Stallions on three-game winning streak following easy victory at Hawkesbury
Posted Feb 5, 2010 By Jeff Maguire
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Tweet ThisEMC Sports - For the first time this season Kanata Stallions are in the midst of what can truly be called "a winning streak."
Stallions won their third consecutive game of the campaign Friday night, rolling over last place Hawkesbury Hawks 6-1 in Central Junior Hockey League (CJHL) action at Hawkesbury.
With only a month left in the long Junior A season, the current string improved Kanata's disappointing record to 11-38-2-2. Friday's triumph over the lowly Hawks marked the first time the club has won more than two games in a row all season.
Allan McPherson, the one bright light in an otherwise dismal campaign for Kanata, continued his torrid scoring pace in Hawkesbury. The 18-year-old Kinburn native netted his 30th goal and set up four others to take his totals to 74 points. He also moved into eighth place in the CJHL scoring parade, a truly remarkable season for a player on a last place club. Despite three straight wins Stallions stayed bottom in the Yzerman Division standings, trailing fifth place Cumberland Grads by a whopping 27 points following Friday's action.
The line of McPherson, Brandon Timm and Ryan Donnelly combined for 12 points in the contest. Timm scored twice giving him 21 on the season and he set up Donnelly's first of two, a powerplay effort early in the second, which proved to be the game winner. Donnelly, an 18-year-old right winger from Stittsville, connected again at 12:57 of the middle stanza giving him 12 goals and 31 points on the season.
Light scoring defenceman Brendan Rousselle, who also hails from Stittsville, had the other Kanata tally, his second goal and fourth point in 41 games, to give the visitors a 3-0 edge at 8:14 of period two. It too came on the powerplay.
McPherson opened scoring in the game at 12:14 of the first period.
A testy game, which had barely been in check earlier in the period, turned nasty after Kanata scored their fourth goal of the middle frame to go up 5-0. Chris Myeroff of Hawks and Stallions' Kris McCarthy were handed misconducts for inciting an opponent at the 17:10 mark of the second. Fifty nine seconds later Hawkesbury blueliner Sebastien Lavoie and Kanata winger Philipe Doucet squared off in the first of two fights in the contest. Both were sent to the showers and Doucet was also tagged with two minor penalties.
In the third period Joey House ruined Travis Wilkins' shut out bid when he scored the only Hawks' goal at 4:49. Timm's second, a shorthanded score with just 1:19 remaining, wrapped up a tidy win for Kanata.
Between the third period goals there were a flurry of roughing, slashing and holding calls as tempers flared. Myeroff and McCarthy squared off for the second time at 7:54 of the final period and this time both were handed fighting majors and game misconduct penalties by Referee Todd Ogilby.
Dylan BrindAmour started in goal for Hawkesbury but was knocked out of action early in the second. He was replaced by Philippe Magnan. Hawks out shot Stallions by a slim one shot (26-25) margin.
Game official Ogilby was a busy man calling 32 penalties including 11 majors. Kanata led the way with 17. But Stallions were an efficient two for four on the powerplay while Hawks were 0-9.
OT VICTORY
Last Tuesday night (Jan. 26) at Kanata Recreation Complex (KRC), Kyle Rankin's overtime goal and outstanding relief goaltending from Wilkins lifted Stallions to a 7-6 win over Gloucester Rangers as Stallions continue to show signs of improvement.
The victory finally allowed Kanata to climb into double figures in wins, with 10 on the campaign. However, that objective wasn't reached until the team's 52nd outing of the campaign which is sobering on second thought!
Kanata overcame a 5-2 first period deficit, scoring three unanswered in the middle stanza to knot the score. The Yzerman rivals then exchanged third period goals with former Stallion Sam Coyne's second goal of the night forcing the extra session. The tying tally came at 12:25 of period three.
Rankin netted the winner at 3:30 of the mandatory five-minute overtime. His goal gave Kanata their second straight extra time victory, coming hard on the heels of a 4-3 shootout triumph over Cumberland Grads in Navan on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 24.
Rankin, who now has 39 points including 17 goals, was named first star. Rookie forward Ryan Bradley of Carp set up Rankin's game winner. Bradley finished the night with two goals and two helpers to earn second star recognition. The 19-year-old now has 14 goals and 23 total points in his first CJHL campaign.
McPherson didn't make the three-star grade despite netting a pair of powerplay goals and setting up another. He is the runaway scoring leader for Kanata. All in a night's work for McPherson who, with three more points, moved up to eighth on the CJHL scoring chart.
Rankin finished the night a distant second to McPherson on Kanata's team list, a full 30 points behind the crafty centre.
In another oddity the third star was Rangers' defenceman Benjamin Iwanowski who didn't score a point in the game. He appears on the scoresheet, but only on the penalty list. Iwanowski did picked up two minor penalties in the contest.
By contrast his teammate Coyne had two goals and an assist while Sean and Stephen Blunden had two points each. Sean netted his 17th goal of the season in the first period and has 47 points, the highest total for any blueliner in the league.
Timm, with his 19th of the season and Gabriel Parent with his fourth (he also had an assist) were the other Kanata goal getters.
Coyne, who triggered two goals including a powerplay tally, has been a huge find for Gloucester since being dealt to Rangers by expansion Carleton Place at the junior hockey trade deadline Jan. 10. The Perth native, who played briefly for Kanata at the end of last season (he was acquired by Stallions from Brockville at the 2009 trade deadline), also had an assist, giving him six goals and eight points in only five games since the trade. Coyne scored just 12 times (he also had 20 assists) in 39 appearances for Canadians this season.
Eric Clitsome, Justin Armstrong and veteran Nick Vidoni all scored in Rangers' five-goal first period outburst.
Armstrong's goal spelled the end of the night for Stallions' starting goalie Sebastien Parker. He was yanked at the 11:48 mark of the opening frame after allowing four goals on 10 shots.
As mentioned Wilkins was a more than able replacement, giving up two goals but kicking out 29 shots as Gloucester out shot Kanata 41-29.
Referee Chris Hodgins called eight minor penalties, four to each side. Kanata was a solid two for four with the man advantage while Gloucester netted once on four powerplay opportunities.
The single point gave Rangers, the most improved team in the league this season, an even 60 points. They stood second in the Yzerman Division and fourth overall in the 12-team league following Tuesday's action.
Following Friday's action Kanata is now seven points ahead of Hawkesbury in the battle to avoid finishing last overall in the CJHL this season.
Tuesday Stallions entertained Cumberland and tomorrow night (Saturday) they visit Ottawa Junior Senators. Face-off at the Jim Durrell Recreation Complex is set for 7:30. Next Tuesday (Feb. 9) Nepean Raiders will be the visitors at KRC for another 7:30 p.m. start.
