The Pontiac Senior Comets notched a mark in the victory column Saturday with a 5-3 win over visiting Glengarry Pipers in what was the Comets’ second home game of the season.
Pontiac’s only Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League (EOSHL) team has now won two of its five games played thus far in the 20-game season, and Saturday’s win at the Shawville arena moved it up a spot in the division ranking.
Before the opening puck drop, representatives from fire departments across the Pontiac were recognized with an introduction and ovation. They in turn led off singing the national anthem with Norway Bay songstress Bailey Beardsley.
In keeping with community and showcasing teams of the future, members of the U11A Lions of the Shawville and District Minor Hockey Association (SDMHA) heralded the home team to the ice while association vice-president Ed Rusenstrom introduced them individually to the crowd of some 300 hundred spectators.
The first period was all Comets as they controlled play from the opening puck drop, outshooting their opponents 23 to 12. Kevin Lévesque opened the scoring for the Comets early in the period and set the tone for what was to follow with his passionate brand of on-ice muscle. An unlucky bounce saw the Pipers net their only tally of the period when Braeden Pearl managed to get one past a solid Danick Boisvert, who made 33 saves on the night.
The Comets held puck possession for much of the period as they closed their blue-line and moved the puck freely up ice with smooth skating from the defence core. Led by Miguel Laurin, they seemed to dance around Pipers at will to set up office in the offensive zone. Offsetting penalties midway through the period led to a 2-1 lead for the Comets as assistant captain Quinn O’Brien netted the first of three in a row for what would be a natural hat trick.
The second period was more balanced in play, although the quality of shots taken by the Comets made for the difference as the team netted two more goals, both off O’Brien’s stick. Lévesque took physical exception to Pipers player Alexis Quane-Arsenault, landing him in the penalty box for a spirited roughing call leading to the only power play of the game for the Pipers, during which they were unable to mount any kind of threat against the Comets’ defence.
The final stanza of the game saw the Comets once again at their aggressive best as they took control of the puck for the bulk of the period. Save for two goals off the stick of fleet-footed Kevin Howson, the Comets held sway and sealed the deal with a 150-foot empty netter from Christian Berini in the dying seconds of the game.
The final shot tally was 60 – 36 in favour of the Comets and the score would have been a lot higher if not for the play of Pipers goalie Dimitri Pelekos, whose quick glove hand stymied the sniping Comets. The victory for the Comets is an exclamation to the last time these two teams met when they were on the losing end of a 9 – 5 score sheet in a game that saw 78 minutes in penalties and six misconduct calls.
The Comets’ next home game is scheduled for Nov. 9 at the Shawville arena against the Arnprior Rivermen, who are currently sitting one spot behind the Comets in the division standings.
