TILLSONBURG – The Lucan Ilderton Jets suffered a pair of losses on the weekend, a 4-3 overtime decision against Monkton Friday night and a 5-4 tilt against Tillsonburg Saturday night.
Neither loss affected their place in the standings, however – the Jets have a lock on fourth place in the WOAA Senior Men’s Hockey League South Division and are assured home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Jets were down 2-0 after the first period against Monkton but tied the game 2-2 in the second period, thanks to goals from Ryan Fletcher and Jason Wilson.
The score was 3-3 at the end of regulation, with Andrew Carey scoring the lone Jets goal in the third period.
Lucan Ilderton received what general manager Rob Andrews considers a “questionable” penalty with 39 seconds left in regulation, and Monkton scored the winner with 13 seconds left.
Andrews said he thinks if the game had gone to a shootout his team would have won, and tipped his hat to Lucan Ilderton goaltender KJ Robinson, who he said played a good game.
Saturday night saw Lucan Ilderton down 3-1 after the first period against Tillsonburg, which sat first in the WOAA South at press time.
Ryan Hladnyiuk scored the lone Jets goal that period, while Carey added a goal in the second period, which ended 4-2 in Tillsonburg’s favour.
Lucan Ilderton managed two more goals in the third from Darrin Macdonald and Jeff Silver but surrendered one, leaving the score 5-4.
The Jets play their final regular season game at home to Milverton this Saturday, which will double as an elementary school night.
All elementary school-aged children from the Lucan area will be admitted for free when accompanied by an adult, and door prizes for both children and adults will be on hand.
The Jets will face either Tavistock or Clinton in the first round of the playoffs, depending on the outcome of a game between the two teams this  Friday in Clinton.
Lucan Ilderton fared well against Tavistock this season, beating them twice during the regular season. They had more difficulty with Clinton, losing twice and winning once.
Andrews said it’s difficult to go into Clinton’s arena and beat them, given the team’s relatively small ice surface. A team that relies on skill and speed, the Jets might fare better at a larger arena in Tavistock, he said.
But given the parity in the WOAA this season, Andrews said the Jets don’t really care who they play in the first round.
Saturday’s game against Milverton is set for an 8:30 p.m. start and should be a good one, Andrews said.
“(Milverton needs) to win,” he added. “It could affect their positioning in the standings, so they’re going to come out full-tilt ... it’s an important game for them, so theyfcomre not going to be sitting back.”