Jonathon Brodie – Recorder & Times
On Friday the Brockville Braves replicated the 3-2 results they scored against the Hawkesbury Hawks last week, but this time they didn’t need a shootout to pull out the win.
The Braves disproved the coaching cliche that you have to play a full 60 minutes because they were outmatched for most of the first period on their home ice. Right from the start Brockville had trouble getting out of their own zone and when they did they weren’t out of there for long. The Braves were only outshot 14-13, but the stat keepers weren’t keeping count of scoring chances and if they did it wouldn’t have been close for Brockville.
By the end of the first period the Braves trailed 2-0 with the first goal a seeing-eye slap shot from Simon Besner that evaded two Braves blockers and the second goal a missed shot by Kari Belec that hit the boards and bounced back off goalie Justin Evenson.
“Every once in awhile they have to be reminded about playing the right way just like any good team and the message was sent and they responded,” said Braves coach Jesse Winchester.
One of the few bright spots for Brockville in the first period was the depth line of Christophe Cote, Fred Allaire, and Nicholas Hawkins. The trio was aggressive, relentless, provided energy, and by far their team’s best line and early in the second period they were rewarded with a gritty goal that looked more like a mêlée in front of the net instead of a major scoring opportunity.
“They had a few good chances after that and I was hoping they would get one because they were buzzing, playing the right way, and getting lots of looks,” Winchester said about the Cote-Allaire-Hawkins line.
In the third period Brockville took advantage of their chances, starting with a bad turnover two minutes in by Hawkesbury defenceman Mike Nantais in front of the net to Jordi Jefferson, who made no mistake in putting the puck away.
The game-winner came with the Braves scoring a pair of goals in about 30 seconds…sort of. Brockville thought they scored a power play goal when Jonathan Hill shot a puck that had the goal-horn sounding and lamp lit, but the referees called it off right away and let the play continue. About 20 seconds later Tyson Kirkby rifled a shot to the back of the net.
Braves general manager Dustin Traylen — who worked the bench in replace of Winchester while he was away with his family after having a baby girl — was happy with his team’s effort in last week’s shootout win against Hawkesbury at home and pointed to it being a catalyst for a playoff run.
This week with similar results, Winchester wasn’t far from echoing Traylen’s comments.
“On most nights, it’s been a recurring theme in all our interviews, they play the right way and it’s rewarding to see that. They really stepped up in the second period tonight, especially after being down. That resiliency is key,” said Winchester. “Tonight is a good example of that character we have.”
The Braves and Hawks are currently battling for the third spot in the standings with just four games left in the regular season for both teams. It’s unlikely they’ll meet meet in the post-season unless they see each other in the finals, but it didn’t stop either team from getting chippy throughout the entire game.
Brockville is now three points ahead of Hawkesbury for third place. They finish the regular season with a busy schedule as they travel to Kemptville to take on the 73s on Sunday before hosting a trio of home games to close out the season with the Pembroke Lumber Kings on Monday and Wednesday and the Smiths Falls Bears on Friday.
“I think (finishing third) means a heck of a lot to the guys in the room,” said Winchester. “We were probably dismissed at the start of the year or written off by a few teams in the league, but the character there and their willingness to try to be good everyday, that consistency, has paid off over a long season.”
