Wild fall to Richmond Hill
By Bill Rea

The King Wild turned in an entertaining performance Saturday night, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the first-place team in the league.

Playing without some of their starters, the Wild came out on the wrong end of the 7-4 final against the Bradford Rattlers.

“We came out expecting to lose because we were short players,” Head Coach Paul Hampton commented after the match, lamenting they’re having trouble icing a full lineup.

The missing players include Mark Troft, who Hampton called “one of our most talented defencemen.” His mates are pulling for him as he responds favourably to treatment for cancer.

The side was down 4-1 after the first period, after allowing two quick goals toward the end of the frame, and they trailed 6-4 after two.

He also praised the Bradford club for the depth of their roster. “You’ve got to be firing on all cylinders to beat Bradford,” the coach remarked.

Despite the disadvantages, Hampton said his men didn’t fold up and quit.

“I was really happy with the way they worked,” he said. “We knew we were behind the 8-ball going into the game.”

Production for the Wild came from Jordan Giraro, with a pair of goals, Kurt Zdrillich had a goal and three assists, Derek long got the other marker, Dan Douglas picked up three assists and Kyle Baulne and Matt Dickins notched one assist apiece.

The loss, combined with a Richmond Hill Rams win over the Deseronto Thunder Saturday night has dropped the Wild into third place in the Greater Metro Junior A standings with 27 points to 29 for Richmond Hill and 44 for the Rattlers.

The wild will be travelling to Sturgeon Falls Friday night for an 8 p.m. contest with the West Nipissing Alouettes. Sunday will see them hosting the Toronto Canada Moose, starting at 5:45 p.m.