The Elora Mohawks won twice more last week, keeping their cushion atop the OLA Midwest Division over the Owen Sound North Stars.
The Tribe handed the rival Orangeville Northmen a 7-3 loss last Wednesday night in Elora, as Jake Weidner had four points and Brady Heseltine three to lead the win. Over the weekend, Elora needed a strong effort to beat the visiting Sarnia Pacers 6-4 Saturday night.
Against Orangeville, Elora fell behind early as the Northmen got goals from Andrew Stoner and Shayne Snider 16 seconds apart for a 2-0 lead halfway through the first period. Weidner responded by getting Elora on the board with his first goal of the night, while Heseltine tied the game up with just under four minutes to play in the frame.
Elora took command of the game during the second period - they took their first lead when Weidner netted a powerplay goal just over six minutes into the frame, while Kyle Goss snapped one past Curtis Rydall to put the Tribe up by two with six-plus minutes to play in the period. Weidner tacked on his third goal of the night three minutes after that to put the Mohawks firmly in charge.
Heseltine and Jordan Denny scored in the third period, sandwiched around a goal from Orangeville's Niall Caravello. Ricky McGarr picked up the win for Elora, making 35 saves on 38 shots. Rydall was handed the loss, making just 39 saves on 46 shots.
Other Mohawks with points were Jake Quarrie (2 assists), Mark Pfohl (2 assists), Kyle Dobbie (2 assists), Heseltine, Weidner, Todd Scarrow, McGarr and Steve Hutchison (1 assist each).
Following the game, Weidner said Elora was prepared for a tough game with the Northmen since their rivals always come in ready to rumble with the Mohawks.
"We took a while to get the feel of the game and just went from there," he said. "We got used to their play and what they were trying to do. I felt good tonight - we'd had a good hard practice and I just tried to keep that going in the game. I stayed confident and kept driving to the net and did the right things."
The win is Elora's second within the division, and Weidner knows all of those games will be key as the season heads into its second half. With games at Orangeville and Owen Sound this week, picking up a home-floor win was crucial.
"We didn't have our best effort against Guelph, but tonight our defence stepped up for us and it showed what we're capable of when we work hard," he said.
Three nights later, Elora struggled to find any sort of comfort zone against a tougher-than-expected Pacers team. Sarnia played the Mohawks shot for shot, holding a 3-2 lead at one point in the first frame before the Tribe tied it heading into the intermission.
After Josh Yurchuk put the Pacers up 4-3 halfway through the second period, Elora rallied for two goals in just under three minutes to take the lead for good. Kyle Dobbie scored his second of the night to tie the game at 4-4, while Goss one-timed a rebound past Pacers goalie Justin Matthews for the go-ahead goal 5:33 from the break.
Elora fell back on its defence for the third period, stiffling the Pacers' attack for much of the period. Dan Humphrey came up with 15 saves in the third alone, while the Tribe toughened up in front of him to keep Sarnia from mounting a serious comeback threat. Heseltine scored seven minutes into the period to give Elora a two-goal lead they would nurse home for the win.
Heseltine and Dobbie had two goals each, while Scott Cook and Goss had one apiece. Heseltine (2), Dobbie, Scarrow, Curtis Pyke (2), Weidner, Pfohl and Jason Bauer added helpers. Humphrey finished with 36 saves for the win, while Matthews made 46 in the defeat.
After the game, Mohawks coach Dean George said he wasn't pleased with any aspect of the game at all, but did give some praise to his defence for holding on to a slim lead in the third period.
"I thought we needed to close out gaps a lot better, and we should have done better with loose balls," he said. "Maybe we were thinking too much about our upcoming division games - as a staff, we put a lot of emphasis on those. I thought we prepared well for tonight's game, but we just didn't come in with the effort I thought we needed."
George gave a warning to his team about not respecting opponents and said it was dangerous to look past anyone.
"We need to respect every team that we face, especially the ones that come in here," he said. "The win over Orangeville was a good one because we won all the little battles on both sides of the ball. That's something we didn't do against Sarnia. Our defence worked really hard and preserved this win for us. I know going in to Orangeville on Monday night, we're going to get their best effort and if we're not ready for that we're going to get blown out."
The Tribe headed to Orangeville on Monday, May 17, for their first of two trips there this season. On Thursday, May 20, the Mohawks head to Owen Sound for their first meeting with the North Stars since their 8-4 win over them on opening night.
Elora's next home game comes on Saturday, May 29, when they welcome the Guelph Regals to town.