Canadiens hold off improving Admirals

It was a picture-perfect night for outdoor hockey Tuesday at Lanspeary Park in Windsor, and the Lakeshore Canadiens and Amherstburg Admirals made the most of it.

Locked in a 2-2 tie heading into the third period, Lakeshore broke through early when Conor Costello scored the go-ahead goal. About six minutes later, Aedan Sullivan added some breathing room, helping the Canadiens close out a 4-2 win.

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"I thought it was a fun game." Costello told Powerplay Sports. "Pleasure to play outdoor. It just got a little bit choppy in the second half of the game. We had to go up down up down to get it done."

Celebration after Costello scored game winner vs Amherstburg

Both teams traded goals through the first two periods. Lakeshore’s Michael Kopcok opened the scoring midway through the first, but Amherstburg’s Rory Sandison tied it late in the frame. The back-and-forth continued in the second period, as Lazar Dragicevic restored the lead for the Canadiens before Brett Jones equalized for the Admirals near the end of the period.

"Effort's there in the D zone. Boys were hitting, putting shots on net but just gotta find a way to score." said Admirals captain Drew Booker. "In the new year we're going to keep pushing. We're right there with Dresden and we're gonna keep climbing the rankings."

Despite only having three wins in eight games in December Booker likes the way the team has played. Their five loses were to the top three teams in their division (Lakeshore, Essex and Blenheim). Three were one goal losses while the other two, including Tuesday, were by two goals.

"We've been getting pucks out and keeping it simple," Booker said. "Finding ways to cycle, keep pucks low, get pucks to the point and we've been getting better but it's gotta be better in the new year, find a way to put the puck in the net."

Lakeshore starter Boe Piroski earned the win with a 25 save effort, while Amherstburg’s Bennett Horrocks turned aside 29 of 33 in a strong effort.

Final Score:Amherstburg Admirals 2 – Lakeshore Canadiens 4

Shots on Goal:Amherstburg 27 | Lakeshore 33

Amherstburg Goals: Sandison (1G, 1A), Jones (1G, 1A)

Lakeshore Goals: Kopcok, Dragicevic, Costello, Sullivan

Winning Goalie: Boe Piroski (LAK)

Losing Goalie: Bennett Horrocks (ABG)