By: Daniel Vazzoler
The anthem at the start of Sunday’s game between the Carleton Place Canadians and Nepean Raiders may have been the closest the match-up was as Carleton Place left no doubt about the outcome, picking up a 10-0 road win.
The Canadians power play helped propel them to victory, and got started early. Cade Townend opened the scoring with his first of four points in the game – one goal and three assists – with a power play goal less than two minutes into the game.
Carleton Place’s first-period onslaught continued with a Sam Allison power play goal 6:07 into the opening period. Carleton Place moved the puck along the blue-line before setting Allison up for a one-time shot that appeared to just be an attempt to get the puck on net. The shot eluded Logan Bateman and the Canadians had an early 2-0 advantage.
Before the period ended, Carleton Place added another three goals in the final five minutes. Ben Tupker made it a 3-0 game as he picked up the loose puck while moving through the slot and chipped it into the open net. David Gagnon scored his first of two goals in the game, this one on the power play, before Zach Tupker scored in the final minute of the period.
Carleton Place outshot Nepean 19-5 in the first period and kept the pressure on in the second frame, one where Nepean opted to pull Bateman during the intermission and put Olivier Pimparé-Charbonneau in the Raiders crease. The Canadians tested him early and often by sending 28 shots his way during the second period, while limiting Connor Murphy’s workload to just four shots in the frame.
Gagnon’s second goal and Keenan Reynolds’ first of the game added to the Canadians lead, making it a 7-0 advantage heading to the third period.
Brett Thorne scored a power play goal less than a minute into the third period and Ryland Mosley got the short-handed unit on the board by scoring while down a man just over two minutes later. Reynolds capped off the scoring barrage late in the third for the Canadians 10th goal of the game.
The Canadians are back in action on Monday and will look to carry the momentum from a lop-sided victory into their game against the Cornwall Colts in the familiar confines of the Carleton Place Arena, with the game starting at 3 p.m.
