Amherstburg Admirals fall after 7 straight wins

By Angelica Haggert

Fans of the Amherstburg Admirals were not nearly as happy on the weekend as they were before the new year.

After finishing the 2017 calendar year with seven straight wins, the Admirals lost Sunday night 5-0 to local rival Essex 73’s.

“We need more shots on net,” said Admirals fan Brian Bradt. “We had seven shots on net in two periods. We can’t win a hockey game like that.”

Bradt said although the night was rough, Amherstburg isn’t done for the season.

“We have a great chance to win this year. Essex and Lakeshore aren’t at the top of their game, but we’re climbing up. It’s not showing tonight, but we’ll get there,” he said.

Essex was in fine form, welcoming back their captain Tyler Boughner after a month-long hiatus due to injury. Essex outshot the Admirals 39-19 and scored all five of their shutout points in the first two periods.

“The team really came together. We’ve had a couple bad games against this team,” said goalie Tyler Ryan. The Admirals had defeated the 73’s in their previous three meetings.

“I think we really bought in to how we’re supposed to play. That made all the difference,” said Ryan.

The Essex 73’s could be considered the most successful Junior C franchise in Ontario. The team has won a record 20 league championships, appeared in 14 Schmalz Cup finals and won the Cup a record seven times.

On the other side of the ice, the Admirals are a relatively new team to the franchise, having existed until 2013 as the Kingsville Comets. In the 26-year history as the Comets, the team failed to win a league championship or even make the final.

This year’s success for the Admirals has largely been attributed to the home-grown talent stacking the roster. Thirteen of the 23 players are from Amherstburg, along with the majority of the coaching and support staff.

With the recent win giving the 73’s some motivation, Ryan said they’re ready for their home-ice match tonight against the Wallaceburg Lakers.

“I think we’re looking pretty good. We’ve just really got to make sure that we’re ready.”

Five points separate the 73’s, the Admirals and the teams from Dresden, Lakeshore and Mooretown in the Great Lakes Junior C league. The regular season wraps up at the end of this month.