It's games like this that the depth of the Elora Rocks shines through - games when they trail late and need some magic from players other than their big guns.
The Rocks saw their season-long win streak nearly come to an end at the hands of the Shallow Lake Crushers Saturday night, but a three-goal third period kept the Rocks undefeated and alone in first place in the WOAA North division. Dale Wideman, Mike Brito, Pat Shantz and Jordan Fair scored for the Rocks as they earned a 4-3 win over the Crushers to improve to 15-0.
With the teams tied 1-1 after the first period, it began to look more like Elora would be leaving with a 14-1 record. The Crushers scored powerplay goals late in the second and early in the third to seize a 3-1 lead with 13:37 to play. Shallow Lake goalie Andrew Smith kept Elora frustrated despite plenty of shots for the Rocks, but the Crushers could only keep the visitors down for so long.
Brito got the rally started with his goal at the 9:58 mark, and Shantz then tied the game up less than two minutes later. With momentum finally going their way, Fair completed the comeback when he scored with 4:46 to play. Blake Sinclair took care of the rest in goal for Elora, picking up his sixth win of the season.
Brandon Young, Brett Machin, Rod Bauman, Matt Snider, John Lunney, Tyler Leggo, Ken Dunn and Travis Martin added assists in the win. Jeremiah Henderson led the Crushers with a goal and assist in defeat.
The Rocks return home for a pair of games this week, starting with their make-up date against the Walkerton Capitals on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 8:30 p.m. On Friday, the Rocks welcome the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks to town for their only meeting in Elora this regular season. Game time is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.