By: Daniel Vazzoler
The Carleton Place Canadians controlled Sunday’s game against the Navan Grads from the start of the game and left with a 5-2 win over Navan.
Michael Leach was relegated to the role of spectator during most of the opening two periods as he faced six shots in the first 40 minutes. Carleton Place tested Seth Carter as he faced nearly a shot per minute with the Canadians sending 39 shots in his direction.
Carleton Place got the scoring started early with a Haydn Hopkins power play goal 3:16 into the first period. Noah Tooke’s initial shot got blocked and the puck bounced back to the top of the circles for Brett Thorne. His shot couldn’t get through the traffic in front of Carter cleanly, but Hopkins deflected the puck into the net.
Tooke added to the Canadians lead less than two minutes after taking the lead. Travis Broughman and Justin Cmunt worked the puck down below the goal-line as Tooke snuck his way into the slot. Broughman spotted Tooke and he one-timed his shot past Carter’s glove-side for his first CCHL goal.
The onslaught continued in the second period with three goals 3:27 apart, including two more power play goals from the Canadians.
Sam Allison scored the first goal of the stretch with a power play goal near the middle of the period. Broughman tried to jam the puck to the front of the net and Carter stopped that chance, but the rebound popped out to Allison on the edge of the crease and he poked the loose puck through the scrum of bodies in front of the net.
A minute later, Cmunt made it a 4-0 lead for the Canadians with a tap-in at the back door off the pass from Keenan Reynolds on a rush started by a beautiful play from Tooke in his own end to get the puck ahead to Cmunt.
Broughman capped off the scoring for the Canadians with their third power play goal of the game. A Grads turnover in the neutral zone quickly came back into the Navan zone and Thorne spotted Broughman sliding his way into the slot. Broughman slipped his shot between Carter’s legs for the fifth unanswered goal for Carleton Place.
Arik Breton got the Grads on the board before the end of the second period and Coleton Cianci scored early in the third period for the pair of Navan goals on Sunday.
Carleton Place now has its 40th win of the season and will look to add to the total on Friday with a road game against the Rockland Nationals before Sunday’s rematch in Carleton Place against the Nationals.
