Photo/BRIAN LOCKHART SHELBURNE REDWINGS FORWARD Alexander Nikulnikov rifles a shot from the point during Friday’s game against the Elliot Lake Bobcats in Shelburne. The Bobcats went on to win 5-3 over the Redwings. The Shelburne “Russian” Redwings dropped two games over the weekend but turned it around in game three with a close win over the Bradford Rattlers.

The weekend started with a Friday game against the Elliot Lake Bobcats - and no one thought it would be a laid back 60 minutes.

The Bobcats came to the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex as the first place team in the GMHL after losing only two games this season - and one of those losses was in overtime.

Even so, the win for the Elliot Lake squad didn’t come easy.

It was the first period that caused the problems for the Redwings when the Bobcats scored three in under a minute and a-half to lead going into the second period.

A fourth Elliot Lake goal early in the second period put the pressure on Shelburne to get back in the game.

They did, when Alexander Nikulnikov scored too late in the frame to light up the board on the Shelburne side - the second one on a powerplay.

Assists came from Stanislav Dzakhov and Stanislav Tochilov.

The Redwings didn’t let up for the rest of the game and they did capitalize on some opportunities but a couple of inches made all the difference when a pair of shots bounced off the goal post and one hit the crossbar.

The Bobcats got some insurance in the third period on a mid-frame goal by Chad Bryan to give them a three goal lead.

But a final effort by the Redwings and a goal by Pavel Bistyaykin with just 25 seconds left in the game brought the score a little closer but too late to make any difference.

The final was 5-3.

Despite losing, Redwings head coach Jim Aldred said he thought the Redwings squad played a good game.

“That kind of hurts us when you’re down three goals,” Aldred said. “But these kids fought back. I was very proud of them. They came back and they never quit. We did have a short bench. There was a couple of kids that got hurt. Basically we were playing with two lines.”

Aldred was expecting a tough battle from the Elliot Lake squad and figures they will meet again when the playoffs get underway.

The GMHL will split the league into a north and south division for the playoffs.

“They (Bobcats) are one of the best teams in the league. I told the guys that if you want to win the championship, you have to beat this team.”

The loss was number eight for the Redwings this season The big surprise over the weekend was a loss to the eighth place Toronto Canada Moose the following night in Toronto.

After playing to a 1-1 tie in the first period - with a Toronto goal scored on a penalty shot - the Canada Moose scored two in the second period to get the edge going into the third frame.

One more Toronto goal in the third period and a Shelburne single by Keagan Leveque ended the game 4-2 for the Moose.

On Sun., Dec. 5 the Redwings took the short hop over to Bradford to face the Rattlers.

Despite outs-hooting the Redwings 48-34 the Rattlers couldn’t find the back of the net and the Shelburne squad took the lead in the second period on goals by Nikulnikov and Dzakhov.

The Rattlers lit up the score board on their side in the third on a single by Stanislav Izvekov, but the Redwings defence shut them down for the rest of the game.

Shelburne took the win 2-1.

The Redwings return to home ice this weekend on Friday, December 10, to face the Algoma Avelanche.

The puck drop is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

Bantam

Fines Home Hardware/B & A Renovations Bantams played host to the Grand Valley Bantams this past Sunday night. Shelburne got off to a sluggish start and were trailing 2-0 early in the second period.

Jamie Bennett led the comeback with two goals - the second one shorthanded.

Justin Graham and Nic Fines assisted the first of Bennett’s goals.

Shelburne’s strong defensive squad of Dean Currie, Cole Newton, Jackson Seeley and Matt Taylor limited the highpowered Grand Valley forwards to mostly long shots that made Bryce Dillmans’ job between the pipes much more enjoyable.

With just over five minutes remaining Jeff Brett went end-to-end and deked the goalie to notch the winning goal. These two teams meet again next week and also in the SilverStick at Christmas break.

Midget

The Midget local league sponsored by Crewson insurance played at home on November 29, against Dundalk.

First to score was Shelburne with a top shelf goal by Lucas Warmelink.

Dundalk pulled ahead but Shelburne fought back with goals by Patrick Lynch from the point, Conner Young with a top shelf goal and an equalizer by Lucas Warmelink on a

breakaway.

Assists were by Conner Young and Jeremy Falls.

Despite fighting hard and a lot of shots on goal by Shelburne, at the end of the last period the game remained tied at four.

The Midget local league team also travelled to Durham for a tournament on Saturday, December 4. Their first game was 3-0 loss against Durham.

The team rallied in their second game against Collingwood.

Linus Kreuzhofen scored off a rebound to tie the game, and the team won in overtime with a goal by Lucas Warmelink for a final score of 2-1.

In the consolation final against New Hamburg, Shelburne fought hard with goals by Luke Miller and Lucas Warmelink in the last 30 seconds of the game.

Final score was a loss of 7-2.

Lucas Warmelink was named MVP for the final game of the tournament.