Braves bounce back, blank Nepean 3-0

By Ronald Zajac The Recorder and Times

 

It wasn't just another regular-season game.

It had the feel, style and intensity of a playoff game.

The Brockville Braves worked hard to blank the Nepean Raiders 3-0 in Central Canada Hockey League action before 900 fans at the Memorial Centre on Friday night.

Coming off a 5-0 loss to the Raiders earlier this week, it was a key two points and a moral victory for the shorthanded Braves.

Goals by Cory Wilson and Matt Chartrain broke up a tight-checking, scoreless game after the midway point of the third period.

“I think the fact we battled hard every shift, that was the biggest difference,” said Braves head coach Jason Hawkins in comparing the loss with Friday night's win. “Up there (Nepean), they outworked us for two periods. We outworked them tonight for three periods.”

There weren't a lot of great scoring opportunities in the game with both teams concentrating on defence and not giving up chances.

Brockville goaltender Andrew Pikul stopped 28 shots for his first shutout of the season, earing first-star honours.

“We had chances and we just didn't score. Both goalies played well but they got the goals and won the game,” said Nepean head coach Peter Goulet.

“Whoever scored the first goal was going to win the game,” noted Goulet, “and they got the lucky break.”

At the 11:03 mark of the third period, Wilson hustled into the Nepean zone to retrieve the puck along the boards. He just wheeled and fired a shot at the net with the puck being re-directed past Raiders goaltender Matt Zawadzki for the first goal of the game and his fourth of the season.

Four minutes later, Brockville's Kevin Kirisits knocked the puck out of the Braves' zone.

Chartrain picked it up and sped into Nepean territory. He cut in front of a Raiders' defenceman and slipped the puck between the legs of Zawadzki.

“It was good to get up by more than one goal in a tight game like that,” said Chartrain of his 19th goal of the season.

The game started off in cautious fashion but the emotions picked up after Kirisits knocked the wind out of Nepean's Alex O'Dea with a clean, solid bodycheck in the Brockville zone.

After that, the intensity went up a notch.

“It was against the odds with all the injuries. But, when we work that hard and play that hard, it was a good outcome to have,” said Hawkins.

In that first period, a Nepean shot off the crossbar behind Pikul was knocked out of danger by a leaping Brandon Anselmini.

At the other end, Braves' Kenny Matheson forced Zawadzki to dive behind him on a good chance.

In the second period, Braves' Sebastien Gingras drilled a shot off the post and then blasted a shot that Zawadzki snagged out of the air with his glove.

Ben Blasko – who scored into the empty net with 14 seconds left in the game -, David Roy and Hayden Hulton had good chances in the early going of the third period.

Roy was then sent in alone for a good chance before Chartrain hit the post.

After Wilson scored, and before Chartrain's goal, Nepean had a two-on-one that Kirisits and Pikul were spinning around to keep out of the net.

It was a tough, physical game between two top teams where mistakes would be punished by goals – just like a playoff game.

“We want to start preparing for the playoffs. We have way too many guys who don't have any playoff experience,” said Hawkins. “It was good to play a game like that tonight.”

“Definitely, guys that haven't had a whole lot of playoff experience, this was good for them,” agreed Chartrain. “The last 17 games, we have to start prepping for the playoffs.”

The Braves improved to 32-11-2-1, tied with the Cornwall Colts and just four points behind Carleton Place. Nepean is 35-7-4-1 and just seven points ahead of Brockville.

“We don't want to change anything,” said Goulet of the way Nepean needs to play Brockville. “If we want to change something, we have to put the puck in the net.”

The game's three stars were Pikul, Zawadzki and Gingras.

“It was nice to see everyone contribute. There wasn't a guy that didn't give me his all. I was very proud of my team tonight,” said Hawkins.

The Braves are in Hawkesbury on Sunday afternoon and then host the Pembroke Lumber Kings in Brockville next Friday night.

sportseditor@recorder.ca