Cougars fall behind 2-1 in series with Penetang

February 25, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Jeff Doner
A heartbreaking loss, a bad first period and a hard-fought win has been the plot line of Schomberg Cougars first three games in their second round playoff series against the Penetang Kings thus far.
After three games the Cougars find themselves down two games to one, but the team has shown flashes of brilliance in the series and now they’re looking to find out how to turn that into a full 60 minutes.
After collecting their first win of the series (a 4-3 win on Monday night) the Cougars will look to keep that momentum going forward and forget about the first two games.
After game two, forward JP Crescenzi cited the old adage of sticking to the game plan in order to find success against a formidable Penetang squad.
“We talked and we know what we have to do, I just don’t think we’ve done it out there yet,” he said. “We know that their big guys are pretty good, but I think team on team we can take them. We gave them too much room and stopped covering the point and our man and they just capitalized and that’s what their good at – just waiting for their moment and as soon as they get it they put it in the net.”
Game one at the Trisan Centre last Thursday night was the perfect example of that. The Cougars were on their way to an important game one win, until a collapse in the third period.
Up 4-2 with just seven minutes left, the Cougars ended up allowing three unanswered third period goals to let the win slip through their fingers.
Game two was the total opposite of game one. The Cougars came out flat, allowing Penetang to score just 15 seconds in and build a 3-0 lead heading into the second period.
The teams traded goals in the second period to set the score at 5-2 and then the Cougars decided to pour on the pressure in the third.
“We just kept saying that they did it to us, so we can give it back,” Crescenzi said, referencing Penetang’s game one comeback. “When it came to the third we were maybe overconfident that it was going to turn around and at points didn’t put the effort in and I think we know that.”
Both teams continued to trade goals, making it impossible for the Cougars to gain any ground on scoreboard and ending the game with a 7-4 win for Penetang.
Crescenzi said he felt his team should draw on the positives from the loss for game three and that they at least know they can play with one of the league’s top clubs.
“I think we know where we’re headed and after those two games it was a wakeup call, especially after that first game and the second one we knew that in their barn it wasn’t going to be easy … and it really wasn’t.
“In our rink we can get away with making a few mistakes here and there because we have the bigger ice, but in their arena we’ve got to stop being cautious and waiting and go full out.”
The Cougars seemed to be able to use that in game three to finally notch a win.
The score was tied up 2-2 after the first period, but they used the special teams in the second to their advantage.
Nicholas Chaykowsky scored a power play goal to make it 3-2 and then Arran Macdonald netted an unassisted shorthanded goal at the end of the period to establish a two-goal lead.
Penetang added a power play goal of their own in the third, but the Cougars would hang on for a 4-3 win.
After game two, Kiefer McIntosh sounded as though he knew a bounce back effort would happen.
“It’s still anybody’s series,” he said. “Up until they win that fourth game anything can happen, so all we need is to win the next game, get some momentum and then they won’t be able to catch us. We showed that in Caledon.
“I think the team is playing very well and hopefully we’ll start getting some bounces and winning some games.”
The series will return to the Trisan Centre in Schomberg for an important game four on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. Game five will go back to Penetang Friday. If necessary, game six will take place in Schomberg on March 3 at 7:30 p.m. and game seven in Penetang on March 4.