Two days and 795 kilometers later, the Niagara College men's (4-3, 4th West) program returned home from a long road trip. In 2014, the road has not been kind to the Knights, but this weekend they came home with three important points in their quest to make the OCAA playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Saturday, September 27th saw the Knights lose a close battle to an unbeaten St. Clair Saints side (4-0-2, 3rd West) by score of 1-0.
Heading into the matchup, everyone was expecting a tough, hard fought game, as both teams are jockeying for playoff positioning and the right to host an OCAA post-season cross over match. The last four games between these two programs are even, with both clubs scoring eight goals, producing two draws and one win each.
Despite a strong road effort, the Knights dropped a 1-0 decision to the Saints, in a game that head coach Frank DeChellis described as "a high quality match that would have delighted any fan."
Just 24 hours later, the Knights competed in Sarnia against the Lambton Lions (2-2-2, 5th West). The match saw the team pick up their first road win of 2014.
With a goal and an assist, second year forward Carlos Williams (St. Catharines) led the Knights to the crucial 2-1 victory. Kyle Sheppard (Brampton) opened the game with a goal in the 51st minute before exiting the contest just four minutes later after receiving a red card.
Playing the last 35 minutes with only ten players, the Knights played as a strong and cohesive defensive unit to secure the victory.
"Today was a good win for the program," said head coach Frank DeChellis. "Rookie goalkeeper Sam Robson played 45 valuable minutes so that we were able to rest two key starters. Playing an aggressive team with ten men was good experience for us heading into the playoffs."
The win guarantees the Knights a spot in the 2014 OCAA playoffs but where they finish in the standings has yet to be determined.
The team will give themselves a chance at finishing in third place with a victory over the Mohawk Mountaineers on October 2nd (0-4-2, 8th West). Kick-off is set for 6:00pm at Youngs SportPlex in Welland, Ontario.
