By: Agrani Tiwari
The Ottawa West Golden Knights faced their first home defeat of the season on Thursday, Nov. 14, falling 5-3 to the Glengarry Brigade at Barbara Ann Scott Arena. Despite a strong start and standout performances by players like Justin Murdoch and Bailey Pipe, the team couldn’t hold off a resilient Glengarry squad.
The first period remained scoreless, with both teams feeling each other out. However, the second period saw the game spring to life. Cooper Moore opened the scoring for the Golden Knights at 8:48, assisted by Jacob Perreault. Glengarry quickly responded less than ten seconds later with Derek Larocque finding the back of the net, assisted by Manny Benoit and A.J. Alejandrino. Zach Boltz added another for the Brigade at 14:07, but Ottawa West answered late in the period with a goal from Bailey Pipe, assisted by Moore and Carter Pilon.
In the third, Justin Murdoch gave the Knights a brief 3-2 lead, scoring just over a minute into the period with assists from Pipe and Matthew Stringer. However, the Brigade retaliated with three unanswered goals. Cedric Mailloux tied the game at 3:00, Matt Lavigne netted the game-winning goal at 11:03, and Manny Benoit sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:38.
“We just weren’t all there tonight,” said Murdoch. “I think if we stick to our game and get a few more shots on net, we could’ve won. It was just an off night.”
Murdoch, who scored his 14th goal of the season, admitted it wasn’t enough to swing.
Assistant coach Jack Parker said, “We’ve got to play with a little more physicality, get pucks deep, and work on the little things a lot more”
