by Romano Di Franco
NEPEAN, ON – The Nepean Raiders hosted the Hawkesbury Hawks for a Sunday matinee game at the Nepean Sportsplex Steve Yzerman Arena.
Both teams come into the games off of 3-2 shoot-out victories. The Raiders win came against the Kemptville 73s while Hawkesbury defeated the Pembroke Lumber Kings. The Raiders carried a two-game win streak into the game while the Hawks are on a six-game win streak.
Evan Martin got the start in goal for Nepean while the CCHL’s top goalie Max Donoso was in goal for Hawkesbury. Donosa sports a 0.970 goals-against average to go along with a 0.957 save percentage.
Hawkesbury opened the scoring as Josh Spratt took the puck from the corner and walked right in front of the Raider goal before sliding the puck past Evan Martin. Both goalies were pretty busy in the first 20 minutes. Donoso turned aside all nine shots that he faced and Martin made 11 saves on 12 shots.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room.
They extended their lead when Spratt got his second of the game in unconventional style. Rylee Hlusiak took the puck in on a break-away and after Martin made the save the rebound when off of Spratt’s skate into the net. The officials had a brief scrum before allowing the goal to count to make it a 2-0 game.
The Raiders responded with a goal of their own when Zachary Lefebvre took a Ryan Liverman feed on the doorstep to cut the lead in half. The play was set up by Coleman Bennett taking the puck into the Hawks zone before dishing off to Liverman. He then skated towards the net and provided a perfect screen in front of Donoso.
Mark Cooper would restore Hawkesbury’s two-goal lead. The Raiders outshot the Hawks in the second period 11-8 but found themselves on the short-end of the 3-1 score.
Hawkesbury kept the throttle on high in the third scoring two quick goals early in the third as Rylee Hlusiak blasted his 10th of the season from distance and then Jakson Kirk knocked down Samuel Beaulne and stole the puck before going in all alone on Evan Martin scoring a highlight goal of his own to make it 5-1 Hawks. Jeremy Quesnel put the game out of reach on a 2-on-1 to make it 6-1.
The Raiders continued to press and had their share of quality chances in the third. They finally put a second puck past Max Donoso making it a 6-2 final. Nolan Mozer buried an Owen Hollingsworth rebound with Zachary Lefebvre picking up the second assist. It was Mozer’s first of the year.
For the second time in three games the Raiders outshot their opponents this time with a 30-27 advantage.
Hawks Josh Spratt (2G | 1A) was named the game’s first star and Felix Sauve (2A) earned the second star. Nepean’s Zachary Lefebvre (1G | 1A) nabbed the third star.
Nolan Mozer was named the hardest working Raider.
The Raiders travel to the Brockville Memorial Centre to take on the Braves on October 17 for a 7:30pm puck drop.
