A third period goal from forward Olivier Gauthier was the difference for the Nepean Raiders in a grueling 6-5 win over the Kemptville 73’s in CCHL action Fri. night.
The victory puts a coveted “2” in the win column for the Raiders, who were seeking some momentum in the early goings of the season. The loss pushes Kemptville to 1-5.
While the momentum was the Raiders’ to grab a hold of after time expired, it was a back and forth battle between the two teams for the first two periods of play.
The Raiders and 73’s broke out for an 11-goal assault, including 10 finding the twine after two periods of play.
“Yeah it was a bit of a circus,” said Nepean head coach Darcy Findlay.
“Five on five I think we played them very good. Once we adjusted on the penalty kill and our overall game a little bit I thought we did alright. We were able to adjust when it mattered most down the stretch,” he said.
Gauthier lead a balanced Raiders’ attack with a two-goal game giving him four on the season to top the team. Antoine Belisle, Corey Tam, Geoff Dempster and Bailey Brant added solo tallies for Nepean.
Forward Liam Stagg notched his first two CCHL and Raiders’ points with assists off Gauthier and Belisle’s goals. Jordan Renaud also tallied two assists of his own.
Nepean goalie Kyle Alaverdy replaced starter Matthew Chan midway through the second and made nine saves in relief for his first victory on the year.
Axel Côté, Alec Taillon, Jacob Thousand, John Beaton and Tyson Kirkby answered for the 73’s, while Nick Bond stopped 36/42 shots to earn the loss.
History repeated itself once again, as discipline was a huge factor in the game’s outcome. The Raiders and 73’s sent a player to the box five and seven times respectively after averaging 13 total penalties per game in their previous seven meetings. Both teams scored three of their goals with the man advantage.
“We’ve stressed that (powerplay) a lot the last week or so, just the fundamentals. Just having a shooting mentality, getting some traffic and keeping the game simple,” said Findlay.
While the box score will leave Raiders’ players and fans happy, Findlay noted there were certainly some lessons to be learned from the night’s game.
“We’re going to enjoy the win but we’re also going to think of the takeaways, staying out of the box, keeping our feet moving, using our stick less. Things for success.”
The Raiders’ attention will turn to the Smiths Falls Bears who sit fifth in the CCHL’s Robinson Division at 3-3. Puck drop is 2:30 p.m. in Nepean.
