Cougars remain in hunt for GMOHL playoff home-ice advantage

January 21, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
With the Georgian Mid-Ontario Hockey League standings so tightly packed late in the season, every point counts for Schomberg’s Junior C Cougars.
That was the attitude they took into last Thursday’s rematch with the Penetang Kings, whose late-game efforts defeated the Cougars on the road two weeks ago.
This time in front of a home crowd at the Trisan Centre, Schomberg came out swinging as Kiefer McIntosh opened the scoring seven minutes in.
Nearing the end of the frame Brandon Savoy picked up his first point since mid-November, scoring off a helper from Justin Formenton.
Down 2-0 in the second, the Kings saw their opportunity when John Gage went to the box to serve two minutes on an interference call.
He was not in there long, as Penetang’s Hayden Cole cut the lead in half just seven seconds into the power play.
All 14 Cougar shots were stopped by the Kings’ Martin Lauzon in the period.
It was the mid-way point of the third before the Cougars were able to beat him again, this time the team’s leading scorer Blake Culley taking advantage of a power play of their own.
Culley has had a remarkable sophomore season with the Cougars, currently riding a 14-game point streak in which he has notched 31 points.
Needing to erase a two-goal deficit late in the game, Penetang pulled their goaltender for a sixth attacker with an ample amount of time left on the clock.
McIntosh capitalized on the opportunity, scoring his second of the game and eighth of the year.
Taylor Ewart was solid between the pipes for the Cougars, making 24 of 25 stops in the 4-1 victory.
The two points were crucial for the Schomberg squad looking for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Cougars are now five points back of Penetang for fourth-place in league standings.
In order to do so they will have to get past the Caledon Hawks on Thursday, before visiting the red-hot Stayner Siskins on Sunday.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.