Eagles’ Season-Opening Win Streak Ends in Georgina

Article by I. Schoonderbeek/Media by C. Archer

The one common thing about all sports streaks is that they all eventually end.

After a pair of dominant victories over Little Britain (10-1 win) and Caledon (10-0 win), the Clarington Eagles headed into the Thanksgiving weekend looking to stretch their win streak to 10 when they visited the Georgina Ice Friday evening.

The Eagles had good reason to feel confident heading into Friday’s contest. Despite having difficulty fielding a full roster, the club was off to their best start in the past four seasons. Their 9-0 run included a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Ice back on September 27.

“Nine and 0, so we’re off to a good start,” said head coach Dean Baumhauer after the team’s win against Caledon Thursday at Rickard Arena. “Half our team rolled over, so we’re still getting to know everybody. We’re working on line combinations and dealing with having guys out of the lineup with (Ben) Stycuk and (Jack) Davis still injured. But we’re getting some good chemistry with Hicksy (Brayden Hicks), Nate (Burelle) and Mitch (Davies). (Trent) Gaylor has had a couple of good games playing up with Urquhart and Smith. We added (Geoffrey) Boates to our bottom six, who brings a gritty checking presence. (Ethan) Baker has stepped into the lineup four games in a row as a callup and fit in seamlessly and worked hard every night. Both goalies have played great so far.”

Rookie Gage Ford is one player who has made the most of the opportunity for more ice time, which resulted from the Eagles’ injury woes. The move to play versatile veteran Kyle Shepherd on the forward lines has allowed the young defenseman to play a regular shift on the blue line.

The former Clarington Toro has adapted quickly to his new surroundings. “It’s definitely faster than I was used to,” said Ford. “But I feel like I’m adjusting well to the pace of the game and holding my own.” Ford faced a potentially tall task going into the season, with six experienced defenders ahead of him on the team’s depth chart. But the well-spoken young man has approached his situation with the right attitude and work ethic. “I’ve been scratched a couple games, but I know my role,” said Gage. “I know I’m going to have to work my way up the ladder. I know my work is cut out for me, but I’m prepared to put the work in to make sure I’m contributing when I step on the ice.”

Friday’s battle in Georgina would present a different challenge for Baumhauer and his crew. “You unfortunately don’t get pushed enough in this division, so we look forward to games like tomorrow. We look forward to games that we consider measuring sticks.”

The Ice have been knocking on the Eagles’ door the past two seasons. In the week leading up to Friday’s contest, they added two solid skaters with Junior A experience to bolster their hopes of dethroning the reigning Orr division champs.

“Georgina has been loading up,” said Baumhauer. “We know they’re gunning for us, so we’ve got to be ready to go Friday.”

The Ice got on the scoreboard within the first two minutes of the first period Friday, but their lead would not last long. The Eagles evened things up on a Trent Gaylor powerplay goal from Charlie Vanhaverbeke and Cooper Kellar.

Early in the second, the Eagles jumped out to a 2-1 lead when Trevor Urquhart netted his sixth of the year from Kyle Smith and Gaylor. Clarington would carry the narrow lead into the third period.

The Eagles had an opportunity to extend their lead early in the third when Georgina was assessed a 5-minute major for head contact. However, it was the Ice who ultimately ended up scoring short-handed to even the game at 2-2.

The Ice would score the game-winner on a powerplay opportunity of their own with just under three minutes to play and then added an empty netter for good measure.

Despite the setback, the Eagles remain on top of the Orr division standings with a seven-point lead over the second-place Ice.

Reminder to Eagles fans; there is no home game this week. The boys will be looking to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Schomberg on Thursday for a meeting with the Cougars and then head to Port Perry for their first battle with the Lumberjacks on October 20. The next home game will take place on October 24 when the Cougars make their first visit to Rickard Arena.