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Weekend Jr. A Recap (Dec. 5)
2016-12-05
The Wildcats continue to search for answers as the season moves on.
(article by Justin Halbersma)
The Valley Wildcats are caught in a vicious, unforgiving loop.
The frustration level is starting to boil over after a pair of losses on a weekend road trip through New Brunswick on December 2 and December 3. The Wildcats dropped a 4-1 decision to the Campbellton Tigers on December 2, and followed that up with a 6-3 loss to the Miramichi Timberwolves on the 3rd.
It’s a string of losses that has everyone at a loss.
The Wildcats have developed a bad habit of allowing quick goals in succession, and against Campbellton, that trend continued. The Tigers scored twice in less than a minute to put the Wildcats in a sudden 2-0 hole in the first period. The sudden deficit put Valley back on their heels early on, and they could never recover. Although they made it 2-1 in the second period, the damage had been done, and the Tigers added two more goals before the game ended. It was a sudden burst the Wildcats have allowed too often this season, usually putting them down quickly and forcing them to play “Catch up” for the rest of the game.
Campbellton outshot Valley 38-30 in the contest. Alex Beaulieu scored twice for the Tigers, with Tristan Young and Pierre-Luc Lurette adding singles.
Mitchell Kreis replied for the Wildcats.
Christofer Langlais was solid in the Campbellton goal, stopping 29 of 30 shots. Greg Maggio didn’t fare as well, stopping 32 of 36 shots. Justin Ritcey came on in a brief period of relief, stopping two shots.
Stinging from that loss, the Wildcats then travelled to Miramichi to face the Eastlink North Division leading Timberwolves. The first half of the game was a much better affair for the Wildcats. Despite falling behind 2-0 again in the first, these Wildcats rallied and tied the game in the second. Then the wheels fell off.
Undisciplined play by both teams saw a steady parade to the penalty box in the last half of the second and in the third. Unfortunately for Valley, it was Miramichi who took advantage, capitalizing on the power play to make it 3-2 Timberwolves going into the third.
Miramichi then opened a 4-2 lead early in the final period. By now, tempers were flaring and the penalty parade continued. Miramichi continued the onslaught, and although Valley was able to score on a penalty shot to narrow the gap to 4-3, that was all. The Timberwolves tacked on two more to make it a 6-3 victory.
Tanner Somers got the win for the Timberwolves in goal, stopping 28 of 31 Valley shots. Justin Ritcey took the loss for the Wildcats, stopping 32 of 38 Miramichi shots.
Riley Scott led the Timberwolves with two goals. Lee Dower, Michael Constantine, Josh Shatford, and Curtis Hastings all added singles.
Grant Janes, Ilya Putintsev, and Nic Blanchard replied for Valley. It was Blanchard who scored on the penalty shot in the third period.
Valley proved themselves to be a top-notch team in the first half of the Timberwolves game, as they recovered and tied the game after falling behind. But penalty trouble doomed their momentum and the Timberwolves were able to capitalize.
The Wildcats need to find answers, and quickly. The sand is trickling through the 2016-17 season hourglass faster than anyone would like. Will the answers come in the next few weeks?
Only time will tell.
The Valley Wildcats are caught in a vicious, unforgiving loop.
The frustration level is starting to boil over after a pair of losses on a weekend road trip through New Brunswick on December 2 and December 3. The Wildcats dropped a 4-1 decision to the Campbellton Tigers on December 2, and followed that up with a 6-3 loss to the Miramichi Timberwolves on the 3rd.
It’s a string of losses that has everyone at a loss.
The Wildcats have developed a bad habit of allowing quick goals in succession, and against Campbellton, that trend continued. The Tigers scored twice in less than a minute to put the Wildcats in a sudden 2-0 hole in the first period. The sudden deficit put Valley back on their heels early on, and they could never recover. Although they made it 2-1 in the second period, the damage had been done, and the Tigers added two more goals before the game ended. It was a sudden burst the Wildcats have allowed too often this season, usually putting them down quickly and forcing them to play “Catch up” for the rest of the game.
Campbellton outshot Valley 38-30 in the contest. Alex Beaulieu scored twice for the Tigers, with Tristan Young and Pierre-Luc Lurette adding singles.
Mitchell Kreis replied for the Wildcats.
Christofer Langlais was solid in the Campbellton goal, stopping 29 of 30 shots. Greg Maggio didn’t fare as well, stopping 32 of 36 shots. Justin Ritcey came on in a brief period of relief, stopping two shots.
Stinging from that loss, the Wildcats then travelled to Miramichi to face the Eastlink North Division leading Timberwolves. The first half of the game was a much better affair for the Wildcats. Despite falling behind 2-0 again in the first, these Wildcats rallied and tied the game in the second. Then the wheels fell off.
Undisciplined play by both teams saw a steady parade to the penalty box in the last half of the second and in the third. Unfortunately for Valley, it was Miramichi who took advantage, capitalizing on the power play to make it 3-2 Timberwolves going into the third.
Miramichi then opened a 4-2 lead early in the final period. By now, tempers were flaring and the penalty parade continued. Miramichi continued the onslaught, and although Valley was able to score on a penalty shot to narrow the gap to 4-3, that was all. The Timberwolves tacked on two more to make it a 6-3 victory.
Tanner Somers got the win for the Timberwolves in goal, stopping 28 of 31 Valley shots. Justin Ritcey took the loss for the Wildcats, stopping 32 of 38 Miramichi shots.
Riley Scott led the Timberwolves with two goals. Lee Dower, Michael Constantine, Josh Shatford, and Curtis Hastings all added singles.
Grant Janes, Ilya Putintsev, and Nic Blanchard replied for Valley. It was Blanchard who scored on the penalty shot in the third period.
Valley proved themselves to be a top-notch team in the first half of the Timberwolves game, as they recovered and tied the game after falling behind. But penalty trouble doomed their momentum and the Timberwolves were able to capitalize.
The Wildcats need to find answers, and quickly. The sand is trickling through the 2016-17 season hourglass faster than anyone would like. Will the answers come in the next few weeks?
Only time will tell.