By: Daniel Vazzoler
The Carleton Place Canadians had an ideal start against the Nepean Raiders on Tuesday but were forced to pick up the 5-4 win in a shoot-out.
The Canadians dominated the first 27:27 of the game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before the middle of the second period. After that, Carleton Place let complacency take over its game and allowed Nepean back into the game.
“It’s human nature, so it’s hard to battle that. You know the reaction that’s coming, you know the complacency that’s going to come, the cheating that’s going to come but to try and hammer that message to a bunch of kids is challenging,” said Canadians coach Brent Sullivan.
Carleton Place took advantage of a fast start against Nepean with Derek Hamilton opening the scoring just 5:05 into the game. The Canadians had an extended shift in the attacking zone, generating a number of scoring chances before Hamilton tracked down the rebound in front of Gage Stewart and then chipped it past the Raiders goaltender.
After being unable to add to the lead throughout the first period, Thomas Dickey scored a pair of goals in the second and Brandon Walker added another to put the Canadians up large just 7:27 into the middle period.
Then, the Canadians got away from what made them so successful to open the game.
“We got complicated, we got ugly, we chose to mismanage pucks, we chose to get way too aggressive,” Sullivan listed. “We essentially fed them opportunities to get back in the game.”
Nepean took advantage of those chances, cutting the deficit to two goals less than three minutes after Dickey’s second goal of the game – the Canadians fourth of the evening.
Carleton Place looked poised to hold onto the lead and didn’t allow the Raiders to score during the third period. That is, until two goals scored 1:22 apart from Nicholas Larkin and Curtiss Sturgeon tied the game with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.
While a game like this is usually altered by the special teams, Tuesday’s affair didn’t follow that script. The Canadians pleased their coach by killing off all five Raiders power plays and “we didn’t get a chance to see our power play,” so it was the 5-on-5 play that let Nepean back into the game.
“If we want to play deep into May – a game on a Tuesday night in December is a lot different than a game deep in the playoffs – those habits are not going to last, those habits are not going to win games,” expressed Sullivan.
Before the over-time period, Sullivan left it to his leaders to address the team. The plan worked as the Canadians were able to generate some chances in the attacking zone, but were unable to deliver the winning goal.
The scoring from regulation showed up again in the shoot-out with each of the first four skaters converting on their attempts. Joe Chambers and Stewart stopped the next four and Chambers stopped another to give Caton Ryan the chance to get the victory.
He delivered by showing off his silky smooth hands, putting on a puck-handling display that sent Stewart well out of position and allowed Ryan to elevate his shot over the outstretched goalie.
Getting the victory may have been fortunate in the eyes of Sullivan, but the effort required – especially in this part of the schedule – is not lost on him.
“This is a league that’s hard to win in and I think that’s what guys are starting to realize,” he added. “The parity in this league is incredibly tight. For us, with the amount of hockey we’re playing right now, just getting points is valuable.”
From a personal perspective, no one has been better at consistently getting points than Hamilton. His goal in the first period extended his point streak to 17 games, the longest streak in the CCHL this season.
“I have never seen a kid play this consistent and generate this much ‘O’-zone time in my 10 years of coaching and however many years I played,” Sullivan expressed. “This kid is able to find spots, his line-mates recognize he’s able to get above checks in the neutral zone, any 50-50 puck he’s winning. I haven’t seen a kid play this way, he and I have had many conversations about just staying hot.
“When you think about this, this started at Showcase. That’s a long time ago, it’s unbelievable right now,” he continued.
Hamilton will look to continue his point streak, and the Canadians will look to have a more complete performance, on Friday when the Ottawa Jr Senators pay a visit to the Carleton Place Arena.
