League News
Meagher scores 18th of season into empty net
Without a doubt, the Valley Maple Leafs played one of their most entertaining games of the 23-24 season Sunday evening in Windsor. The game featured, tenacious forechecking by the Leafs, 2 disallowed goals, both against the Penguins for kicking the puck into the net, Leafs affiliated player Justin Banks missing two breakaways, the Leafs hitting the crossbar on one scoring attempt and the Pens a goal post on another, two fighting majors and the game not decided until five minutes remained in the game. Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, the goal late in the game was scored by the Penguins to make it 2-1 before they added another with one second showing on the clock to make the final 3-1. Christopher Brown made it 1-0 Leafs with a wrist high to the left side of Pens goalie Will Shields in the opening period. Nick Veinot with his 5th goal and 24th point of the season scored an identical goal on a dandy 3 way passing play with a high wrist shot except this one was to the right of Leafs net minder Jackson Murphy who stopped 36 of 38 shots on the night to tie the game at 1 in the second. The winning goal came with just under six minutes left in regulation with players buzzing all around Murphy who made two initial saves but could not prevent the second rebound from going in providing the Penguins Ethan Maguire with the winning goal. Devin Meagher added the final goal of the game into an empty net, notching his 18th of the year. Veinot and Meagher are a single point behind Will Fitzsimmons of Antigonish for the League scoring lead. The Pens are now 16-3-0. The Leafs with the loss fell to 5-13-0 and will be back in action Friday night at home against the Capstone Colts who now trail the Penguins by two points in the chase for first place in the Fred Fox Division.