Patriots earn mixed results in Games 2 and 3
The compete level was absolutely there for the Toronto Patriots in both Games 2 and 3 of the series, but the results differed slightly yet significantly.
In both contests, the Pats had third-period leads that were erased by a veteran, tenacious Burlington Cougars squad; yet while a Nick Kalpousos one-timer in overtime in Game 2 meant Toronto found a way to win the game Friday night in Burlington, the same club found a way to lose one Saturday evening at Westwood Arena.
Back in Etobicoke for the Pats first home game since Game 7 of the Buckland Cup final in 2015, Toronto used the momentum provided by a dramatic Game 2 overtime victory to get out to the early lead.
Picking the puck up at his own blue line, regular season goal scoring leader and captain Andrew Petrucci blew back toward the Burlington end and whipped a wrister past Cougars’ net minder Mario Cavaliere 7:03 into the contest to give the Pats the lead.
Yet offence proved hard to come by for either team the rest of the way, and Toronto goaltender Cam Gray proved once again that he is among the truly elite in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, denying the Cougars over and over again, including on a Matt Goeree penalty shot at 9:59 of the middle frame.
Despite Gray’s best efforts, the Burlington onslaught could not be stemmed permanently. Matt Watson, whose 24 goals during the regular season made him the league’s top goal scoring defender on the campaign, fired two blasts past Gray from almost the same places in the high slot at the 9:19 and 18:24-marks of the third period, and sent the Cougars bench into hysteria.
The positives for the Pats after three games are many, most notably the performance of Gray and the team’s overall tenacity, and the club will have a chance to tie the series up again at home Tuesday night when they host Game 4 at 8 p.m.
