Orr Division Finals Tied at 1

Clarington Eagles vs. Uxbridge Bruins: Game 2 Recap

The Eagles fell in Game 1 of the Orr Division finals, suffering their first road loss of the playoffs. They knew how pivotal Game 2 could be back at their home rink, the GBRC, in front of a crowd of 536 fans.

1st Period

The Eagles thought they had scored the opening goal early, but it was quickly waved off by officials because the net had come off its moorings. Uxbridge responded with a two-on-one led by Jack Kemp, but the resulting pass was redirected wide. A few minutes later, a shot from the point beat Nate Gillis but rang off the post.

The game remained scoreless until the 11:00 mark, when Aidan Miller opened the scoring with a shot that beat the glove hand of Robby DiMaria. Just 26 seconds later—reminiscent of his performance in the Game 7 victory—Nolan Winter tucked a nice backhand into the net just before it was dislodged. The Eagles headed into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

2nd Period

The Eagles looked to extend their lead to three, firing 15 shots on net in the frame, but DiMaria stood tall. Uxbridge managed to strike twice to even the score, first with a goal by Kyle Butt at 9:25, followed by Tyson Lotton, who tied the game at 2-2 with exactly three minutes left in the period.

3rd Period

The Eagles regained the momentum when Blake Peters-Davey found a way to go five-hole on DiMaria to make it 3-2. Shortly after the Eagles killed off a penalty, Ben Stycuk raced out of the box and was sprung on a breakaway; he attempted to beat DiMaria on the backhand, but the Bruins’ tender stayed with him to make the save.

Moments later, Jack Geniole fired a perfect shot over DiMaria’s glove for his first of the playoffs, restoring the Eagles’ two-goal cushion. However, Uxbridge refused to go away, capitalizing on a power-play goal by Darin Bain to make it a one-goal game with three minutes remaining.

As Uxbridge pressed hard for the equalizer, Eagles goaltender Nate Gillis turned in a spectacular performance with several game-saving stops, aided by key shot blocks from his teammates. The Eagles survived the late Bruins fury to escape with a 4-3 win, evening the Orr Division final at 1-1.

Next Up: The series heads back to Uxbridge on Tuesday night for Game 3. Puck drop is at 7:45 PM at the Uxbridge Arena and Recreation Centre. Come follow the team on the road and let’s hear you make some noise!

Come Fly with your Clarington Eagles!

Mike Jackman