By: Ellie Hazelwood
The Ottawa West Golden Knights started their week with back-to-back games against the Brockville Tikis.
The first game was in Brockville, on Wednesday. The Tikis started the game up by one, seconds in, but Jason Ward scored his first of the season, on the powerplay, to tie it for the Knights, before the end of the period.
Will McCulligh put the boys ahead in the second period, followed by a goal by Evan Kay. The Golden Knights were up 3-2, going into the final period.
They unfortunately fell 6-3, in the third. The boys didn’t give up though, they kept fighting, and Ryker James stood strong in net, stopping 37 stops.
The next day, the Knights were back at, for their second game against the Tikis, at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena.
When the first period came to an end, the boys were up by three, with a goal from McCulligh, and Ward already on hat-trick watch, as he scored the other two.
The Tikis got one in the second, but going into the third, it was still 3-1 in favour of the Golden Knights.
Jason Ward hit the back of the net, again, three minutes into the final period, sealing the deal on his hat-trick.
“I’d say the third goal was my favourite,“ Ward said. “It’s the first hat-trick I’ve had. I mean, I didn’t do much, all my goals were inside the crease. Good initial shot from my teammate. “
The Tikis put up a fight, tying the game by the end of third, turning the game into a nail-biter.
It went to overtime, then a shootout. The boys sadly fell short, but it was a good, and a majorly close game. Ward’s hat-trick, and McCulligh’s were highlights. Carter Overhoff’s performance in net was a glimmer too, as he made some huge saves, stopping 45 shots.
Saturday in Glengarry, against the Brigade, was the final game of the week for the Golden Knights.
It was another close one, with goals from McCulligh and Ethan Walsh, for the boys. The Brigade also had two, so it was off to extended time, again.
The Brigade scored a couple minutes into OT, making the Knights fall short.
The boys didn’t stop fighting back, or working hard, the whole game, though. Overhoff was solid in net, once again, with 41 saves.
Every game was a challenging battle that the Golden Knights faced head-on. They never give up, and they will keep fighting hard game after game, in the weeks ahead.
