The Bucs sport a 6-5-2 record through 14 games and the squad drew to within a point of fourth place Lakefield after Monday’s game.

The hosts came into the contest with just one win in 11 games but the Cats gave the Panthers all they could handle.

The Pirates were trailing Port Hope 5-3 at the end of the second period but Kirk Stevenson beat the buzzer with his second of the night, lighting the lamp with just four ticks left in the middle stanza to bring the locals to within one.

The Pirates waited until the late going to square the affair. With Cohen Bedore on the bench in favour of an extra attacker, Picton pressed for an equalizer.

In a mad scramble at the Port Hope net, Captain Gerrit Kempers managed to knife a puck over the prone Port Hope netminder with just 1:45 left in the third to make it 5-5.

In overtime, the Pirates had to withstand a Port Hope power play through the opening two minutes. After Bedore made several point blank stops, Keenan Wiles picked up a Stevenson pass in his own zone, darted up the length of the ice, cruised to the high slot and ripped a puck past Liam Diaras at the 4:32 mark, earning the extra point for Picton.

Also scoring for Picton were Isaiah More and Caleb Doyle.

Goals Galore!
At home on Thursday, it was turn-back-the-clock night as Picton won a 1980’s style firefight 9-6 over the visiting Amherstview Jets. It was a strange one from the Pirate ship in Picton where the visiting Jets held 2-0 and 3-1 leads in the first.

That tough start for Picton was forgotten by the end of the second as the Pirates put up a six spot on the Jets. By the time 40 minutes had been played, Kempers had a hat trick while More, Joey Coates, Ben Smith and Wiles also counted for Picton.

Amherstview’s Brad Wilson scored in the opening minute of the third to give the Jets designs on a comeback but back-to-back goals by Ty Mulder and Wiles extinguished those ideas. Picton bombed the Amherstview net with 49 shots.

The Bucs are at home tomorrow night as the Jets fly back into Picton looking for redemption and Picton tries to make it five wins in a row. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.