Recap |F/SO Renfrew 6, Ottawa West 5
The Ottawa West Golden Knights were able to comeback down 5-2 very early in the third to tie it up with 1:25 remaining in the game to send it to OT. Ottawa West couldn’t score a single goal in a Shootout and fell 6-5 in extra time.
The game would start off in Renfrew’s way. Bailey Hein would get them on the board 22 seconds into the hockey game after great passes from Jack Rouleau and Connor Noonan made it 1-0. Two minutes later, Kyle Fleming was hooked on a breakaway and was rewarded a penalty shot but it was unsuccessful attempt to keep the game 1-0 Renfrew.
“We’ve started slow tonight but I thought our first period was horrendous but we came out in the second and played very well” said Steve Sundin, Head Coach of Ottawa West Golden Knights.
Renfrew would score 29 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0 but Lecours was able to get them on the board with his first of the night – cutting the deficit to a one goal game. Four minutes later with 13:02 left in the second period, Andrew McIntyre would go bardown on Iob, which came from a great pass from Zach Moran. Renfrew regained the two-goal lead.
Ottawa West would run into penalty trouble once again at the 7:04 mark left of the second period. Justin Jamer delivered a check to the head of McIntyre. He would get a 5 minute penalty and a game misconduct but Renfrew got only three minutes of Power Play time due to a slashing penalty by Brandon English.
“It didn’t help us. The league really frowns on head shots. It’s going to be his downfall if he doesn’t stop. He’s a good hockey player and a good boy but he needs to learn how to keep his elbows tucked when he hits people” said Sundin on the hit by Jamer.
It would cost them a goal coming on the power play from Connor Noonan to make it 4-1 Timberwolves. Ottawa West would respond with a shorthanded goal by Matthew Bidin on a breakaway to make 4-2 going into the 3rd period.
Once again Renfrew would score 16 seconds in from Bailey Hein which would get them back to the three-goal lead, 5-2 in the third.
“We gotta start better. I flipped up the lines a little bit and made some changes and it seemed to sparks us too” explained Sundin. “Sometimes all you got to do as a coach is change lines and bench people. I don’t like to bench people. It wasn’t trying to, but we were just flat”.
The Golden Knights would score 54 seconds later from a shot that came from the right circle from Franco Gagnon to make 5-3, with West now down two goals.
With time running out, Raphael Lecours would score on the backhand on an odd man rush to make a one goal game getting his second of the night. He then he got a hat trick with 1:26 remaining in the game to tie the game at five.
“I thought for 40 minutes he was the best player on the ice from both teams” noted Sundin on Lecours play.”
We headed to overtime. Ottawa got some scoring chances in extra-time but it solved nothing, we were heading to a shootout.
“I thought we did well. I thought we outplayed them and out chanced them. If Daniel scores we go home with a victory. It seems this year we just have no puck luck when it comes to that stuff (overtime/late game)” added Sundin
Hein would score to start things off in the shootout and Noonan would score on the second attempt. Gagnon and Lecours weren’t able to score which ended up as a shootout loss for the Golden Knights.
“We can’t seem to score in a shootout. That’s four in a row we’ve loss in shootouts this season. When you were down 5-2 and you come storming back. That’s a positive and we got a point. Were going into Sunday afternoon with the biggest game of the year and we need to beat Embrun” said Sundin on shootout loss and looking ahead to their next game.
The veteran Ottawa West coach talked about the Golden Knights defense and the most important thing coming to Sunday against Embrun. “I’m going to shorten the bench pretty quick if were not playing well. I’m going to go with guys that are playing well. Chris Cugglitta will start in net and I’m hoping for a big effort out of him. Our defense is got to be better, poking at pucks instead of hitting people.”
Ottawa West will play their most important game of the season Sunday afternoon against the Embrun Panthers 1:30 at Embrun Arena. If they win they could potentially tie Embrun for third in Martin Division and with a loss they would be in deep trouble with a potential trip to a three game wild card series.
By: Mason Detre
