By: Daniel Vazzoler
The Carleton Place Canadians travelled for a road game against the Navan Grads on Sunday, and the bus ride home was a little better thanks to the 5-3 win Carleton Place picked up.
After allowing the game’s first goal to Coleton Cianci just 2:38 into the first period, Peyton Francis got the Canadians on the board with 7:07 left in the opening period. Francis skated onto the loose puck in the high slot and snapped his first goal of the game past Seth Carter. Just 0:32 later, Francis scored again, jamming the loose puck into the net to give the Canadians the lead heading into the second period.
It was another scoreless period for Carleton Place on Sunday but, unlike its last game where it allowed Kanata back into the game, Carleton Place dominated the middle period. The Canadians kept Carter busy, forcing the Grads goaltender to make 24 saves in the period. Meanwhile, Jeremie Forget was relegated to being a spectator for most of the period as he only had to stop three shots in the second.
The scoring resumed in the third period with Sam Knoblauch scoring a pair of goals in the first four minutes of the frame. Geoff Kitt hit Knoblauch with a splendid seam pass through the slot, leaving Knoblauch with an empty net for his eighth goal of the season. He scored his second goal on the power play, getting into Carter’s eyes and tipped in the Tim Theocharidis point shot for a 4-1 lead.
Curtis Fabbro cut the lead to 4-2 with under 10:00 remaining in the third period, but Zach Tupker responded with a short-handed goal with 4:10 to play. Forget stopped an in-tight chance and Ben Tupker took the puck up the ice on the short-handed rush. Zach joined his brother on the rush and tapped in the cross-crease pass from Ben. By making the save, Forget got credit for his first assist in the league.
Mike McPherson made it a 5-3 game with 1:48 left in the third period but Forget shut the door the rest of the way as ended the game stopping 16 of 19 saves in the game.
The two teams are back at it on Tuesday when they head to the Carleton Place Arena for the second half of the home-and-home. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
