Hornets’ high-powered offence proves too much for Cougars

December 10, 2014 · 0 Comments

Luke Gamoyda made 15 stops on 22 shots in last Friday’s 7-5 loss to the Alliston Hornets.

By Jake Courtepatte
The Junior C Schomberg Cougars found out the hard way last week how difficult it is to take on a team averaging over six goals a game in a season.
The Cougars kicked off December with perhaps their toughest week so far this season, facing the first-place Alliston Hornets in a two-game home-and-home series.
Schomberg’s own two-game winning streak was overshadowed by Alliston having won an impressive 13 of their last 14 games.
The high-scoring Hornets’ offence quickly asserted their dominance at the Trisan Centre on Thursday, putting up the only two goals of the first period on back-to-back powerplays with Schomberg’s Justin Formenton in the penalty box.
Goaltender Taylor Ewart was chased from the net shortly into the second, after three quick unanswered goals had the Cougars in a 0-5 hole.
Luke Gamoyda didn’t fare much better in relief, allowing one more before the end of the period to put the game out of reach.
The Cougars’ lone spark of offence came off the stick of Blake Culley, breaking the shutout in the third while riding a five-game point streak.
Alliston added one more tally for good measure, handing the Cougars an 8-1 loss.
They had to shake it off just one day later as Friday night they took on the Hornets on the road at the New Tecumseth Rec Centre.
This time it was the Cougars who got on the board first, as John Gage picked up his sixth of the year while enjoying his own five-game point streak.
Ryley Egerton scored midway through the frame, this time sending the Alliston goaltender to the bench after TJ Sherwood gave up two goals on six shots.
After a fairly evenly-matched first period, the teams headed to the dressing room squared up at two.
It was much of the same in the second, with Ryley Egerton earning his second goal of the game and Justin Formenton capitalizing on a late power play.
Alliston matched goal for goal, sending the game to the third period in a 4-4 tie.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, the third period began to show shades of the previous evening.
Three quick unanswered goals had the Hornets up 7-4 barely five minutes into the frame, and the Cougars in a hole that they could not crawl out of.
Despite a late marker by JP Crescenzi, they would not get any closer while dropping their second game in a row 7-5.
As the gap between the higher and lower ranked teams in the GMOHL continues to grow, the Cougars will be looking to make up some ground with less than two months to go in the regular season.
They can start this Thursday when they take on the Orillia Terriers at the Trisan Centre. The Terriers have had Schomberg’s number this year, taking two of three games so far.
Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.