Cougars come from behind to best winless Golden Hawks

October 7, 2015 · 0 Comments

Schomberg’s Kiefer McIntosh attempts to settle down the puck in front of a Caledon player. The Cougars defeated the Golden Hawks 5-3 at the Trisan Centre.

By Jake Courtepatte
There is no surprise the Schomberg Cougars earned a weekend split after their back-and-forth start to the GMOHL season.
Sitting in the middle of the pack at 2-2-1, the cats had an opportunity to boost their numbers against the struggling Caledon Golden Hawks, still in search of their first win of the year.
Vince Michelizzi, a solid addition to this year’s Cougars between the pipes, earned his fifth start of the year in front of a home crowd at the Trisan Centre on Thursday. Despite a quick onslaught of offence from the desperate Hawks, it was Michelizzi who prevailed early, while his Caledon counterpart Brendan Macham was beaten by both Evan Woodhead and Liam Spurgeon just minutes into the game.
But it was veteran James Pitsadiotis, one of the few bright spots on the Hawks roster this season, who beat Michelizzi twice before the first buzzer to tie the game at twos.
Pitsadiotis had the assist on the third Caledon goal less than a minute into the second to give the Hawks the lead, with Kiefer McIntosh in the box for unsportsmanlike conduct.
It was then that perhaps the Cougars realized they were taking the Hawks too lightly. They turned it around and exploded for three straight goals late in the second period, off the sticks of Ryley Egerton, Joseph Mete and Carter LeRoux in just over a three minute span.
Michelizzi turned aside all shots he faced in the third to preserve a comeback 5-3 win for the Cougars.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, as the Cougars had to face a much different opponent on the road just two days later. The Midland Flyers, in a complete turn-around from last year, have lost only one game in the first month of this season.
Midland jumped out to a 3-0 lead, despite Schomberg’s best efforts as Flyers’ goaltender Jake Norton stood on his head throughout the first period and a half. A 21-shot second period earned the Cougars three goals, one from Brendan Spencer and a pair from Connor Whiteside.
Unfortunately, the playmaking abilities of this year’s crop of Flyers proved too much as the Cougars still headed to the third down 5-3. Ryley Egerton lit the lamp in the third in a 6-4 losing effort for Schomberg.
They will be looking to exact revenge this Thursday on home ice, hosting the Flyers at 8:30 p.m. at the Trisan Centre. Another match up with a winless team comes Saturday when the Cougars face the 0-7-1 Orillia Terriers.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.schombergcougars.com.