SENIOR HOCKEY: Royals romp to tame Tamworth
Now that’s the way to snap a slump.
The County Royals put the brakes on a three-game losing skid with a convincing 12-4 home-ice victory over the Tamworth Sabres in a Northern Premier Sr. A Hockey League contest last weekend in Wellington.
ROYALS 12, SABRES 4
Outscored 3-0 in the opening period, Royals turned the tables on Tamworth in the second stanza by responding with five unanswered goals to take a lead they would not surrender.
A balanced PEC attack saw goals coming from Calvin Wojtaszak (2), Zach Thompson (2), Justin Arnold (2), Kenny Murduff, Josh Cameron, Braydan Forestell, Ryan Dreossi, Malcolm Hurd and Nicholas Kirby-Palliser. Steven Tierney posted a 37-save W in net for the Royals who tested Tamworth’s Dryden Bedard a whopping 62 times.
PEC wins its third of the season against eight regulation losses and an O.T. defeat.
ON DECK: PEC at Smiths Falls, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
HAWKS 4, BULLDOGS 3
While PEC was getting back in the W column, the Deseronto Bulldogs were losing for the first time in seven games, dropping a 4-3 overtime shootout decision to the Durham Hawks to see their win streak end at six.
Uncharacteristically, the Bulldogs blew a 3-0 lead as Durham scored the last three goals in regulation to force O.T. When the scoreless extra frame expired, the visiting Hawks executed a 2-1 edge in the shootout to go home with the win.
Alex Yuill, Nathan Hudgin and Jacob Friend supplied the Deseronto goals while Bulldogs netminder Aaron Young kicked out 33 shots. Overall, Deseronto outshot Durham 50-37.
Bulldogs remain first in the Highlands Division at 8-3-2 for 18 points, three ahead of the Hawks.
ON DECK: Deseronto at Lindsay, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
OIL KINGS 5, LUMBERJACKS 3
The Tweed Oil Kings put the axe to the hometown Westport Lumberjacks, scoring the last four goals of the game to secure a 5-3 road win.
The 1-2 scoring punch of Jacob Vreugdenhill and Elijah Brahaney led Tweed with two goals apiece while Dawson Ellis also tallied for the Kings. Shots favoured Tweed, 66-40, with Matt Loveys registering the W in the Kings crease.
Tweed keeps pace in the Heritage Division, which is pretty much a two-horse race between the Oil Kings (8-3-1) and first-place Smiths Falls (10-1-0).
ON DECK: Tamworth at Tweed, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
NEED TO KNOW: The Manotick Mariners remain the lone undefeated team in the NPHL’s Capital Group with a sparkling 11-and-0 record atop the Pioneer Division of the Eastern Conference. Manotick’s top scorer is Brett Gustavsen, a former OHL Belleville Bull, with 13 goals and 26 points in 10 games.
