Phil Janikowski tallied one point to lead the Essex 73s to a 5-1 victory over the Blenheim Blades.

Essex excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in four chances. The 73s forced Blenheim goalie Eric Stewardson to work between the pipes, taking 34 shots.

Essex also got points from Tyler Turner, who also registered one goal and two assists. Essex also had goals scored by Eric Shaw, Matthew Hebert, and Daniel Slipchuk, who each put in one. In addition, Essex received assists from Michael Vieira, who had three and Nick Mainella, Anthony Cristofaro, Tyler Scott, and Scott Bromley, who each chipped in one.

The Blades were led by Kellen Kaniecki, who scored the team's only goal. Kaniecki scored 4:19 into the first period to make the score 1-1. Phillip Clarke provided the assist.

Essex's Colin Lauzon stopped 21 shots out of the 22 that he faced. The 73s incurred 20 minutes in penalty time with five minors. Essex ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Matthew Rosati was ejected from the game. Stewardson rejected 29 shots on goal for Blenheim. The Blades ended with 25 minutes in penalty time with five minors and one major. Team's Derek Muzzatti and Blair Derynck were slapped with misconducts and ejected from the game.