By: Agrani Tiwari
The Ottawa West Golden Knights secured a commanding 10-1 win over the Perth Blue Wings on Thursday, Sept. 19, in a game filled with dynamic plays, strong teamwork, and stellar individual performances.
The Golden Knights opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal by forward Justin Murdoch, assisted by forward Connor Weido and defenceman James Davidson, giving the Golden Knights the momentum they needed. Perth quickly answered back with a power-play goal from Lane Morency, with assists going to Cole Robitaille and John Stewart.
However, that was the only offense Perth would muster as the Golden Knights soon regained control. Weido scored a goal shortly after Perth’s tally. Defenceman Marco Peloso extended the lead with two goals, his first unassisted, and another assisted by forward Jacob Perreault and forward Tyson MacCoubrey. Defenceman Ryland Landon capped off the first period by netting another goal, with Weido and MacCoubrey earning the assists.
The second period saw the Knights continue their dominance as Murdoch scored his second goal of the game, assisted by defenceman Brennan Miller. The Golden Knights added a power-play goal from forward Cooper Moore, increasing their lead heading into the final period.
By this time, the home side of the spectators was buzzing, and people seemed excited to see the third period of what most thought would be the “winning game” for the Knights.
In the third, MacCoubrey added to the Golden Knights’ power-play success, scoring off assists from Davidson and forward Jacob Perreault. Forward Matthew Stringer followed with another power-play goal, assisted by Miller. To close out the game, forward Bailey Pipe scored unassisted to seal the 10-1 victory.
Goaltender James Cole was strong in net for the Golden Knights, stopping 17 of 18 shots to secure the win. Despite Perth’s efforts, including a goaltending change to Evan Malherbe after the first period, the Blue Wings couldn’t find their rhythm against the Knights’ relentless pressure.
“I think the team played really well today. Everyone played disciplined. We didn’t get in too many penalties. We kept shooting,” said defenceman Marco Peloso after the game. “We had a good goalie today and we sent a message early with lots of shots. The team stayed consistent. We played good defense. It was a well-rounded team game,” Peloso added.
Assistant Coach Jack Parker commented on the team’s game plan, saying, “The strategy was, just not ease into the season and just go right after it. Pucks deep, work hard and the boys did it.”
