Bandits defence breaks down against Halton Hills

June 22, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
The ship is sinking fast for the Caledon Bandits Junior C lacrosse club, as they round out the final month of the 2015 regular season.
In a season plagued by defensive breakdowns, it was de ja vu entering the home of the Halton Hills Bulldogs last Wednesday night.
Bandits’ leading scorer Austin Heughan has been one of few positives to come out of this season, and he showed off his scoring prowess early. In the first three minutes of the game, Heughan hit two posts, and was clearly frustrated after the second rang off the bar and into the outer netting.
The game actually continued in a stalemate until midway through the first period, when Heughan finally found twine after working his way between two defenders and scoring in close.
Now being double and triple-teamed, Heughan’s frustration finally boiled over, taking a penalty behind the play, closely followed by a slashing call on Keaton Wilson. The pair of minors gave the Bulldogs more free room on the floor than goaltender Ryan Woodworth could handle. He was eventually beat after a couple of nice passes to tie the game at one.
The tie didn’t last for long, with Halton taking the lead just seconds after Wilson exited the box.
Chris Hunter had a chance to tie it in the dying seconds of the first frame, hitting the post on a breakaway after picking up a loose ball.
Unfortunately, the Bandits seemed to use up all of their gas by the first buzzer. Caledon’s first possession of the second came more than four minutes in, with the scoreboard now showing 4-1.
Now 5-1 and with the Bandits at their wits end, Jonathon Ferguson had some bad luck attempting to carry the ball out of the Caledon end, dropping it and giving up a 6-1 lead before the end of the period.
Looking on the bright side, a much different Bandit team came out for the third, scoring two power-play goals and adding a shorthanded marker with one minute to play. However the lead was insurmountable, with the Bandits falling by a score of 10-4.
Jordan Oshowy was perhaps the star of the night for the Bandits, scoring the shorthanded goal and adding two more assists in the contest.
In Clarington Friday, the boys were in tough from the get-go, facing a Shamrox team holding a 10-0 record on the season.
Although Wilson was able to strike early, just less than two minutes into the game, an onslaught of Shamrox shots proved too much for the Bandit defense to handle, as Clarington’s eight goals in the second propelled them to a 16-6 victory.
The Bandits are still searching for their second win of the season, after defeating Mimico in overtime more than a month ago.
Following a home game against Barrie Tuesday (after press-time), the Bandits travel to Wilmot Sunday for their second match-up of the year with the Wild. The Wild beat the Bandits in the season opener 11-1.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.banditslacrosse.com/jrc