LUCAN – Kalvin Thornton scored his first hat trick of the season as the Exeter Hawks cruised to a 5-1 win over the Lucan Irish Dec. 28.

He opened the scoring midway through the first period and added goals in each ensuing frame, including a shorthanded effort with about eight minutes left in the third.

It was one Thornton's best offensive games this season, and part of a trend that's caught the eye of Exeter head coach Steve Bedard.

"Kalvin's stepped up his game the last three or four games," Bedard said in an interview. "He's really starting to get to the net with more offensive intentions."

Thornton has been playing on a line with Alex Garon and Trevor Thornton – the Hawks' leading scorers – and that may have helped his game.

He also reads the play well and has been playing grittier hockey, according to Bedard.

"I think that's where he's being rewarded now – getting those bounces in front of the net," Bedard said.

"(I'm) very happy with his performance the last three or four weeks, and all season also. We're still trying to get lines set, so we've mixed some guys around a little bit, and Kalvin's been with every combination there is.

"He's doing well wherever he plays, with whoever he plays with."

The Hawks led Lucan 3-1 after the first period Dec. 28, thanks to goals from Kalvin Thornton and Garon.

Jordan May scored for Lucan with 3:20 left in the frame.

Thornton and Matthew Ross added Hawks goals in the second period, and Thornton completed  his hat trick in the third.

The Irish were without three key players due to the Christmas break – Sam Jongeneel, Keiron Cobban and Jake Flemington, who won't return until Jan. 9.

"We were definitely shorthanded," said Irish head coach Dan Mudge, who added his team was playing with three lines.

"When the score was 3-1, the effort was there," he added. "But definitely, Exeter's got a good squad.

"(Hawks goaltender) Aaron Bedard played very well, as usual, and I think Kalvin Thornton and Tim Burtch are carrying the load for those guys. They're really playing well."

Aaron Bedard had 35 saves in the game, while Irish goaltender Dylan Gray made 43 saves in the loss.

The Hawks benefitted from the arrival of defenceman Matt Ross, a former Junior 'B' player and Belleville Bulls draft pick who recently joined the team.

Ross had one goal and three assists against Lucan, adding size (he's listed at 6'4" and 215 lbs) and a booming slap shot to the Hawks' defensive core.

"He's going to help our power play, I think," said Steve Bedard. "He does a good job of holding the puck in their end, and with his size he's a hard guy to get around.

"You've got to make your moves pretty quick on him. And he's got a real heavy shot ... I think he's going to bring more offence for us, and of course his strength is going to be huge when it comes to playoff time too."

The first-place Hawks return to action Friday on the road against third-place Thamesford and face North Middlesex on the road Saturday.

Bedard considers Friday's game a big one.

"We definitely want to go into that barn with a game plan that we're going to be really forechecking hard down low, and lots of shots to the net," he said.

"If you can get on their goalie early and score, you can have some success there. It's all about getting down low with a good forecheck with those guys, and not letting them make too many passes come out of their end."

The sixth-place Irish were set to face fifth place Port Stanley last night (Tuesday), and host seventh-place North Middlesex tonight.

Lucan is set to face second-place Lambeth Sunday on the road.

Tuesday's game was to be the fifth since Mudge took over as head coach, and Mudge planned to evaluate the entire team at that point.

Roster changes are a "definite possibility," Mudge said, but added the team hasn't been out of any game since he arrived.

"It's a combination of, we're feeling our way through, and we're quite excited," he said. "By the time playoffs get here, we're very excited to be where we're going to be."

Bedard noted the Hawks have outscored their opponents by a wide margin in their last eight periods of hockey.

"(The players are) starting to see that their hard work's getting rewarded, and we've just got to keep on stepping it up every week, trying to keep on pushing the envelope to make every other team want to push their game up," he said.
"Hopefully we can stay on top."

Next up

Tonight's Irish home game against North Middlesex is set for a 7:45 p.m. start at the Lucan Community Memorial Centre.

The Hawks' road game against Thamesford is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m., and their Saturday road game against North Middlesex is set for 8 p.m.


Cutline:

Shutting the door – Lucan Irish forward Nick Moniz (foreground, dark jersey) tries to sneak the puck past Exeter Hawks goaltender Aaron Bedard as Hawks forward Kalvin Thornton (No. 11) looks on. (photo/Ben Forrest)