Greg Palmer scored with 0.8 seconds left in the game to secure a 9-8 victory for the Toronto Beaches over the Oakville Buzz on Wednesday at the Toronto Rock Athletic Center. The win continued the undefeated season for the Beaches, while the Buzz fell to 3-5 on the season.
It was an odd game at times, with not much scoring at all through the first period and much of the second. But the pace picked up late in the second with a Beaches run, highlighted by more exceptional play from Willem Firth. Oakville responded with a nice run of their own in the third period, but a late goal from Matt Collison tied the game. Palmer then put the game on ice with less than a second left.
I was on the call with Matthew Caruk and the OJLL. The full stream can be found below.
Lets get into a couple things from the game.
Sports Center!
This game featured many great plays, but there were two highlights that stood out. They came within a minute or two of each other.
The first was Xander Derkatz’ sick between the legs goal in the third period for the Buzz. The righty forward took a pass from teammate Will Sheehan and burst through the zone before opting for the between the legs shot that ironically also went between the legs of goaltender Thomas Kiazyk.
Here is the clip in reel form from the LCD social.
And here is the clip from the broadcast.
The second play was some revenge from Kiazyk, who made one of the best saves you will see this season. Josh Ford (more on him later) won the faceoff and sprinted down the floor. After beating the double team, he worked his way across the goal. Kiazyk seemed to be down and out, but showed his athleticism and fought off the shot.
That proved to be crucial in a one-goal game. Both plays should be on Sports Center this week!
Fords Get it Done for the Buzz
Editors note: A previous version of this article referred to the Fords as brothers. They are not brothers, and this article has been corrected. Credit to Nicholas Reynolds on twitter for the correction!
Riley and Josh Ford were exceptional Wednesday for the Buzz. Riley led the team in scoring with 2 goals and 4 assists, including this nice shot to the top corner. Notice how he scoops the ball around his defender and into the top corner.Â
Meanwhile, Josh Ford did a bit of everything. He was excellent at the faceoff dot, but impacts the game in many more ways than just taking draws. He’s good with the ball and gets up in the play, but is stout defensively as well.Â
Here is a nice example of a good interception on the penalty kill and an immediate clear.
The Michigan Wolverine was excellent on Wednesday, and so was Riley.
Firth Cookies… Again
I will be quick on this one, but you may have seen the LCD clip this week about Willem Firth’s forechecking (if you didn’t see it, follow @laxculturedaily).
Well… he did it again.
Some guys just have a knack for this stuff. If you are a defender trying to clear. Maybe take the long way home next time when Willem is hunting you down.
Palmer Earning His Luck
I’ll end today with a note on Greg Palmer. He scored the winning goal with just 0.8 seconds left in the game. Check that out here.
Palmer has been one of the most under-rated players in the OJLL this year. Sure, he benefits from playing beside Firth and the other great players for Beaches, but so far this year he has been up to the task.
As of this writing, he’s got 54 points in just nine games this year, and has been the most important righty on the team. What I liked Wednesday was how many loose balls and extra possessions he earned for his club. This is a strength of Beaches in general, but Palmer did his part and it made a huge impact in the game.
It was unsurprising then that he got rewarded with the last goal. Good things come to those who work.
Thanks for reading, stay tuned to LCD for more coverage all summer long.