By: Agrani Tiwari
The Ottawa West Golden Knights continued their strong season with a commanding 5-1 victory over the Embrun Panthers at Barbara Ann Scott Arena on Thursday night. The Knights controlled play from start to finish, outshooting their opponents 38-21 and capitalizing on key opportunities to secure the win.
The Golden Knights wasted no time setting the tone, striking three times in the opening frame. At 3:04, Jacob Perreault opened the scoring, burying a pass from Jason Ward to put Ottawa West ahead 1-0. Just over two minutes later, Matthew Stringer doubled the lead with his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Connor Dickey and Brennan Miller.
The pressure didn’t let up, as Thomas Dickey extended the lead to 3-0 at 9:19, finishing a great setup from Marco Peloso and Connor Dickey. The Panthers managed to break through late in the period, with Nicholas Evangelho scoring at 19:52, assisted by Jacob Gauthier and Kristian Malette, to cut the deficit to 3-1 heading into the intermission.
Ottawa West continued their dominant play in the second period, controlling the pace of the game. At 2:31, Stringer netted his second goal of the night, finishing off a pass from Cooper Moore to restore the Knights’ three-goal cushion at 4-1.
Despite the Panthers receiving multiple power-play opportunities throughout the period, they struggled to capitalize on the man advantage, thanks in large part to the stellar performance of goaltender James Cole, who turned aside every shot that came his way.
The Knights’ defense remained solid in the final frame, limiting the Panthers’ offensive chances. With just seconds remaining in regulation, Thomas Dickey secured his second goal of the game at 19:56, with assists from Samuel Stano and Connor Dickey, sealing the 5-1 victory.
Goaltender James Cole was sensational between the pipes, stopping 20 of 21 shots and earning First Star honors for his performance. Matthew Stringer’s two-goal night propelled him to Second Star recognition, while Yanick Blanchard of Embrun was named Third Star for his efforts.
“We had a rough one against them last time, so we wanted to come out and show them that last time was a fluke, and we don’t blow leads like that,” said Stringer. “We scored a couple early and didn’t let them into the game, and I thought we played hard.”
Despite their strong showing, the Knights played an undisciplined game, racking up six penalties for a total of 12 minutes. Fortunately, their penalty-kill unit was flawless, shutting down all six of Embrun’s power-play chances.
On the other hand, the Panthers played a clean game but struggled to convert their power-play opportunities, ultimately going 0-for-6 with the man advantage.
“It was a good team effort. We started off strong, got a couple of quick goals, and played our game,” said assistant coach Matt Soubliere. “We coasted a bit in the third, but overall, it was a solid win.”
Looking ahead to the playoffs, Stringer is confident in the team’s ability to compete: “I think it sets us up well for playoffs going in. We have a tough opponent coming up, but I think if we work hard and stay to our game plan, we can beat them and go on a run.”
With this win, the Ottawa West Golden Knights improved to a record of 2-0-0-1 against Embrun this season. They will look to carry this momentum into their next matchup as they continue their push for playoff positioning.
