Donald Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Dec. 2, 2018
It was a rough afternoon for the Maniwaki Mustangs on Sunday, as suspended players and injuries marred their bench, crippling their perfect record against the Smiths Falls Settlers this season.
Despite the loss for the home team, spectators to the fourth Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League game in Shawville still came out on top as the action proved non-stop in the full contact match.
First period saw the Mustangs forced into the defensive when the Settlers began the game with some rough tactics. Settler Jim Papatie was sent to the locker room after delivering a crushing check from behind to a Maniwaki player, but this wouldn’t make the job any easier for the home team. Soon after, the Settlers scored their first of the evening, ending the period with a 1-0 lead over the Mustangs.
Second period saw a much cleaner game, as no penalties were enforced. The Settlers’ Pineshish Whiteduck scored his first of the evening 11 minutes in, but the Mustangs’ Philippe Gaudron looked to get his team some redemption when he scored with less than a minute to go.
However, third period proved disastrous for the Mustangs, as penalties destroyed their offense and had their backs against the wall. An incident with a loose helmet sent Anakin Tooktoo to the box, where, upon his release, he almost immediately was sent back for roughing.
As well, both Loic Trepanier and Carl Roy would be ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, in the latter half of the period.
As the Settlers scored twice more this period early on, the Mustangs fought back with plenty of energy. Still, the Smiths Falls goalie and defense proved a bit much for the weakened Maniwaki bench, as they’ve recently lost players like their captain to injuries, while others to suspensions.
“Lots of things went wrong,” said Mustangs head coach Samuel Rivet. “The powerplay didn’t work. We came here with four new players.”
When the game wrapped up, the final scoreboard read 4-1 in favour of the Settlers, marking their first win against the Mustangs.
The Mustangs return to the Shawville Arena next on Feb. 3, when they meet the Muskoka Anglers at 4 p.m.
