Goaltender Wesley McLeod couldn’t be beat Friday night as the Ridge Meadows Flames blanked the Abbotsford Pilots at home 2-0 to register their eighth win of the season.
The local junior B hockey team bounced back from a 5-1 loss to the Richmond Sockeyes on Thursday with the shut-out win, that saw McLeod stop all 27 shots he faced.
McLeod was named the game’s first star for his performance in net, earning the Flames their first shut-out of the season.
The Pilots put plenty of pressure on McLeod early in the game, outshooting the Flames 11-4 in the first period. However, it was Flames’ forward Matt Bissett who struck first, scoring eight and a half minutes into the first period to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.
Shane Harle scored early in the second period to put Ridge Meadows up 2-0. Abbotsford was unable to muster any offence in the second and third periods, putting just 16 shots on net.
The Pilots pulled goalie Aaron Oakley with less than a minute to play, but were unable to get on the scoreboard. Paul Piluso, Sean Pesut, Dean Gilmore, and Danny Brandys each had assists for the Flames. Bissett and Harle were named the second and third stars, respectively.
With the win, the Flames improve their record to eight wins, 27 losses, and one overtime loss.
The shutout win came just a day after the Flames lost 5-1 to Richmond on the road. The Sockeyes hold the Pacific International Junior Hockey League’s best record of 31-6, and again showed why they are the class of the league as they outshot the Flames 58-23.
Game time
• The Ridge Meadows Flames next home game is this Friday as they host the Delta Ice Hawks at Planet Ice in Maple Ridge. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
