By: Agrani Tiwari
The Ottawa West Golden Knights faced a hard-fought 3-2 loss against the Casselman Vikings on Saturday night at Barbara Ann Scott Arena. In a game that brought playoff-level intensity, the Knights came up just short despite matching the Vikings in shots and dominating stretches of the game.
The Vikings struck early, with Niam McArthur opening the scoring at 2:39 in the first period. Assisted by Makail Poole-Fournier and Marc-Olivier McCarthy, McArthur’s goal set the tone for a physical and fast-paced matchup. Both teams had their opportunities in the opening frame, but strong goaltending kept the score 1-0 heading into the second.
The Golden Knights found their stride late in the second period. Paolo Peloso netted his first goal of the season at 18:05, off a crisp feed from his cousin Marco Peloso. The equalizer energized the Knights, but Casselman regained the lead just 22 seconds into the third, as Tristan Simoneau capitalized on a setup by Hugo Gagné and Alexis Lafrance.
“It [the goal] felt special, especially since it came from my cousin [Marco],” said Paolo. “That connection is why we’re both here, I guess. Some good chemistry, for sure.”
Ottawa West’s Cooper Moore tied the game at 9:49 in the third, his tenth goal of the season, with assists from Connor Dickey and Carter Pilon. However, the Vikings responded at 15:41 when Alexis Lafrance scored the game-winning goal, with Tristan Simoneau and Nicolas Elie providing the assists.
“We played really good hockey,” said Coach Matt Soubliere “That was playoff atmosphere. There are a couple of things we need to work on at practice, but overall, we can’t ask for much more from the guys.”
