Sports

Cumbo shuts door on Flyers in Golden Hawks win

December 22, 2016   ·   0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
Jason Cumbo had his biggest game as a Caledon Golden Hawk Sunday to secure the junior C club’s sixth win of the season.
The first year hometown goaltender had lost three straight decisions between the pipes heading into the match with the third-place Midland Flyers, dating back to late November.
Tested early, Cumbo was forced to contend with 20 Midland shots in the first period alone, stopping each. His team gave him a hand offensively by potting two in the first, off the sticks of Sean Nottle and Matt Magliozzi.
Call-up Christian Hauck, in just his second junior hockey game, earned a career milestone with his first goal for the Hawks just more than a minute gone in the second.
With captain Nicholas McNutt in the box for high sticking, the Flyers finally solved Cumbo just before the midway point of the game, adding another short-handed goal in the second on 16 shots.
Nottle added his second of the game, along with a Magliozzi empty netter with less than a minute to go in regulation time, for a 5-2 Caledon win.
In total, the Flyers threw 45 shots at the Caledon net, the most any Caledon goaltender has faced all season. In stopping 43, Cumbo put up a save percentage of .955, eclipsing his best of .944 in Caledon’s first game of the season: also a win.
The Hawks were coming off a 3-2 loss to the Flyers on the road Friday, following a six-day hiatus due to a weather cancellation Thursday when the Hawks were to take on the Stayner Siskins.
With Caledon leading 2-1 with 12 minutes to go on the clock, the Flyers rattled off three straight unanswered goals, the game winner coming with just over four minutes left.
Hughie Sheppard and Tyler Whitten both found the back of the net for the Hawks. Andrew Ireland made 23 saves on 27 shots.
The tandem of Cumbo and Ireland have split the six wins put up by the Hawks this season over 32 games, though their individual statistics are not reflective of their records. Both have put up solid seasons, putting up an .893 and .881 respectively to sit in the middle of the pack among Provincial Junior Hockey League goaltenders.
The Hawks, meanwhile, remain last in the PJHL’s Carruthers division, though as a team has put up a record of 2-3-2 in December. A slow start to the season still has the Caledon team nine points back of the Schomberg Cougars for seventh in the eight-team division.
The Alliston Hornets and Stayner Siskins have already clinched first and second place in the division with just more than a month to go, playing to records of 26-2-1 and 24-3-0 respectively.
Only nine games remain on the regular season schedule, which continues this Friday as the Hawks visit the Huntsville Otters (12-17-0).
They return to action following the holiday break Dec. 30, hosting the Orillia Terriers (12-19-0) at Caledon East.
For stats, schedules and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com

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