Cougars take a stranglehold in first-round series with Huntsville

February 10, 2015 · 0 Comments

Goaltender Taylor Ewart has been solid for the Cougars winning 3 of 4 playoff games.
Photo by Jake Courtepatte

By Jake Courtepatte
The Junior C Schomberg Cougars are one win away from their second trip to the Georgian Mid-Ontario Hockey League semi-finals in two years.
Following an action-packed weekend that had the sixth-place Cougars and the third-place Huntsville Otters meet on the ice four times over five days, Schomberg has acquired a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
An impressive offensive output has put a number of Schomberg players at the top of the playoff stats leaderboard. What should come as no surprise is the performance of perennial scoring machines Blake Culley and John Gage, who are both averaging over a point per game.
The pleasant surprise here comes in the form of Tristan Joseph, a first-year Cougar who notched one goal and 15 points overall in the regular season. He seems to have hit his prime in the early goings of the race for the league championship, notching two goal and three assists so far as a defenseman.
He, alongside forward Joseph Mete, were the heroes of the Cougars’ Game one 4-3 victory on Thursday, which needed overtime where Mete scored the game winner.
Joseph opened the Cougars’ 2015 playoff campaign with the first two goals, scoring his first two power play goals in a Cougar uniform.
The next night in Huntsville was a much different story, as the score was predictably lopsided against the Cougars after the first period.
Tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, Schomberg could only muster another 11 shots on net for the rest of the game as the Otters notched another four in a 5-1 loss to tie the series.
Goaltender Taylor Ewart, who has started all four playoff games, has been sensational in net ever since shutting out the Otters on the road two nights later stopping all 24 shots he faced.
Gage, Culley, and Joseph combined for five points in the contest, as the Cougars opened up their second lead of the series with a 4-0 victory and the first road win.
It was much of the same on Monday as the trio added five more points to their overall total, with Kiefer McIntosh and Brandon Savoy also adding goals in another four-goal performance.
Ewart was beaten once on the power play late in the second in a 32 save outing.
They’re back in Huntsville for Game 5 on Wednesday, the Cougars will have been looking to put the series to bed (results unavailable at press time).
In the case of the Otters prolonging the series, Game 6 will go Thursday at the Trisan Centre at 8:30 p.m.
A forced Game 7 would once again be in Huntsville on Sunday.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.