For the second straight game, the Port Perry MoJacks were faced with the prospect of suffering their first loss of the season.  But it was Mitchell Gustavsen’s late game heroics, and some timely powerplay goals, that helped stave off the Georgina Ice and kept the Jacks perfect record intact.

It had all the markings of a classic trap game – a home game versus the last place team on Halloween weekend after a monster comeback in Uxbridge on Friday night.  The Georgina Ice were also very shorthanded, with only 13 skaters dressed for the contest.  Despite all that, it was the Ice who were ready to play.

The Ice won the opening faceoff, barged into the MoJacks zone and Justin Wain ripped a shot past a surprised Jacob Lebel.  14 seconds into the game the Ice had a 1-0 lead.  The goal was Wain’s 10th of the year, to go along with 8 assists.  His 18 points leads all Orr Division defencemen, and puts him fifth in the entire PJHL.

The MoJacks fired 17 shots at Georgina goalie Tyler Richardson in the opening period, but the teams skated off the ice after 20 minutes without scoring another goal.  At the end of the period however, Tyler Hutchinson was assessed a double minor for an awkward trip in the neutral zone.  It didn’t take long for Georgina to capitalize to start the second.

Jonathon Kaye threw the puck across the crease from down low, and Lebel tried to block It, but it squirted off his pad and trickled in behind him for a two goal Ice lead.  Georgina kept coming, and on the next shift Dustin Brillinger made it three when he took a pass from Joshua Lemmon and snapped one past Lebel to give him a goal and an assist on the afternoon.  The top-ranked Ice powerplay struck for three goals in seven opportunities.

It was the MoJacks powerplay which got them going as well.  Liam Schweda put a perfect pass on the tape of graham Lamers.  Lamers showed great poise and patience to out-wait Richardson and flick a quick shot over the pad to put Port Perry on the board and get the crowd into the game.  It was the Oshawa native’s fifth of the young season, and fourth goal in the last three games, after he led all MoJacks goal scorers last season with 24.

A few minutes later, Georgina’s Cameron Cattel took a slashing penalty, and the powerplay went back to work.  The MoJacks moved the puck around quickly and it ended up on the stick of a wide open Konrad Piorkowski, who ripped a shot from the circle.  Richardson made the stop, but the puck lay in the crease and a scramble ensued.  Toby Cooper pounced on it and poked it home to get the MoJacks within a goal.  It was Schweda with another great pass from the top to find Piorkowski, but he was not credited with an assist for some reason.

The Ice restored there two goal margin shortly afterwards however.  Cattel made up for his penalty by blasting a one-timer through Lebel just after a MoJacks penalty expired.  Lebel had faced a barrage during the powerplay, but it was probably one he would like to have back.  At any rate, the teams went to the room with the last place Ice up two on the Jacks.

Port Perry continued to skate hard and forecheck vigorously in the third period, and the short bench started to take its toll on Georgina.  Halfway through the frame, after being hemmed in their own zone, the Ice attempted to make a change but the puck didn’t even make it to the MoJacks blue line.  Captain Lucas Berkers jumped on the loose disc and looked up to see nothing but daylight in front of him.  He roared in and picked the top corner on Richardson who never had a chance.  Despite allowing five goals, Richardson played extremely well making 46 saves on 51 shots.

Georgina’s bench got even shorter at the 13:14 mark when forward Matthew McIntyre hit MoJacks defenceman James Boyle into the boards from behind.  Boyle stayed down for several minutes and had to leave the game.  McIntyre was assessed a five minute major and game misconduct, and the window of opportunity inched a little further open for the MoJacks.

Liam Schweda continued his magic touch from the point with the man advantage when he fired one on goal through traffic, forcing Richardson to go down and make the save.  The MoJacks swarmed the crease and Cooper poked the puck over to Mitchell Gustavsen who slammed it home to tie the game.  The MoJacks continued to apply heavy pressure for the rest of the period, but were hampered by some penalties of their own, and the buzzer sounded with the score deadlocked.

Both teams had chances in the extra period, but Port Perry controlled much of the play.  About five minutes in, with a delayed penalty on the way to the Ice, Ian Elkins darted free and broke in past the defence.  As he got in on goal he was hooked aggressively by an Ice player and the referee ruled his scoring chance was impeded enough to award a penalty shot.  Elkins tried a nice deak on Richardson, but the Georgina tender was up to the task and the game went on, although not for much longer.

On the 4-on-3 powerplay in overtime, Mitch Gustavsen picked the puck out of the corner in the Georgina zone, circled out, and using the defenceman as a screen, ripped a rocket past Richardson for his second of the game, tenth of the year and sixth in the last five games.  The Port Perry forward now has 21 points in 13 games, matching his total from last season when he played in 33 games for the MoJacks.  Port Perry’s powerplay equaled Georgina’s with three goals on seven tries.

The MoJacks face a test of fortitude this upcoming weekend with three games in three days.  They will renew hostilities with the Ice in Georgina on Friday night before traveling to Little Britain on Saturday evening for the first of a home and home.  The Merchants will visit the Scugog Arena on Sunday afternoon for the annual Remembrance Day game.  The MoJacks ask you to arrive early to avoid missing the pre-game ceremony.