The Huntsville Novice Rep Otters ventured into the den of the
feisty South Muskoka Bears on Saturday and after a hard fought battle, came out
with their first win of the season.
The visiting squad opened the scoring late in the first
period when Huntsville centerman Jackson Durnan, assisted by Ryley DiGiacomo
and Blake Punchard, tucked the puck past a sprawling Bears net minder.
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The Otters defense fought hard throughout the period to preserve the one goal lead but with mere seconds left in the opening frame, the Bears poked the equalizer past the Huntsville goaltender to tie the game at one apiece.
Huntsville answered back early in the second when Logan Therrien, assisted by Jesse Taylor and Gray Patey, got the crowd buzzing again with his first goal of the game. But the see-saw battle continued and less than a minute later, the Bears notched one of their own knotting the game at two.
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But the Otters were not content with a tie and showed relentless determination in the Bears end. Finally, the team’s hard work paid off when late in the second period, Huntsville forward Jesse Taylor, scored two unanswered goals to give the team a 4-2 lead heading into the third.
Huntsville goalkeepers Riley Knox and Ian Adams, were fantastic between the pipes for the Otters and allowed their team to take a stranglehold of the Bears in the third period.
The final period saw the Huntsville squad collect a highlight reel of goals including three from Durnan, another from Therrien and one from winger Ben Power. Assists went to DiGiacomo, Nate Johnson, Power, Patey and Kalvin Crozier.
The Otters defense, led by Johnson and Cohen Poore were solid on the blue line for the Otters shutting down the Bears attack to only a pair of tallies in the third. The pair’s strong defensive play allowed their team to finish on top by a wide margin of 9-4.
Way to go Otters!
Next up -- the Novice Otters travel to Parry Sound this weekend for their first tournament of the season, The Bobby Orr Classic. Good luck Otters!