by Romano Di Franco
The Nepean Raiders lost a close one in the final installment of the Battle of Ottawa as the Ottawa Junior Senators prevailed by a score of 4-2.
The Raiders gave up the first two goals with a player in the box as Thomas Freel scored his 22nd of the season with William Venne in the box for Elbowing while Tucker McIntosh tallied his ninth with William Fitzsimmons in the box for Hooking.
Zachary Gravel continued his hot hand netting his sixth goal as a Raider and fourteenth of the season. He continued to torment OJS with his second goal against his former team.
Freel got his second of the game and Mark McPhee made it 4-1 Ottawa before William Venne closed out the scoring with of the prettiest Raider goals of the year. He found himself all alone in front of the Junior Senator goalie and buried it past a sprawling Felix Schnell.
The Raiders were out-shot by a slender margin of 42-28 and once again the difference in the game was the special teams as Ottawa went 2-for-4 on the power play while the Raiders came up empty on four opportunities.
The Raiders bench was shortened as they dressed just three full lines and two defense pairings.
Keenan Alnahas got the start in goal and went the distance posting a 0.905 save percentage in the game as he turned away 38 of the 42 shots he faced.
Colin Cromie assisted on both Nepean Raiders goals and earned the game’s third star. Thomas Freel with two goals and a helper was the game’s first star while Tucker McIntosh garnered the game’s second star with a goal and two assists.
The Raiders next game is Wednesday, February 12 when they visit the Pembroke Memorial Centre to take on the Lumber Kings for a 7:30pm puck drop.
