A three-point game from Dylan Abbamont helped lift the Hamilton Kilty B’s over the Fort Erie Meteors Saturday night, in a wild 7-5 game on the road.
It was Abbamont’s second goal of the game, and 27th of the season, with just under two minutes remaining in this one that made the difference.
The Kilty B’s (29-6-0-0) started out strong, taking a three-goal lead into the first intermission thanks to tallies from Nathan Phillips (9), MacDougall (13) and Justin Monteith (21).
Phillips got things going when he took an Abbamont pass on a two-on-one, and roofed the puck into the net.
MacDougall added to the lead a couple of minutes later with a nice wrist shot after working to get the puck into a good shooting position on a one-on-two rush.
And three minutes afterward, Liam Galton sprung Monteith on a break with a stretch pass from his own end, Monteith beating Meteors starter Duncan Nichols-Delay five-hole, ending the goaltender’s day after three goals in the first thirteen minutes.
Joshua Smith replaced Nichols-Delay, and the Meteors settled down in front of him for the rest of the first frame. Fort Erie (16-15-0-1) came out with a new confidence after the intermission, with Joshua DiFrancesco (12) and Jayden Baldinelli (11) narrowing the gap to just one.
A response from Abbamont regained the two-goal advantage at 4-2 for the Kilty B’s, but it would be short lived. Luke Gualtieri evened the game for Fort Erie with two goals in quick succession, scoring his 4th and 5th goals of the season just two minutes apart, and getting Kilty B’s starter Gage Stewart the yank.
MacDougall’s wrist shot in the third period beat Fort Erie’s goalie past his blocker, for the forward’s 14th of the season, and gave Hamilton the lead once again.
Abbamont would add his second of the game, and 27th of the season, on a breakaway to make the game 6-4 with three minutes left. The insurance marker would prove invaluable, as with just over a minute remaining in the game, the Meteors were awarded a penalty shot. Brendan Krawczyk made no mistake for his 5th of the season, and Fort Erie had renewed hope.
The spirited comeback attempt ended for good with an empty net goal by Sam Shakes (11), putting the Kilty B’s up 7-5 five seconds before the final buzzer.
All the goals from tonight’s 7-5 thriller against @FEMeteors #Bringbackthebuzz | #HamONT pic.twitter.com/OqX06bYpel
— Hamilton Kilty B’s (@HamiltonKiltyBs) February 20, 2022
Braedyn McIntosh (10-2-1-0) was solid in relief for the Kilty B’s, allowing one goal on 14 shots.
Joshua Smith (3-11-0-1) picked up the loss for the Meteors, stopping 20 of the 23 shots he faced after coming in midway through the first period
Hamilton takes on Welland at home on Monday.
Next Game Matchup Preview:
- Hamilton is 5-0-0-0 against Welland this season, most recently a 6-3 Feb. 11 matchup at Dave Andreychuk Arena.
- Welland plays at home against Fort Erie on Sunday night.
- The Jr. Canadians are 13-18-3-0 this season, good for 5th in the Golden Horseshoe Conference, while the Kilty B’s remain in 1st.
