by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — Whitewater Kings defeated both opponents on home-ice this weekend.
The Carleton Place Jr. Canadians were sent home with a 5-2 loss Sunday afternoon, while Saturday night, the Westport Rideaus returned home with a 5-4 loss following a shoot-out.
The Kings have one game this week, and it’s a 7:30 p.m. game at the Astrolabe Arena in Cobden against the Casselman Vikings.
Sunday afternoon was special for the Muskrat participants, as they were celebrated with Muskrat Game by the Kings. It paid off for Alijah Boldt of Cobden as he won the draw for the cap, t-shirt and hoodie.
Muskrat players, as well as brother and sister, Sydney and Grady St. Pierre, got to drop the opening puck with help from mom Katie, who sits on the Muskrat executive.
The 5-2 win was in front of a crowd of 173 fans.
The Kings scored twice in the first and second periods and a single time in the third. Half-way through the first period, Brayden Schimmens scored, assist Jared Campitelli and Jared Burnette, followed two minutes later with a goal from Tommy Cahill, assist Quinn Vanhoof and Dylan Kuehl.
In the second frame, the Kings went up 4-0, with two more goals, one from Cahill in less than a minute into play followed just over eight minutes later with a goal by John Enright. Assists went to Vanhoof and Kuel as well as Schimmens and Declan Flanagan. With less than five minutes left in play, Carleton Place Jr. Canadian Kyle Lightfoot scored, assist to Brendan Hill and Gravin Browne.
In the final frame, with less than five minutes left in play, Canadian Mitchell Kealey scored, assist to Browne and John Mills. But the Kings weren’t done yet. With 36 seconds left on the clock, King Campitelli scored, assist to Hubers and Burnette.
The sin bin wasn’t too busy, with the Kings sitting out four minutes but a Game Misconduct was awarded to Arian Oki for a major blow to the head. Carleton Place Jr. Canadian Oliver Carriere also received a 10 minute penalty and a match for check-from-behind.
King Bennett Oxborough earned the win between the pipes, stopping 31 of 33 shots on goal while Canadian Owen Bennett had it a bit easier, stopping 20 of 24 shots on goal.
King players Cahill and Schimmens were awarded first and second game stars with Canadian Gavin Browne earning the third.
Saturday night’s 5-4 win saw Alec Lindecker score the winning shoot-out goal. Previous to him, Dylan Kuehl and Tommy Cahill each scored as well. However, two Rideaus also scored, Griffin Patterson and Blake Kettyle. Hugh McHugh wasn’t successful.
Opening the game, Westport’s Hugh McHugh scored with five minutes left on the clock. In the second period, Rideaus Matthew Seed and Owen Watson each scored, but the Kings scored four times. Twanging the twine were Dylan Kuehl, assist Tommy Cahill and Connor Peplinskie; Jared Campitellim assist Jared Burnette and Brayden Schimmens; Arian Oki, assist Cahill and Michael Hubers and Conrad Cybulski, assist Lindecker and Peplinskie.
With eight seconds left on the clock in the third period, Westport Rideau Rocco Barresi, assist with McHugh and Kettlye, scored, forcing the shoot-out.
The Kings racked up 16 sin-bin minutes while the Rideaus sat out for 20 minutes.
King goalie Anthony Kervin earned the win, stopping 28 of 32 shots on goals while Rideau goalie Alex Zoutis was kept busy and managed to stop 43 of 47 shots on goal.
Kings Peplinskie and Cahill earned the first and second game stars while Rideau Matthew Seed earned the third star.
Whitewater King goalie Bennett Oxborough was able to deflect this puck during hockey action at the Astrolabe Arena Sunday afternoon. However, he did allow two in, but the Kings still defeated the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians 5-2.
To celebrate Muskrat Minor Hockey Day on Sunday, Jan. 27, Muskrat players and an executive member dropped the opening puck. For the ceremony, Carleton Place Jr. Canadians captain Cole Beckstead and Whitewater Kings captain Tommy Cahill prepare to take the puck from the Muskrat St. Pierre family, from left, Sydney, Katie and Grady.
