Game # 29
Lindsay Muskies 1 - Cobourg Cougars 5
December 10th, 2007 in Cobourg
Summary
The Muskies built on yesterday's morale-boosting victory against the Wellington Dukes with another strong performance and a satisfying demolition of the last-placed Cobourg Cougars. Or at least that was how the script was supposed to read, but the scriptwriters are on strike. Hockey is a funny game: one day you can beat a high-flyer, the next you are brought crashing back to earth by the basement-dwellers. The Muskies certainly tried to build on yesterday's win but the compact ice surface made it very difficult to play in the same style that had worked so well against the Dukes. Matt Ginn got the start and let in five goals on thirty three shots but he was certainly not to blame for this one as he was left to face the Cougars alone far too often. The Fish will just have to chalk this up as one of those games and then knuckle down and get ready for Peterborough on Friday. The players will no doubt be desperate to take out their frustrations on their near neighbours and will be looking for their second scalp of a top three team in less than a week.
Period 1
There wasn't a great deal to choose between the teams in the first period but the Muskies seemed to struggle a little as they tried to adapt their plays to the compact arena in Cobourg. Play was certainly scrappy but both teams were putting out plenty of effort. The only goal came at 8:51 and it went to the Cougars when Nick Walsh swept in a rebound off Matt Ginn. Perhaps the Muskies' best chance came when a freaky bounce brought the puck back out from behind the net right at the corner of the goal but goalie Jory Fuller was alert enough to get back across and block the prod from a marauding Lindsay forward.
Period 2
The Muskies came out flying in the second period and reduced the Cougars to shreds in the first seven or eight minutes. They created a host of chances and completely dominated the play. They only scored once, though, and it came early (1:34) when Aaron Keaney smashed the puck home from about six feet out. His goal was assisted by Corey George and Brett Waters. By the middle of the period the Cougars began to work harder and the game became more even and more scrappy. Both teams took penalties, with the Muskies giving their opponents almost a minute of two man advantage. The Cougars couldn't find a way to get on the scoreboard, however, and at the second buzzer the Fish still had a three goal lead to take into the third period.
Period 3
The Muskies put the pressure on Cobourg in the third period and fired in twice as many shots as the home team, but somehow it just didn't get reflected on the scoreboard. Lindsay did get themselves on the board at 4:49 when Brett Waters and Justin Lacey caused some turmoil in the Cougars' defence that resulted in the puck sitting in the blue paint about a foot from the goal. Aaron Keaney reacted quickly to score a cute goal by diving full length to push the puck into the unprotected net. At that point it really felt as if the Fish were going to get back into the game and get something out of it but that hope evaporated in the middle of the period when Cobourg scored twice more on breakaways. The first went to Blake Sexton at 10:57 and the second to Nik Walsh at 11:43. The latter was accompanied by a skirmish on the boards that resulted in five minor penalties being dished out - three to the Muskies and two to their hosts. The Fish played hard until the end but couldn't get any more goals as consolation.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs
A Fish is sent tumbling in the Cobourg crease.
Aaron Keaney tries to get the puck across to the waiting Corey George in the second period.
Corey George sends a shot in on the goaltender while Trevor Mock hopes for a rebound.
This time Mock decides to get a little closer to the goalie.
Justin Lacey's shot gives Fuller in the Cobourg net too much of a problem and the puck falls into the blue paint.
Aaron Keaney saw the puck lying there and dove headlong to push it in for the Muskies' only goal out of 41 shots.