Maybe the Lockport Express just needed a change of scenery. Maybe they just needed a few games to gel under new/old coach, Frank Vecchio. At any rate, the Express swept the NA3HL Showcase Weekend in Blaine, Minnesota. They completed the weekend with a 7-1 victory over the Helena Bighorns. They have now won 4 out of their last 5 games.
Pavel Kovtunov opened the floodgates for Lockport Sunday morning with a goal at 9:38 of the first period. Blake Bennett added another assist to his scoresheet on the play. A mere 19 seconds later, Bennett scored his first of the game to give Lockport a 2-0 lead after Luca Mazzo fed him the puck. Frankie Bodami boosted Lockport’s lead at 15:11, from Erick Santiago. They took the 3-0 lead into the first intermission.
Luca Mazzo gave Lockport a 4-0 lead on his goal at 7:59 of the second. John Duffy provided the assist. Bennett recorded his second of the game at 13:08 from Brandon Schweickert. Andrew Logar made it 6-0 at 16:15 on an unassisted goal. Helena broke the goose egg on their side of the scoreboard with a tally by Adam Apangalook at 18:09. However, less than a minute later, Bennett completed the hat trick to make it 7-1. Logar provided the assist.
Adam Partridge made 24 saves on 25 shots during the game, and made 58 saves on 64 shots for the weekend. Lockport outshot their opponents 102-64 through the three games of the showcase. Blake Bennett led the team for the weekend with 6 goals and 5 assists. Andrew Logar followed with 3 goals and 5 assists. Luca Mazzo was the third-leading scorer with a goal and 4 assists.
According to head coach, Frank Vecchio, “It was a challenging weekend with the weather delays, but we played very well and got three wins. The showcase was a great experience for our players.”
“Everyone played really well this weekend. The D really helped out in front of the net, limiting shots and good scoring chances. The lines were clicking and Bennett made a huge impact with three 3-point plus games. Four wins in the last five is a huge boost heading into the Christmas break, and for the second half of the season,” said goalie, Adam Partridge.
The other teams in the Northeast Division were being played at the time of publication.
The Express will be off for the holidays until January 7th, when they visit the Jersey Shore Wildcats. The next home game will be January 21st at Cornerstone Ice Arena against the Roc City Royals.
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