Friday’s game between the Carleton Place Canadians and Renfrew Wolves was a tight affair as the Wolves picked up the victory.
Joe Chambers and Will Craig combined for a nearly perfect game as Charlie Johnson tallied the lone goal. Johnson was awarded a penalty shot in the final minute of the first period and converted the chance for what ended up being the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory.
The Wolves deserved to have the 1-0 lead at the end of the first period as it was a slow start for Carleton Place. Renfrew dominated the pace of play in the opening 20 minutes as they established its veteran presence. The Wolves controlled things defensively by getting into shooting lanes while, in the offensive zone, they threw everything towards Chambers and ended the opening frame with a 9-2 lead in shots.
As the game carried on, Carleton Place got its feet under them as the game carried on. Four power plays created the opportunities for the Canadians to level the score, but they could not crack the Wolves penalty killers’ pressure to generate some offensive chances.
The man-advantage had been a weapon for Carleton Place throughout the season but has cooled off noticeably since Caleb Kean and Ryan Bonfield were dealt to the Brockville Braves. The Canadians have now gone 0-for-10 over the last two games and have converted 2-of-17 power play tries since the trade.
Carleton Place had an excellent opportunity to level the score in the second period with a pair of power plays back-to-back. Instead of tying the score, the Canadians couldn’t generate a shot on goal.
It wasn’t until the Canadians pulled the goalie with 1:38 remaining in the game where a sense of urgency became evident for Carleton Place. In a case of ‘too little, too late’, Carleton Place started sending the puck on goal any chance they had. It proved to be not enough as Craig got his second shut-out of the season with an 18-save effort.
Carleton Place is next in action on Sunday when the Navan Grads make the trip to the Carleton Place Arena for an afternoon game against the Canadians.
