Caledon Golden Hawks lose on the road before rebounding with home ice win

Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

A rollercoaster of an early season schedule saw the Caledon Golden Hawks earn a split in points for the second weekend in a row, posting a loss to the Midland Flyers and a win over the Schomberg Cougars.

The junior C club made the trip to the Midland Sports Complex on Friday evening to face the Flyers for the first time this season, with both sides fresh off of their first wins.

Yet the Golden Hawks failed to replicate the five-goal effort that earned them the two points one game prior, instead finding themselves on the wrong side of a 3 – 0 shutout.

Veteran net minder Jason Cumbo put up a valiant effort between the pipes, locked in a goalie battle with Brendan Macham until the eight minute mark of the second period, when the goose egg was finally broken.

Macham's 32 save shutout outweighed what was otherwise a stellar performance for Cumbo, who stopped 27 shots coming his way, before Midland added an empty netter in the final minute of regulation.

Sunday's meeting with the Schomberg Cougars back at Caledon East Arena proved to be Caledon's best chance of the week to pick up a pair of points, with Schomberg falling in the standings after posting a trio of losses.

Hoping to right the ship in the first match of the year between the two rivals, a back-and-forth affair had both sides tied at two goals apiece heading into the third period, with Caledon's coming off the sticks of Daniel Butt and Dante Zuccaro.

It was early in the third when the home team was able to take advantage of an opportunity with Schomberg's Brenndan Eason in the box for interference, where Caledon's Marc Bottero put away the game's final goal for a score of 3 – 2.

Aidan Spooner was back between the pipes for the Golden Hawks, picking up his second win in as many games and moving to a two and one record on the season.

Despite a slow start to the schedule, the win keeps the Golden Hawks out of the basement of the Provincial Junior Hockey League's Carruthers division, two points up on the Huntsville Otters with a record of 2-4-0-0.

The four points are good for a tie with the Cougars, while the Stayner Siskins remain at the top of the leaderboard thanks to a perfect record through four games.

Caledon will be looking to make up ground on Friday evening when they visit the Otters on the road, before heading back to Caledon East Arena on Sunday to play host to the 3-2-0-0 Flyers.

For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com.