Cougars meet Otters in first round of playoffs

February 4, 2015 · 0 Comments

Liam Spurgeon attempts to settle down the puck in last Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Erin Shamrocks.
Photo by Jake Courtepatte

By Jake Courtepatte
The Georgian Mid-Ontario Hockey League regular season has been put to bed, the standings have been locked, and the quarter-final series have been set.
Despite facing the third-place team after finishing the season in sixth, the Schomberg Cougars veterans hold the advantage in playoff experience as they prepare to take on the Huntsville Otters.
Experiencing a resurgence in the 2014-2015 season, the Otters did not make it out of the play-in round last year, and fell in straight games to the Alliston Hornets the year prior.
They are a different story this year, finishing behind on the powerhouse Alliston and Stayner teams in the league standings.
It may have been a different story, however, as in the end only five points separated fifth-place from eliminated ninth-place by the season’s final whistle.
Schomberg looked to jump ahead of the Caledon Golden Hawks in their final game of the season Saturday, sitting only one point back.
They were on the road in Erin facing the Shamrocks, eventually giving up a 2-1 lead on three straight unanswered goals to fall 4 -2 in regulation.
Schomberg went 0-12 on the power play in the game.
Despite the loss, the Cougars can say they ended their season in a high note, as the last play of the game was an Erin penalty shot that was stopped by the pad of Cougar goaltender Luke Gamoyda.
From a “glass half-full” perspective, the Cougars may have dodged a bullet by evading the fourth-place Penetang Kings, who had Schomberg’s number all season in a few one-sided match ups.
In terms of the regular season series against Huntsville, it could get interesting as the teams split their games 2-2 with no clear home-ice advantage.
It was all Schomberg the last time the two teams met, putting on an offensive display for eight goals in a lopsided victory.
If the Cougars want to find postseason success, they will have to look to their special teams. They finished the season with the most penalty minutes in the GMOHL.
It could get interesting – the Otters finished second in PIMs.
Fans can get their first taste of post-season action Thursday night at the Trisan Centre, with the puck dropping on the 2015 playoffs at 8:30 p.m.
The series moves to Huntsville the next night for the first of two games on the road.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.