By: Daniel Vazzoler
Scoring nine goals over two games is usually a recipe for success in hockey. For the Carleton Place Canadians, though, the offence resulted in a pair of close losses on Thursday and Friday night on the road.
Carleton Place began the road trip with a 6-4 loss to the Cornwall Colts. The game started even, with the Canadians and the Colts trading goals in the first half of the opening period. Ethan Montroy opened the scoring just over two minutes into the game for the Colts before Matteo Disipio’s power play goal tied things up before the middle of the first period.
Then, the flood gates opened against the Canadians as Cornwall struck for four unanswered goals to take a 5-1 lead 9:13 into the second period. Head coach Brent Sullivan opted for a goaltending change at that point, with starter Joe Chambers allowing the five goals on 15 shots against.
Loic Prudhomme gave Carleton Place a bit of life with a late goal in the second period and the momentum carried into the third with Disipio scoring another power play goal to make it a 5-3 deficit with plenty of time remaining.
An empty-net goal for the Colts proved to be a necessary insurance marker as J.J. Swyer scored just 0:15 after the Colts made it 6-3 to provide some drama for the final minute of the game. Unfortunately for the Canadians, Dax Easter shut the door in the final minute as the Colts held on for the win.
There wasn’t much time for Carleton Place to dwell on the loss, as it was back on the road Friday night to face the Hawkesbury Hawks – a game that also had plenty of fire power, with the Canadians coming up just short again.
The Canadians responded to Thursday’s loss with an extremely impressive start on Friday. Caton Ryan got the Canadians off to a roaring start, courtesy of his power play goal just 3:08 into the game. Dylan Pollock and Will Soloway added goals less than two minutes apart to give the Canadians a 3-0 lead just 7:07 into the first period.
Carleton Place struggled to hold onto the lead as the Hawks responded to the third goal 0:50 later and added another goal at 8:57 to cut the Canadians lead to 3-2. Prudhomme restored the two-goal advantage but it was short-lived as Hawkesbury’s Nathan Gagne made it 4-3 for Carleton Place 10:07 into the opening frame.
The second period went against the Canadians for the second game in a row as a pair of Hawkesbury goals scored less than a minute apart put the Hawks in front for the first time in the game. Pollock scored late in the second period to tie the game, but Aidan Stubbings tallied the game-winner 7:57 into the third period.
Carleton Place kept the pressure on the Hawks but couldn’t get one of its 13 shots in the third period past Dimitri Pelekos to level the score.
The Canadians now have a full week to prepare for their return to home ice with the Rockland Nationals making a trip to the Carleton Place Arena on Sunday afternoon.
