By: Agrani Tiwari
The Ottawa West Golden Knights showcased their dominance with a commanding 5-0 victory over the Renfrew Timberwolves on Thursday night at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena.
The win marks the Golden Knights’ second consecutive shutout, with goaltender James Cole leading the charge and solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s top netminders.
“It feels good,” said Cole, reflecting on his back-to-back shutouts. “It’s a happy reminder of what I was able to do two years ago when I finished the season with four shutouts in a row. We’ve got a couple of big games coming up, so I’m hoping to extend the streak.”
The Golden Knights’ defensive prowess was on full display. The Timberwolves struggled to penetrate Ottawa West’s blue line and managed only 21 shots on goal, all which Cole turned aside.
“We had a practice where we talked about playing better defensively, and we’re doing that,” said head coach Steve Sundin.
Sundin praised the team’s defensive performance.
“The power play is working, we’re getting secondary scoring, and the team is starting to gel. It’s coming together at the right time,” he said.
The Golden Knights opened the scoring in the first period when Rhett Cleverdon buried his third goal of the season, assisted by Marco Peloso and Jason Ward. The Knights’ offensive momentum carried into the second period, where Jacob Perreault and Connor Dickey each found the back of the net.
“Tonight was about preparing for the week,” said Perreault. “We needed to win and go on a big streak because we’ve got a huge game Saturday night. We played simple hockey, pucks deep, crashing the net and it worked.”
Bailey Pipe put the puck at the back of the net, four minutes into the third period, tallying his 10th goal of the season with assists from Dickey and Justin Murdoch. Dickey added another goal in the same minute for a team-leading 24th of the season, which was assisted by Murdoch and Cleverdon.
Coach Sundin highlighted the team’s depth on defense, especially with recent adjustments. “We put Sam (Samuel) Stano back on defense tonight, and he did a great job,” Sundin said. “It’s a close-knit bunch, and that’s important going down the stretch.”
The Golden Knights will look to maintain their momentum as they prepare to face their biggest rivals Casselman Vikings this weekend, a game that Cole and the team are approaching with confidence.
“Casselman is a big team and they score a lot of goals,” Cole said. “The key is to outwork them and put more pucks in their net than they do in ours.”
With a cohesive team effort and standout performances across the board, the Golden Knights are riding high as they look to close the year with the last two games of 2024 over the weekend.
