Blenheim Blades, now winless in their last five games, continue to play the opposition close but once again came out on the losing end of a one-goal game dropping a Provincial Junior Hockey League Stobbs Division contest 4-3 to the Dresden Kings before 425 fans at the Blenheim arena Sunday night.

   T.J. Saunby’s goal with just 53 seconds to play was the difference as the first-place Kings, now 11-1-0-1, continue to roll, while the Blades record dropped to 2-5-0-1.

   The seventh-place Blades lost back-to-back one-goal games on the weekend falling 3-2 to the Flags Saturday night in Mooretown, and then Sunday. Since winning 7-2 over the Petrolia Flyers Sept. 23 the Blades are 0-4-0-1 with three of the defeats coming by just one goal. Their only point came when they tied the Lakeshore Canadiens 1-1 Sept. 30.

   Next up for the Blades will be a Thursday game in Petrolia against the eighth-place Flags, with the ninth-place Wallaceburg Lakers coming to town Sunday at 7 p.m.

   Sunday the Kings jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals by former Blade Nolan VandenBoorn and Lucas Spence. Spence’s tally came on a powerplay of which there were many for both teams on the night.

   Blenheim then got those goals back with a pair of powerplay markers of their own when another former Blade Brendan Ritchie took a double minor for tripping at 4:37 of the second period.

   Cam Symons, with his first of two tallies, cut the Dresden lead to 2-1 at 5:38, and while Ritchie was serving his second minor Dede Cato tied the game at 7:13.

   Cato and Keegan MacVoy assisted on Symons goal, and MacVoy and Drew Marlatt did the same on Cato’s third of the season.

    Just over three minutes later at 10:17 Geoffry VandenBoorn put the Kings up 3-2 to end the second period scoring.

     With the third period just 19 seconds old Symons tied things at 3-3 with his fourth goal of the year with assists going to Cato and goalie Chris DeWulf.

    The game stayed that way until Saunby’s game winner with less than a minute to play.

    BLADES BITS: Dresden outshot Blenheim 37-32…DeWulf was in goal for the Blades and, despite the loss, had another strong game…Referee Kyle Vink called 21 minor penalties on the night with eight of them being for tripping…Both teams had nine powerplays and both scored two powerplay goals…The ice time sponsor was Clarke Drainage…Symons was the game’s first star, with the second star going to Dresden netminder Brett Brochu and the third to Cato.