Tim Ruhnke – Recorder & Times
They earned three of a possible four points against the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the league.
The Brockville Braves followed up a 3-2 overtime win at home against Smiths Falls Friday night with a 5-4 overtime loss on the road to Navan on Sunday afternoon. The Jr. A Braves remain seventh in the 12-team Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL).
Kowin Belsterling gave Brockville the early lead at 1:28 of the first period; it was his fourth goal of the season. The Grads then went up 2-1 on power-play goals by Tio D’Addario and Simon Singher. Lucas Culhane evened the score late in the period with a power-play marker of his own and his 12th goal of the year.
The Braves went up 3-2 at 4:35 of the second on a shorty by Aiden Carolan, his first goal with Brockville. Navan tied the game on Gabriel Crete’s goal just under eight minutes in the third. Braves captain Thomas Haynes gave the visitors the lead again with his eighth goal of the season at 14:45. With their goalie on the bench and having a power play, the Grads made it 4-4 on D’Addario’s second of the game with 45 seconds to go in regulation.
The Braves were then assessed a too-many-men minor just over three minutes into the extra frame. The Grads capitalized on the opportunity; Cayden Faust ended the game with a power-play goal about one minute later to give Navan the extra point.
Brockville edged the Grads in shots 39-37. Braedyn McIntosh, who relieved Diego D’Alessandro after the Braves’ third goal, picked up the win in net for Navan. Sami Molu made 32 saves for Brockville.
Faust and D’Addario were named first and third stars. Second star went to the Braves’ Colin Elliott, who picked up two assists.
The Grads are now one point up on Smiths Falls for second overall in the Jr. A league.
After a slow-ish start at the Brockville Memorial Centre on Friday night, there was a flurry of activity in the first half of the second period. Bears captain and CCHL points leader Sean James scored his 24th goal of the season at 6:46 to give Smiths Falls a 1-0 lead, but Braves defenceman Josh Cole responded with his first goal of the year just under one minute later. Brockville then took the lead on Eric Barnard’s power-play marker at 8:50.
Smiths Falls had a six-on-four late in the third, when James scored the equalizer with 1:32 to go in regulation.
Culhane gave the Braves the extra point by scoring his 11th of the season at 2:02 of the extra frame.
Culhane was named first star. Teammate Elliott, who picked up an assist Friday, was the second star. Third star went to James.
Smiths Falls outshot Brockville 33-28. Molu made 31 saves and picked up the win in net for the Braves. Will McEvoy was tagged with the OT loss.
Attendance on a wet-snowy night was 234.
Brockville has won three of its four games with County Road 29 rival Smiths Falls this season.
The Braves will end 2022 with a home-and-home with Rockland. The eighth-place Nationals are just one point behind Brockville.
Rockland will host the opener on Wednesday night. The rematch will be played at the Brockville Memorial Centre on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Smiths Falls’ final game before the Christmas/holiday break will be against Kemptville at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The 73’s (10-13-4-1) are in ninth place, three points behind Rockland.
James leads the CCHL in goals (26) and points (44). Teammate Owen Watson is ninth in the league with 33 points.
The Bears received an honourable mention from the CJHL in its final weekly top 20 list of 2022. The CCHL-leading Ottawa Jr. Senators are ranked eighth among Jr. A teams in Canada. No other CCHL teams made the list or received a mention.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
