On Thursday December 12, the Atom Southwest Bullets hockey team of the LMLL, with a 7-2-2 record entering the game, outscored their undefeated and first place opponent Mount Brydges Cougar Blue team with a record of 11-0-0, entering the game, by defeating them 8-5 in Bothwell.
The game began on a quick pace by both teams as the tone of the game was set early. The SWB team drew first blood when Dylan Henry (#40) outmuscled the MBCB defender along the left corner board of the Cougar end and was allowed to skate out with the puck and fire a shot at the net. The initial shot was blocked by the goalie but Henry managed to get two more shots at the rebound as he slid the puck under a sprawled goalie for the unassisted goal and early lead with 7:14 left to play in the first. Jacob Smith (#30) was sharp early in the net for the bullet team as he was called upon to make some early saves. The MBCB team tied the game with 4:04 left to play in the first period when the Cougar forward was allowed to skate freely with the puck from in front of his goal all the way down the ice and eventually in alone on Smith before depositing the puck in the net. Just 24 seconds later, a second Cougar goal was scored from just inside the blue line as a rising screened shot made it to the back of the bullet net. The bullets were equal to the task as Peter Katsoulakos (#16), off the ensuing face-off, sent Braxton Haggith (#8) on a breakaway who scored with 3:32 left in the first period to tie the game at 2-2. The period ended in a 2-2 deadlock with the bullet team being outshot by their opponent 6-5 in a fast, entertaining, and tight checking first period.
The second period began much the same as the first period with the bullet team playing their heart out in every aspect of the game as they competed with a first place team. Morgan Hutson (#24) and Evan Demaiter (#26) hustled and battled hard along the boards. Wyatt Johnson (#12), Owen King (#22), and William Lambrecht (#10) were blocking shots before they could reach the bullet net. The MBCB team got on the score sheet first in the second when they scored with 7:51 remaining. The bullets tied the game, 3-3, with 5:43 remaining after Haggith was allowed to skate in on the Cougar goalie from the left centre boards crossing the blue line cutting across to the slot and firing a shot off the goalie’s chest protector, bouncing over his shoulder, and dropping in behind him and across the goal line. This play was allowed to develop because Katsoulakos had run interference for Haggith just outside the Cougar blue-line falling down but not without taking two Cougar defenders down with him. Katsoulakos and Sawyer Watson (#36) received assists on the tying goal. Katsoulakos and Haggith teamed up again as the bullets take the lead for good with 3:52 remaining in the second. Katsoulakos, working hard to control the puck along the right wing boards inside his own blue line, spotted Haggith breaking out near centre ice and fed a perfect pass to send Haggith on a breakaway for the 4-3 lead. Just 1:08 later, Haggith, in the offensive right wing corner boards, spots Katsoulakos breaking for the net and feeds him a perfect pass. Katsoulakos then ripped a backhand on goal which was initially stopped but Haggith having cut for the net after the initial pass scored on the rebound to make it 5-3. The Cougars were beginning to show signs of desperation as they were forced to take a body checking penalty with 52.3 seconds remaining in the period. The period ended 5-3 in favour of the bullets having outshot their opponent 13-11 after two periods.
The third period began with the bullets on the power play enjoying a 5-3 lead. The power play was cut short, when Owen Dewild (#2) took an unsportsmanlike penalty, just 44 seconds into the period, when he took a shot on the Cougar goal after the play had been whistled dead on an off-side call. The MBCB team scored on the power play with 13:36 remaining after a Katsoulakos failed clearing attempt at his own blue-line led to the give-away goal to cut the lead to 5-4. This costly mistake by Katsoulakos seemed to unsettle him as he took a slashing penalty just 16 seconds after the Cougar goal. Smith was called upon to make some timely big saves to preserve the lead for the bullets during the Cougar power play, including stopping a 2 man Cougar breakaway with a pad save late on the power play. Some hustle by the bullet defence to barely keep the puck in during a Cougar clearing attempt, led to a goal by Ethan Keating (#6) with 9:18 remaining to make it 6-4 for the bullets. This was a timely goal as it seemed to take the sails away from a charging Cougar team. The bullets scored again with 8:10 remaining in the period to make it 7-4 when Haggith beat his man in a race for the puck and scored on the ensuing breakaway. Katsoulakos picked up an assist on the play. The Cougar team managed to get a goal back when they beat Smith with 5:33 left in the period to close the gap to 7-5. However, the bullet team would not be denied on this night as they hustled the remaining minutes to keep the puck mostly in the Cougar end before being rewarded with the final goal of the evening when Keating scored on a nice feed by Lambrecht, who earned an assist on the play. This was clearly the most complete and hard working game this young bullet team has played all season. They clearly wanted this win and it showed both on the ice and on the score sheet. CONGRATULATIONS FOR A FINE WIN. The high scoring bullets sit in fourth place with a record of 8-2-2 (18 points), behind a three way tie for first. The bullets have a rematch with this same Cougar team scheduled for December 22 in Mount Brydges at 7:00 pm but not before a home game on December 19 against the Lambton Shores Predators Black team at 7:30 pm in Bothwell.. Come out and support your local team.
Article By Sam Katsoulakas