Listowel Novice LL Red improved to 8-0-1 with a 4-1 victory
over their closest rivals - Listowel White.
The man of the hour was Kole Schiestel. The birthday boy celebrated with a hat-trick, which included the opening goal of the game in the middle of the first period.
Red opened up a 2-0 lead on a goal from Nehemiah Dyck, who tallied with about two minutes left in the frame.
The Red squad then made it a three-goal advantage on Schiestel’s second-period wrister, but that’s when White came roaring back with a goal of their own less than a minute later.
Red restored their three-goal lead with #17’s third of the evening, as he converted after some crisp passes from Noah Hiemstra and Brynn Berfelz, who each picked up an assist.
Berfelz was part of another strong defensive effort along with her fellow blue liners, Oliver Hershey, Finn Molenhuis and Warner Hurst. While all were key in clearing pucks away from goaltender Noah Szasz (now boasting a 1.33 GAA) and holding the line at the offensive end, Hurst’s efforts stood out enough to earn him the Player of the Game medallion.
The shutdown line of Ruby Hillier, Grayson Matheson and Spencer Henoeffer, as they did in Hanover, kept the White offense at bay with another solid transition game, repeatedly carrying play out of their own end and back into their opponent’s territory.
While the total teamwork led to an 8th victory, an even better effort will be required to lock down win number nine, as a home date with the Wallace Sabres in on deck. Puck drop for the battle between two of the top teams in the division is set for noon on Saturday.