by Romano Di Franco
In another exciting and tightly contested matchup, the Nepean Raiders faced off against the Kemptville 73’s in Game 2 of their season. For the second straight game, Nepean took their opposing team into overtime and ended with a final score of 2-1 in favor of the Kemptville 73’s.
Making his CCHL debut was John Gedraitis for the Raiders and Jacob Biron got the start for the 73s.
The first period saw Grady Logue of the Kemptville 73’s break the deadlock with a power-play goal with two seconds left to go in that frame assisted by Tanner Fennell and Sydney Loreto. The Raiders faced a 1-0 deficit after the opening frame, with Kemptville controlling play and outshooting Nepean 13-7.
The second period remained scoreless, with both teams showcasing strong defensive play. The goaltenders stood tall, with Kemptville maintaining their 1-0 lead heading into the final period of play.
In the third period, the Nepean Raiders found their offense just 33 seconds in, as Curtiss Sturgeon netted a power-play goal, assisted by Nick Sinani and Carson McGurn. The game was now tied at 1-1, and the intensity was palpable.
The game proceeded into overtime, and just 20 seconds into the extra period, Grady Logue of the Kemptville 73’s struck again, scoring his second goal of the game, with Ty Whyte and Matt Thomas providing the assists. This goal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory for the Kemptville 73’s.
Both teams incurred penalties throughout the game, with the Nepean Raiders going 1 for 4 on the power play and the Kemptville 73’s going 1 for 2. The physicality of the game was evident as well, with a total of 19 penalty minutes assessed.
The three stars of the game were awarded to Grady Logue of the Kemptville 73’s (2 goals), John Gedraitis of the Nepean Raiders (37 saves), and Jacob Biron of the Kemptville 73’s (26 saves).
It was an intense and hard-fought battle that ultimately saw the Kemptville 73’s emerge victorious in overtime, edging out the Nepean Raiders with a final score of 2-1.
The Raiders next game will be on Sunday September 24th as Nepean hosts their home opener when the Cornwall Colts come to town.
