Lumberjacks in pre-season action

DAN CEARNS The Standard

The Port Perry Lumberjacks opened their exhibition game schedule this past weekend, coming out with a couple of wins and a loss.

Their first preseason action came at Kinsmen Civic Centre, in Peterborough, on the afternoon of Saturday, August 24th, against the Lakefield Chiefs.

A bit over a minute into the first period, Ben Robertson scored, giving the Lumberjacks the first lead of the game. However, the Chiefs struck twice later in the period, and the Lumberjacks trailed 2-1.

23 seconds into the second period, Jacob Sharpe put the puck in the net, on a Lumberjacks power play, tying the game 2-2. Only 32 seconds later, the Chiefs scored to make it 3-2. Then, a minute and a half into the period, Lakefield extended the lead to 4-2. Over three minutes in, the Chiefs would strike once again, and the Lumberjacks deficit was extended to 5-2. A little over nine minutes later, Tyler Dawson scored on the power play, to make it a 5-3 game. Dylan Waduck would add a goal late in the period, and Port Perry trailed 5-4, after 40 minutes of play.

Within the first six minutes of the third period, Lakefield scored twice, extending the score to 7-4. With only 2 seconds remaining, Sharpe scored his second goal of the game. The Lumberjacks lost 7-5.

The Lumberjacks continued their action, on the same day, with an evening matchup against the Little Britain Merchants, at the Lindsay Recreation Complex.

No goals were scored until the second period. A little over a minute into that frame, Kyle Robillard got the Lumberjacks on the board, making it a 1-0 game. However, the Merchants would strike past the halfway mark of the period, and the game was 1-1, after 40 minutes of play.

Less than four and a half minutes into the third period, Tommy Campbell restored the Lumberjacks lead with a goal. Then, nearly six minutes in, Robbie Young scored, to make it a 3-1 game. Brady McPhail added an empty net goal, late in the period, and the Lumberjacks won 4-1.

The Lumberjacks closed out their weekend action in Orillia, against the Terriers, on Sunday, August 25th.

It took until late in the first period for the first goal to be scored. With less than two minutes remaining on the clock, the Terriers put the puck in the net.

Yet, second period goals, from Sharpe and Mac Connelly, put the Lumberjacks ahead 2-1, after 40 minutes of play. The Terriers would strike twice, in the first seven minutes of the third period, and the Lumberjacks trailed by one goal again. However, over nine minutes in, Sharpe would score his second goal of the game, tying the game 3-3. Six minutes later, Andrew Naccarato-Soule scored, putting the Lumberjacks ahead 4-3. He added an empty net goal, later in the period, and the Lumberjacks defeated the Terriers 5-3.

One Timers:

- This season will see a division realignment. Joining the Lumberjacks, in the Orr division, are the Caledon Golden Hawks and the Schomberg Cougars. Leaving the Orr division and moving to the Tod Division are the North Kawartha Knights and the Lakefield Chiefs.

- The Lumberjacks open their regular season schedule on Saturday, September 14th, against the Little Britain Merchants, in Little Britain.

- The Lumberjacks first home game, of the regular season, will be held on Sunday, September 15th, in Scugog Arena, at 2:25 p.m. They will face the Golden Hawks in that game.