AMHERST - The Woodstock Slammers scratched out a 4-3-shootout win over the Amherst Ramblers during Maritime Hockey League action Sunday in Woodstock. It was the first time the Slammers beat Amherst in the 2012-2013 campaign.
"We're pleased with the effort," said Jim Bottomley, Ramblers coach and general manager. "You always like to have the win, but any time you battle back against a quality team like Woodstock on the road and have a chance to win it, you have to be pleased."
Down 2-0, Ramblers captain Kody Orr made it a 2-1 game on a power play with 2:25 left in the second period. Maxime Richard and Mitchell O'Neill assisted on the goal.
"We had a shaky start at the beginning but a little over the halfway mark in the second period we started to take it to them," said Bottomley.
Down 2-1 going into the third, Ben Berisha tied the game 2-2 on a power play off a feed from Ben MacDonald.
Richard then put the Ramblers up 3-2 with 2:13 left in the game off a pass from Jeff MacPherson, but the Slammers Robbie DeFulvils tied the game 3-3 with 46 seconds left in the game.
"It was a rebound and we couldn't get it out and they scored on it," said Bottomley.
Nobody scored in overtime, and the game went to a shootout.
The shootout was a marathon that wasn't decided until a total of 26 players skated in with a chance to put the game away. Zach Shannon was the first player in the shootout and he scored on Ramblers goaltender Richard Tingley.
Berisha kept the shootout alive by scoring for the Ramblers against Woodstock goaltender Simon-Pier Chamberland, and then nobody could score for the next 18 shots. Woodstock's Shane MacDonald broke the stalemate, and Cam McDonald took the final shot for the Ramblers and couldn't get it past Chamberland.
"Tingley had a great game for us," said Bottomley. Tingley faced 37 shots during regulation, while his teammates had 35 shot on their opponent's goaltender.
Bottomley was pleased with his teams' effort.
"Woodstock added three or four guys the last couple days and we have the same team we had just before Christmas, so it was a big effort from our guys."
The Ramblers beat Woodstock in their previous two meetings of the season, a 4-1 win Sept. 15 in Amherst, and a 6-4 in Oct. 26 in Woodstock. They play again in Amherst on Jan. 19.
The Ramblers have 43 points and are in third place in the Eastlink Division, two points behind the Truro Bearcats and eight points behind the Yarmouth Junior A Mariners.
The Ramblers face Truro Wednesday night at home in what Bottomley called " a very important game."
"We got a point on the road against a quality club and now we're ready for Truro Wednesday night."
Game time is 7 p.m. at Amherst Stadium.
SATURDAY NIGHT NOTES:
10-5 win over the Dieppe Commandos.
Kody Orr and Brett Shute had four points each, one goal and three assists.
Jeff MacPherson, Josh Pugsley, and Mitchell O'Neil had three points each, one goal and two assists.
Jesse MacInnis scored two goals, Ryan Caswell had a goal and an assist, and Kyle Beckwith had two assists.
Danny Harquail and Robert Davis scored one goal each, while Cam MacDonald, Maxime Richard, Jamie Bishop, Brock Morrison and Ben MacDonald had one helper each.
The Ramblers outshot the Dieppe 53-42.
Attendance was 705.
