by Romano Di Franco
The Nepean Raiders welcomed the Navan Grads to the Canadian Tire Arena for Game One of the CCHL Fall Showcase. John Gedraitis made his first start in ten days which was also against the Grads while Jaeden Nelson got the call for Navan.
First Period: The opening period saw no scoring from either side, with both teams trying to establish their presence on the ice. The goalies faced eight shots from the Nepean Raiders and 17 from the Navan Grads, showcasing their prowess early in the game. John Gedraitis was exceptional during the first period stopping all 17 shots in that opening period.
Second Period: The Navan Grads came alive in the second period, netting an impressive four goals. Colin Holmes opened the scoring at 7:47, followed by goals from Noah Carpenter (14:03), Nathan Hargest (15:50), and Cristobal Tola on the power play (19:02). This offensive explosion put the Navan Grads in a commanding 4-0 lead by the end of the second period. The shot count heavily favored the Grads, with 18 shots on goal compared to the Raiders’ 6.
Third Period: In the final frame, Colin MacDougall added another goal for the Navan Grads at 5:59, extending their lead to 5-0. The Nepean Raiders managed to break the shutout with a power-play goal by Marty Magaletta at 15:40. It was his first career CCHL goal. Despite an improved offensive effort in the third period for the Raiders, the Grads held on to secure the 5-1 victory.
Penalties: Both teams accumulated penalties throughout the game, with the Nepean Raiders earning 12 minutes in the penalty box and the Navan Grads accumulating 8 minutes. These penalties resulted in power-play opportunities for both teams.
Three Stars:
- Cristobal Tola (Navan Grads): Tola was named the first star of the game, contributing with a goal and an assist, showcasing his offensive skills.
- John Gedraitis (Nepean Raiders): Gedraitis was the second star of the game for the Raiders, putting up a strong performance in the net with 43 saves on 48 shots.
- No third star was mentioned in the provided information.
The next time the Raiders and the Grads get together during the regular season will be in three months time on January 10th and it will be in Nepean.
The Raiders next game will be held tomorrow at the Canadian Tire Arena at the Bell Sensplex in Kanata Ontario. They will face off against the Pembroke Lumber Kings.