Cougars set up interesting finale to GMOHL season

January 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

Ryley Egerton attempts to clear the front of the Schomberg net against Caledon. The Cougars defeated the Golden Hawks in a shootout at the Trisan Centre on Thursday.
Photo by Jake Courtepatte

By Jake Courtepatte
As the Georgian Mid-Ontario Hockey League season winds down, the standings remain as unforgiving as ever.
With just a handful of points separating the fifth to 10th-place teams, the Junior C Schomberg Cougars looked to put some distance between them and their competitors when they hosted the Caledon Golden Hawks on Thursday.
Cougar goaltender Taylor Ewart stood on his head in the first period, stopping all 18 Caledon shots directed at his net. Meanwhile, his Golden Hawk counterpart was able to keep out all seven he faced.
The second period was one of ups-and-downs for both sides, starting with call-up Dan Naccarato potting his third goal in a Cougar uniform, despite not playing a game in over a month and a half.
They took advantage of another opportunity after a high-sticking call, this time Keifer McIntosh burying the goal from Tristan Joseph and Brandon Yorke.
McIntosh has been on a point-per-game pace for the last 10 Cougar matches.
Schomberg seemed to run away with the game when just five seconds after the second goal, Brandon Savoy’s quick rush off the draw had the home team up 3-0 five minutes into the second.
But Ewart was broken less than one minute after that, and a number of costly penalties accounted for four unanswered Caledon goals and a 4-3 deficit heading to the third.
Naccarato netted his second of the game with under four minutes to play, and with overtime solving nothing, the rival teams were off to a shootout.
In the shootout, Ewart let only one slip by while Joseph Mete and Blake Culley were successful for the Cougars, clinching the 5-4 victory.
Naccarato earned first star honours.

Cougars lose in heated match

Sunday’s match up against the Stayner Siskins was a heated affair, as the score on the board ended up playing second fiddle to the fists on the ice.
The game had to be halted numerous times in the third period for fighting, interspersed with four consecutive Stayner goals in a 7-4 loss for the Cougars.
A total of 180 minutes in penalties were handed out along with over a dozen misconducts.
This is where it gets interesting. A number of scenarios could play out over the final weekend of the regular season, as the Cougars prepare for a home-and-home two game stand against the Erin Shamrocks.
With a game in hand, the Fergus Devils sit only one point back of the Cougars for the sixth and final spot for a bye to the playoff quarter-finals.
In a worst-case scenario, if the Cougars happen to drop both games to Erin in regulation, they could fall as low as ninth to force a play-in series.
Picking up all four points in the final two games would put them in position to face the slumping Penetang Kings in the quarter-finals, whose pace has fallen off considerably after a strong start to the 2014-2015 season.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.