Sports

Golden Hawks lose ground on Flyers in GMOHL playoff race

December 23, 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
The Caledon Golden Hawks soared through November and most of December, but came to a crashing halt before their short holiday break in the schedule.
Having clawed their way to third in GMOHL standings, the junior C club dropped both their matches in the last weekend before Christmas, losing ground on the closely-contested Midland Flyers in the process.
It was the Flyers that stole two points from the Hawks Friday, though team-leading scorer Daniel Cafagna put the Hawks on the board first. He added another on the power play in the second, matched by two goals from the Flyers, to tie the game at two heading to the third.
Brendam Macham was beat with less than two minutes remaining for Midland’s winning goal, while an empty-netter ended it 4-2.
In Caledon East Sunday, the Schomberg Cougars faced a surprisingly undisciplined Golden Hawks squad, a team that can usually be found on the positive side of special teams play.
It was Caledon who struck first, and second, on the power play, when Sean Nottle and McNutt capitalized on rebounds with Ryley Egerton in the box. Midway through the first period, however, that was the end of Caledon’s offence.
With time running out in the first, JP Crescenzi squeaked one in short side past Caledon goaltender Sam Procopio to break the shutout. Crescenzi went to the box minutes later, but his teammates went end-to-end on the ensuing face off for a Ryley Egerton goal shorthanded to make it 2-2 after the first.
Heavy pressure in the second had the Hawks scrambling, with Carter LeRoux eventually spinning and firing underneath Procopio’s pad to give the Cougars the lead.
Caledon had a glorious opportunity to tie the game midway through the period, earning a full five-on-three power play when Schomberg goalie Martin Lauzon knocked the net off during a breakaway attempt for Cafagna, while Brendan Spencer picked up a slashing call on the same play.
The Hawks hit two posts, but no goal. Randy Chen, a workhorse for the Hawks night after night, was kicked off for abuse of officials just seconds later.
On the ensuing power play, LeRoux buried another rebound to make it 4-2, prompting the pulling of Procopio for Macham between the pipes.
Schomberg added another on the power play with Caledon assistant captain James Pitsadiotis in the box early in the third, before captain Nicholas McNutt was also kicked out for showing his frustration.
Egerton and Liam Spurgeon both added empty-netters for Schomberg, for a final score of 7-3.
Dropping the Hawks below .500 with a 14-15-1 record, the losses put Caledon four points behind the Flyers for third place in the GMOHL. In good news, Caledon puts their 9-5-1 home record to the test for the next three games, spread thinly over a holiday schedule.
They host the league-leading Hornets (26-2-1) in Caledon East Sunday, with a week-long break stretching into January when they host the Flyers Jan. 3.
For stats, schedules and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com

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