Hawks deflated after slow week in GMOHL season

December 3, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
A week without hockey is more than many men’s leagues go, let alone junior hockey clubs.
Seven days rest showed itself on the Junior C Caledon Golden Hawks when they went to Huntsville to face the Otters for the third time this season.
After a strong seven-goal showing against the Schomberg Cougars the game prior, the Hawks seemed to be deflated after a week-long break.
Goaltender James Cyfko had not seen action in more than a week, and it showed on the scoreboard.
After a strong first 10 minutes defensively, the Otters opened the floodgates with three goals over less than four minutes.
Hawk Michael Andrews countered with his fifth goal of the season, cutting the deficit to two at the end of the first period.
Christian Mariconda, on a tear since joining the team early last month, gave the Hawks a fighting chance midway through the second off a pass from captain Cody Forgione.
Mariconda has produced 10 points through six games this season.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, that would be as close they would get to a comeback. Huntsville’s Nathan Zantingh once again opened a two-goal lead two minutes later, chasing Cyfko from the net in exchange for Sam Procopio.
Cyfko made 13 saves on the 17 shots he faced in the match.
Procopio and his Huntsville counterpart Hunter Ferguson were solid in the final frame, making eight stops each for a final score of Huntsville 4, Caledon 2.
The Golden Hawks were 0-5 on the powerplay, a statistic that has plagued them all season. They are a league-worst 13.89 per cent with the man advantage.
On the bright side, their penalty kill has been fairly impressive, killing off 80.25 per cent of penalties.
They are second only to the Cougars in penalty minutes accrued, racking up 640 through 23 games this season.
The 0-1 week has a much larger impact on the Hawks’ placing in the GMOHL standings than expected, as their other mid-ranking rivals the Cougars and Fergus Devils each secured two points over the weekend.
It’s another dry schedule this week for the Golden Hawks, with their only action coming this Sunday as they look for revenge against the Otters in front of their home fans.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.juniorcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com