Despite struggling to piece together many wins this year, the Copper Cliff Bantam Chiefs did not let a slow start deter them Monday evening, facing the Nickel Centre Ice Dogs in NEHL (Northeast Houseleague) action at the Garson Arena.
The Chiefs spotted the Ice Dogs a 2-0 first period lead, but roared back to post a 5-4 victory in a very well-matched outing. It might not have looked that way early, as Nickel Centre scored a pair of goals while killing off the same minor penalty, to grab the early momentum.
Captain Matthew St Louis and Cooper Joly both managed to beat Copper Cliff netminder Spencer Young before the game was three minutes old, but Young and company settled down nicely from that point on.
At the other end, Joel Deck denied Bradley Lavoie on a backhand attempt in tight as the Chiefs trailed 2-0 after one period of play. With the Ice Dogs doing a nice job of keeping the bulk of the Copper Cliff shots from the perimeter, it seemed that it would be a long night for the visitors.
But things changed quickly, starting with Lavoie, who cuts loose for a breakaway and rings a shot off the crossbar and in, narrowing the gap to just one. Goaltender Young keeps it that way, making a nice pad save on Wyatt Conroy just minutes later.
Midway through the frame, it's Lavoie and linemate William Chrichton teaming up, narrowly missing on their first attempt before Chrichton spotted Lavoie loose in the high slot as the former playground player drilled his second goal of the game.
The Chiefs completed the comeback before the end of the second, as a shot from Cole Bergeron hit the goalpost but bounced right on to the stick of Lavoie, as he wrapped up his natural hat trick.
With momentum clearly on their side, the Copper Cliff lads continued to press early in the final frame, rewarded with a goal from Ryan Bell. The Ice Dogs received a little life with 6:30 remaining, as Conroy converted off a scramble in close, but Bergeron answered quickly for the Chiefs to restore the two goal margin.
Nickel Centre rallied one last time, as St Louis fired a bullet into the top corner, making it a 5-4 game, but in the end, that was exactly how it would finish as Copper Cliff defended solidly over the final few minutes.
While Lavoie would lead the way for Copper Cliff with a three goal effort, it was his playmaking that would really shine, on various occasions, something that is not lost on the St Francis School senior.
"My dad taught me a lot, and we practiced on the rinks," explained Lavoie. "You need to be a good passer to score goals - with no passing, you're not going to get any goals."
Lavoie is in his first year with the Chiefs, opting to move from the Long Lake (SPHL) team in order to try his luck within a league that allows body checking. With the Chiefs and Ice Dogs almost dead even within the 15 team NEHL Bantam Division, the Nickel Centre lads were equally as anxious heading into this encounter, which may have spurred their quick start.
"I really think we were pumped up," said forward Wyatt Conroy. "We didn't get as many shots on goal as we would have liked to, but the ones that we did get counted." Conroy conceded that the momentum of the game certainly turned through the second period, although his goal midway through the third appeared to make things interesting once again.
"The puck came out of the corner, and my buddy Justin was in front of the net and he fought for the puck," said Conroy. "It just squeezed out, so I just shot it at the net." With the final few months of the season ahead, Conroy remains adament that his team is capable of stringing together a few more wins.
"When the momentum shifts and they score a goal, we have to be able to bring it back our way."
