By: Jeff Maguire
It is still early in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) campaign, but with teams now approaching the one-third mark the regular season is promising to be one of the most competitive in memory.
Monday morning just five points separated the top seven teams in the overall CCHL standings. Three other clubs are within easy range of challenging for the top positions in their respective divisions. Only Hawkesbury Hawks and Kemptville 73’s who trail the Robinson Division are having difficulty finding form. Yet both teams are capable of beating anyone on a given day.
The six-team Yzerman Division is so tight it squeaks! Monday just eight points separated first place Pembroke Lumber Kings and last place Cumberland Grads. But the perennial champions from Pembroke have played three more games than the Navan-based Grads heading into this week’s action.
Pembroke head coach and general manager Sheldon Keefe is under no illusions about the effort it will take to remain at the top of the heap this season.
“With the league as tight as it is there is no time to fall in love with yourself. Every game is a battle and if you’re not prepared every night before long you’ll be on the outside looking in,” Keefe said Monday.
Lumber Kings are hot! They won their fifth game in eight days on home ice Sunday, downing visiting Kanata 5-2.
But the recent success followed a stretch in which Pembroke won just once in regulation time in seven contests.
“Special teams have been a big factor lately,” Keefe notes. “Even through our rough patch we felt pretty good about our five-on-five play but weren’t getting it done on special teams.
“Now I feel we have a better understanding of what we want to do on the powerplay and penalty kill. The guys are executing and most important we’ve started to get some bounces and a little luck,” Keefe explains.
“The line of Ben Dalpe (Kings’ scoring leader), Jordan Larson and Stephen Hrehoriak has found some real chemistry and they have provided us with some consistent offence.”
Monday Dalpe had 26 points while Larson (22) and Hrehoriak (21) were right behind.
“These last five games were critical for our team to stay in the mix. It’s great to have to play with such urgency in October,” Keefe observes.
In the Robinson Division Carleton Place Canadians are chasing Smiths Falls Bears who lead the division and overall standings with a 12-5-0-1 mark and 25 points.
After losing 4-3 to visiting Cornwall in overtime Sunday afternoon, Carleton Place (11-5-1-0) has 23 points, three more than the third place Colts.
Canadians have the best road record in the league. After wins in Kanata and Brockville last week they are an impressive 8-2 away from home.
Good for league
Carleton Place head coach Jason Clarke is also impressed with the competitive balance in the league so far this season.
“It really is competitive. That’s good for the fans, the league and for the scouts who come to watch our teams play,” he observed Monday.
Clarke is hopeful the National Hockey League player lockout will eventually lead to more attention being focused on the CCHL.
“The longer both sides are greedy, the better it is for Junior A hockey,” he states.
As for his team the veteran coach and general manager is happy with Canadians’ overall effort but is concerned about lapses in concentration he says have hurt his club.
“Against Cornwall yesterday mental lapses led to two of their three (regulation time) goals. If you breakdown against a team like Cornwall the puck is in the back of your net very fast,” Clarke stresses.
“We’re not fully focused and that has resulted in a lack of consistency.
“It’s not about lack of effort or failing to play the system. It is lack of concentration. So obviously we will be working on that.”
Sunday action
Smiths Falls 6 – Hawkesbury 0: Bears continue to lead the Robinson Division and overall league standings after recording their second shutout victory in three days Sunday in Hawkesbury. After blanking Ottawa at home Friday, veteran goalie Patrick Martin turned the trick again, this time on the road. He turned aside 32 shots to ring up the ‘0’. The game was scoreless after one but the visitors took charge in the second period with three goals. Centre Nic Marchand, who has held a hot hand of late, scored twice in a span of just under five minutes, including a powerplay strike and that’s all the visitors needed. Marchand, who also assisted on line mate Yannick Crete’s third period marker, has seven points in his last five games. Crete also had two assists for a three-point night. Ryan Eardley, Daniele Disipio and Peter Soligo, during a powerplay late in the game, had the other Smiths Falls’ tallies. Tempers flared in the third period with 10 penalties whistled including six roughing minors.
Pembroke 5 – Kanata 2: The hometown Lumber Kings spotted Stallions a 2-0 first period lead before rebounding with two goals in the second and three in the third to post their fifth straight triumph. Once again it was veteran goalie Brandon Lane who kept the visitors in the game. Lane, who has been outstanding this season, kicked out 37 shots as Pembroke outshot Kanata 42-23 and dominated territorially. Kings showed how balanced they are on offence with five different players scoring goals. Stephen Hrehoriak fired his team leading 12th goal in the final stanza. Pembroke scoring leader Ben Dalpe led the way with a goal and two assists while Liam Biard, Jordan Larson and Emilio Audi had a goal and one helper apiece. Kanata scoring leader Derian Plouffe triggered his 10th goal of the campaign and he set up Curtis Watson’s shorthanded strike which gave the visitors the early advantage. Three of the Pembroke markers came on the powerplay while Biard’s was also a shorthanded effort. Stallions were 0-6 with the man advantage.
Cornwall 4 – Carleton 3 (OT): The improving Colts won their third game in five decisions by edging Canadians in overtime in a very well played contest in Carleton Place Sunday afternoon. The home team trailed 3-0 late in the second until Kelly Summers powerplay goal got them started. Luke Edwards made it close with his sixth of the campaign early in the final regulation period. Carleton Place scoring ace Kevin Dufour forced overtime when he scored with just 53 seconds left in regulation and Canadians’ goalie Tony Kujava on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. Early in the five-minute extra session it was Colts’ veteran forward Kevin Hope who blunted the Carleton Place comeback attempt. Hope’s third goal was an unassisted effort at the 1:29 mark. Michael Pontarelli also scored unassisted in the first period to give the visitors the early lead. Veteran Mitch Zion, playing his first game of the campaign, struck during a Cornwall powerplay at the 48 second mark of period two. Billy Ulrick widened the visitors’ advantage with his fourth midway through the second. James Edwardson made 26 saves to record the goaltending win, improving his record to 3-2.
Nepean 6 – Gloucester 1: After a two game stumble, Raiders rebounded nicely at home Sunday afternoon, easily outdistancing Yzerman rival Gloucester. After spotting the visitors an early lead Nepean rebounded with two goals in each period to win skating away. Raiders’ victory combined with Kanata’s loss in Pembroke the same evening allowed Nepean to leapfrog into third place in the division, ahead of Stallions by percentage points. Both clubs have 22 points but Nepean has played three fewer contests. Left winger Kenneth Neil paced the winners with two goals and an assist. High scoring defenceman Andrew DeBrincat had a goal and two assists giving him 18 points, including 14 assists in 14 games. League scoring leader Dalen Hedges set up three for the winners giving him 31 points, two more than Smiths Falls’ forward Chris Maniccia. Winger Stevie Ray Adams continues to shine for Gloucester. His first period marker was his sixth goal and 14th point since he joined Rangers after a trade with Kemptville on Sept. 24. There were just six penalties called in the contest, four of those going to the visitors. Nepean netted twice on three powerplay opportunities and they outshot the visitors 34-22.
Cumberland 3 – Brockville 2: Grads moved within a point of escaping the Yzerman Division cellar by edging Braves at Navan Memorial Centre Sunday afternoon. The win gave Cumberland (6-6-3-1) 16 points, one less than Gloucester who lost at Nepean. The teams exchanged first period powerplay goals with Brockville leader Ben Blasko opening scoring with his ninth goal and winger Justin Pelock replying for Grads nine minutes later. Cumberland sniper Nick Martin unleashed his team leading 12th goal, the only strike of the second period. Colin Kruse gave the home team a two-goal advantage at the nine minute mark of period three. Just over a minute later Brockville’s Jonathan Power made it close with his third of the campaign. The goalies did the rest, barring the door for the last half of the final frame. Reilly Turner turned aside 38 shots for the net minding win while Matthew Jenkins, in relief of Braves’ starter Cody Karpinski, suffered the loss despite stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced.
Ottawa 6 – Kemptville 1: The last place 73’s proved to be tonic for an Ottawa team which had lost three times in the previous six days to lose first place standing in the Yzerman Division. Playing at home Saturday Junior Senators (11-6) sent Kemptville to a fifth straight setback. Ottawa outshot the visitors by a huge 60-21 margin. If it hadn’t been for the work of 73’s rookie net minder Jacob Tugnutt it might have been far worse. Making his first Junior A start Tugnutt, the son of former NHL goalie Ron Tugnutt (his pro career included a season and a half with Ottawa Senators), was peppered with shots all night. He turned aside an incredible 54 to prevent his team from being totally embarrassed. Despite being outshot 20-9 in the first period it was Kemptville who opened scoring. Winger Stephen Cooney triggered his sixth goal of the campaign. After that it was all Ottawa! Hunter Racine, with his first of two and Josh Gervais replied before the first period ended. Sens slammed three past the overworked Tugnutt in the middle stanza and added another in the third. Racine also had an assist to lead the offence while right winger Joey Champigny netted the final two goals of the night. Eric Witzel contributed a goal and one assist. There were just four minor penalties in the contest, two to each side.
Full slate Friday
Smiths Falls 3 – Ottawa 0: Bears retained the overall points lead in the CCHL by blanking the suddenly sliding Junior Senators in Smiths Falls. Bears rebounded from a brief two game stumble while Ottawa lost for the third straight time in less than a week. Shots were almost even at 32-31 Smiths Falls. Patrick Martin stonewalled the visitors to earn his first shutout and his seventh win in a dozen starts. The opening frame was scoreless but midway through the second forward Yannick Crete came up with a shorthanded goal which ended up as the game winner. High scoring winger Michael Buonincontri made it 2-0 with his 14th goal in the closing seconds of the middle stanza. In the third rookie centre Nic Marchand rounded out scoring with his seventh goal. The final period turned nasty with 20 of the game’s 31 penalties whistled in a span of 14 minutes. Bears’ winger Adam Abu-Ali and Sens’ defenceman Stephen Inman were ejected for fighting. Abu-Ali also picked up a minor for inciting an opponent. Nearly 700 fans saw Smiths Falls win their 11th game in 17 tries.
Pembroke 6 – Cornwall 1: Pembroke vaulted into familiar territory, taking over first place in the tight Yzerman Division by completing a sweep of Colts in front of 1,158 home fans. It was the fourth victory for Lumber Kings (10-6-1-1) in just six days. Friday’s win was an emphatic one for Pembroke! They outshot the visitors by a huge 50-27 margin. If it hadn’t been for the work of Colts’ goalie Jordan Piccolino it might have been a blowout. He kicked out 44 pucks. Lumber Kings led 2-0 and 4-1 at the intermissions. Centre Jordan Larson netted twice to pace the offence while Stephen Hrehoriak had a goal and an assist. Kings’ scoring leader Ben Dalpe set up a pair of tallies to take his points total to 24. Cornwall’s only goal came off the stick of team ace Roman Ammirato with 13 seconds left in the middle period, during a powerplay opportunity. Pembroke scored twice while they enjoyed the man advantage and Larson’s first was a shorthanded effort.
Carleton Place 5 – Brockville 2: Canadians stayed hot on the heels of Robinson Division leaders Smiths Falls by winning their first meeting with Braves in Brockville. Canadians are the top road team in the CCHL with a remarkable 8-2 record in 10 games away from home. Three goals in three minutes early in the first period was the difference in this one. The visitors were up 3-0 and 4-1 at the intervals. Carleton Place scoring leader Kevin Dufour scored twice to hit the 12 goal mark. Veteran defencemen Elias Ghantous with his first of the campaign and Michael Maciag with No. 3 contributed to Canadians offence. Luke Edwards netted the other goal for the winners while brother Brock chipped in with two assists. For Brockville it was high scoring defenceman Zach Todd scoring a shorthanded, unassisted marker early in the second period. Todd has five goals and 11 points in just nine appearances. Braves’ scoring leader Ben Blasko rounded out scoring in the game with his eighth at 13:06 of the final frame. Carleton Place outshot Brockville 39-37. Tony Kujava improved his record to 4-2 with a solid 35 save performance in goal. Matthew Jenkins suffered the net minding loss for Brockville who had a three game winning streak snapped.
Kanata 5 – Nepean 4: Stallions jockeyed into second position in the highly competitive Yzerman Division by surprising the previously red-hot Raiders at Kanata Recreation Complex. After building an impressive 5-0 lead after two periods Kanata barely hung on as the defending league champions staged a four goal comeback in the third. Stallions were saved by an outstanding goaltending performance from rookie Brayden St-Germain. He turned aside 40 shots including 17 in a third period which saw the visitors totally dominate, outshooting Stallions 21-3 in a frantic attempt to get back into the contest. The win was Kanata’s third in four outings. Raiders dropped their second straight although the previous loss was in a shootout. Friday’s results left a log-jam in the Yzerman Division with just five points separating first place Pembroke and fifth place Gloucester Rangers. Kanata scoring leader Derian Plouffe had two goals and one assist while outstanding rookie Devin Fullam added a goal (his sixth) and two assists. Stallions’ defenceman and captain Curtis Watson had three assists. Winger Steven Johnston contributed a goal and an assist during the third period comeback bid by Nepean that fell one goal short. Team leader Dalen Hedges triggered his 14th goal giving him 28 points.
Gloucester 4 – Cumberland 2: Near neighbours clashed at Earl Armstrong Arena in Orleans Friday with the host Rangers doubling the visiting Grads in comeback fashion. Cumberland remains last in the Yzerman while improving Gloucester is chasing the leaders in the tightly packed division. Grads led 2-1 after two periods but an early strike by Rangers in the third tied it. The contest appeared headed for overtime until centre Keegan Rowe took the game by the scruff of the neck! Rowe unleashed his sixth goal with only 48 seconds to play. He clinched it with an empty netter just 11 seconds later, giving Rangers their second win in succession. Stevie Ray Adams opened scoring just 10 seconds after the opening face-off with Philippe Paquette’s powerplay goal tying it with 5:06 left in the first. Grads’ centre Eric Clitsome scored the only second period goal during a powerplay. At the four minute mark of the third Alexandre Boivin replied for Gloucester, also during a man advantage situation, to set the stage for Rowe’s late heroics. Rangers outshot the visitors 39-33.
Hawkesbury 6 – Kemptville 1: Hawks broke a last place tie in the Robinson Division, winning a head-to-head clash with 73’s. The rivals had been tied with 10 points each at the foot of the division going into the clash at Robert Hartley Arena. Stefano Momesso and Antonios Roumeliotis scored twice each to lead Hawkesbury to their fifth straight Friday night win on home ice. By contrast they remained the only CCHL team without a victory on the road. A four goal first period put the sliding 73’s in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Kemptville (4-10-0-2) lost their fourth consecutive game to stay last in the overall league standings. Defenceman Holden Anderson, on a powerplay and winger Pietro Antonelli had first period goals for the winners who held period leads of 4-0 and 5-1. Kemptville goals leader Lucas Gonu was the only scorer for the visitors. He put his 10th past starter and winner Carmine Guerriero in the Hawkesbury cage. Guerriero was solid making 30 saves as Kemptville out chanced the home team 31-27. Billy Cooper suffered the net minding loss, his seventh in 10 starts.
Early week games
Pembroke 6 – Cornwall 5 (OT): Lumber Kings captured their second in three days and third win in a row, edging the host Colts in overtime Thursday. The game was the opener of a home and home set between the teams. There were just five minor penalties called in the wide open, well-played contest. But one of those went to Cornwall’s Billy Ulrick, a charging call with only 10 seconds left in regulation and the teams knotted 5-5. During the ensuing Pembroke powerplay defenceman Philippe Drouin netted his second goal of the season, just 32 seconds into the extra session, to secure the bonus point for Lumber Kings. The visitors held a 46-31 edge in shots on goal including a 17-13 edge in the opening frame. They trailed 3-0 heading into the second period but fired the only two goals of the middle stanza. Early in the third league goal scoring leader Marly Quince gave Colts a brief two goal advantage. Kings then struck three times in just over six minutes to lead 5-4. Quince’s 15th of the season with 32 seconds remaining in regulation tied it. Stephen Hrehoriak, Tyler Gaudet and Keegan Harper had a goal and an assist each for the winners while Ben Dalpe set up three. Quince also assisted once to pace the Cornwall attack. Colts’ scoring leader Roman Ammirato had a goal and one helper. Jordan Piccolino made 40 saves to help secure one point for Colts.
Kanata 6 – Ottawa 5: Junior Senators lost their second straight Wednesday and no one need look any farther than Stallions’ veteran goalie Brandon Lane. The 19-year-old Oakville native was bombarded with 57 shots by the Yzerman Division leaders. He kicked out 52. Meanwhile Sens’ net minder Charlie Millen let six of the 21 pucks directed his way get past him. Millen suffered his second loss in four nights. Inexplicably Lane doesn’t show up among the game stars! The first star was fourth year centre Fabian Walsh who had a goal and one assist for the winners. Kanata led 2-0 and 3-1 at the intervals, despite being outshot 32-15 including an incredible 19-4 differential in the middle stanza. The home team outscored Stallions 4-3 in the final 20 minutes including two powerplay tallies in just under a minute starting at the 18:53 mark. Lane somehow held the Ottawa snipers at bay! Alex Stothart and Colin Horton also had a goal and one helper apiece for the Kanata while team scoring leader Derian Plouffe reached the 20-point plateau with two assists. Centre Ryan Collins led Ottawa with a goal and two set-ups while defenceman Joe Shecter triggered his fourth goal and added an assist.
Gloucester 5 – Smiths Falls 3: Rangers climbed out of the Yzerman cellar by surprising league and Robinson Division leaders Smiths Falls at Earl Armstrong Arena. It was Bears second straight setback after four wins and a shootout loss in their previous five outings. Just as fellow division leaders Ottawa did the same night, Smiths Falls ran into a red-hot goaltender. This time it was Gloucester’s Gunner Rivers who shone. He blocked 37 shots as Bears held a commanding 40-23 advantage in that department. The visitors led 3-2 late in the second before Corey Durocher tied it for Rangers with 2:38 left in the period. Jordan Gravel-Pilon scored the winner, his second of the campaign, early in the third. Keegan Rowe stunned Bears when he came up with a shorthanded, empty netter with 41 seconds remaining to clinch it. Durocher, Patrick White and Daniel Baslyk had a goal and one assist each for Gloucester. Connor McLaren led Smiths Falls with a goal and an assist while team goal scoring leader Michael Buonincontri unleashed his 13th of the campaign. Buonincontri stood third in CCHL scoring following play Wednesday.
Busy Tuesday
The busiest Tuesday so far this season saw three contests played.
Carleton Place 2 – Kanata 1: Canadians moved within a point of first place Smiths Falls Bears in the Robinson Division by edging Stallions at Kanata Recreation Complex. They moved level with Bears in games played at 15. All three goals in the contest came in the second period. Sophomore winger Stephen Baylis, a Carleton Place native, gave Canadians the lead at the 1:23 mark with his third of the campaign. Just over three minutes later it was team scoring leader Kevin Dufour notching his 10th. Kanata moved close when veteran defenceman and team captain Curtis Watson triggered his third. The goalies did the rest! Stallions’ Brandon Lane made 34 saves to give his team a chance. It was Canadians’ Tony Kujava who picked up the win kicking out 28 shots for his third victory in five decisions. Kanata was a disappointing 0-7 on the powerplay.
Brockville 3 – Hawkesbury 1: In an all-Yzerman clash at Brockville Memorial Centre the hosts came away with two points, thanks partly to the stellar work of goalie Cody Karpinski. He turned aside 36 shots and was named the game’s second star. The fifth place Hawks outshot the third place Braves 37-30. Once again all of the scoring occurred in the middle frame. Carl Faucher gave Hawkesbury a very short-lived lead with his fifth goal at the 4:54 mark. Nineteen seconds later Braves’ winger Jonathan Power tied it and three minutes after that centre Nathan Todd netted what proved to be the game winner. Griffen Molino rounded out scoring in the game during a powerplay with 3:04 left in the period. Braves’ Ryan Stayner and Hawks’ Holden Anderson were handed rare discrimination (taunting) game misconducts in the second period. The visitors also lost veteran winger Francis Landers in the same period when he was called for checking from behind. That carries an automatic game misconduct!
Pembroke 8 – Cumberland 1: The hot and cold Lumber Kings put on their biggest offensive show of the season in Navan, totally dominating the slumping Grads and taking over third spot in the Yzerman standings. Pembroke won their second in a row following a three game slide. Cumberland fell for the fifth time in six outings although two of the setbacks came in overtime. This was a totally one-sided affair with Kings outshooting the anemic Grads 40-12. In fact the only Cumberland goal came on a rare penalty shot opportunity which centre Mark Golberg converted late in the second period. At the time the home team already trailed 4-0 and before the period ended Stephen Hrehoriak restored Lumber Kings’ four goal advantage with his ninth of the campaign. Pembroke completed the romp with three more in the final frame. Tyler Gaudet and Kings’ scoring leader Ben Dalpe each tallied twice and Gaudet also set up Dalpe’s third period powerplay marker, one of two man advantage strikes for the visitors. Jordan Larson and Timmy Moore each contributed three assists. Devan Tremblay made 32 stops in a losing cause. Darren Smith was barely tested in winning his fifth game against four setbacks.
A total of 16 games are scheduled across the CCHL from Tuesday through Sunday!
Jeff Maguire is a career journalist based in Carleton Place. He has covered junior hockey in Ontario for 41 years. Jeff’s report will appear on the CCHL website every Monday throughout the season. He can be reached by e-mail at: jeffrey.maguire@rogers.com
