Shaw Hat Trick Powers Game One Win for Eagles

Article by I. Schoonderbeek/Media by R. Mansfield

This is the matchup Clarington Eagles fans have been waiting for.

Round one against the North Kawartha Knights was essentially a series of tune-up games for the Eagles to keep their feet moving. Round two against the Lakefield Chiefs was a physical defensive battle where every inch of ice was contested. Round three presents something entirely different again in the form of the high-flying Georgina Ice.

If there was any team in the Orr Division that was a threat to stop the Eagles’ quest for a third consecutive Schmalz Cup final appearance, it is the Georgina Ice. The third round series between the top two clubs represents a clash in styles. The flashy offensive flair of the Ice vs the stingy defense of the Eagles. Add in a little animosity built up over the regular season, and you’ve got all the ingredients to a great series.

In game one on Thursday night at Garnet B Rickard Recreation Complex, it was the offensive style that prevailed. However, it was Clarington who ended up on top in an exciting 6-5 game one decision.

The 761 lively fans in attendance were treated to an entertaining see-saw battle, with the lead changing hands five times in the contest.

The teams skated to a 2-2 draw through the opening 20-minutes. Winger Owen Manarin, who had a jump in his step all night, scored both Clarington goals to tie the game up as the Eagles fell behind twice in the frame.

Georgina jumped out to a two-goal lead early in the second period. They converted on a pair of two-on-one rushes in the opening eight minutes, the second opportunity coming while short-handed, to gain a 4-2 lead. If the Eagles were rattled, it didn’t show on the ice.

Less than a minute after the fourth Georgina goal, defenseman Ethan Schoonderbeek scored on a low blast from the point on an Eagles powerplay from Trevor Urquhart and Kyle Smith to make it 4-3.

The timely goal appeared to spark the Clarington bench. The Eagles mounted pressure in the Georgina end for much of the latter half of the period. Their persistence paid off with a pair of goals from hulking winger Jordan Shaw in the last two minutes. The Shaw tallies gave the Eagles their first lead of the evening as they headed to the dressing room with a 5-4 lead.

Three minutes into the third period, the Ice evened things up at five on an odd-man rush.

But Shaw put Clarington up for good at 12:36 of the third when was able to walk in alone on the goaltender to complete the hat trick with his seventh goal of the playoffs.

Like last post-season, Shaw has elevated his play when the games matter most. He used his heavy frame to his advantage to battle hard along the boards deep in the Georgina end all night. His improved play has earned him a promotion to the top forward unit alongside Urquhart and Smith. The unit combined for 10 points in game one. “It’s sort of like playing with McDavid and Draisaitl when I play with Smitty and Urquhart,” said Shaw. “They find the puck and get it to me, and good things happen. I really like the way we competed tonight as a line. I felt like we had a good connection out there. As a team we battled back hard after falling behind 4-2.”

While the fans appeared to have had a blast, the Eagles’ coaching staff may have left the rink with a few more grey hairs than they walked in with (ok…maybe not Dave Fairey). The gameplan didn’t go quite like they had drawn it out. “Our back end made a few bad decisions tonight, and Georgina has some good offensive players who are capable of capitalizing on those chances,” said head coach Dean Baumhauer.

One may have been expecting the Eagles’ bench boss to be in a little more critical of his club after surrendering five goals. After all, defense has become the teams calling card since December. But Baumhauer was focused on the positives after the contest.

“We’ve talked as a group about composure,” said Dean. “You’re going to play from behind sometimes; it’s going to happen. You have to respond to adversity the right way. Scoob gets us right back in it on the powerplay after we had just given up a shorty to go down 4-2. We kind of took over from there and we had them on their heels. For us to take the lead into the third was huge. The Shawsy, Smith and Urquhart line were dominant the whole game, and I don’t think Boice lost another draw all night after Georgina’s clean faceoff win goal in the first period.”

The Eagles were shorthanded only twice in the contest, killing both penalties. “Our discipline tonight was very good,” said Dean. “When we run our top guys on the PK too, we’re burning them out. We want them to produce. But it’s hard to produce when you’re killing seven or eight penalties.”

“That was a great game for the fans,” said Dean. “It was a great crowd. I’m proud of the town for coming out to support the boys. We got the first one. Tomorrow it’s going to be over 1,000 crazy fans in Georgina. That’s what it’s all about. We won on home ice and now we need to go up and steal one in their building. It won’t be easy, but our guys are resilient. Tonight was a resilient win.”

Game two goes Friday night at the Georgina Ice Palace. Game time is 7:30 pm. It should be another barn burner!

Note: Thursday’s game was halted by the officials for 10 minutes in the second period after a spectator used a laser pointer in an attempt to distract the Clarington goalkeeper. All fans are reminded to please respect the health and safety of the players, officials, and other attendees at PJHL games. Please come to the games, cheer loudly for your team, and have fun. But do not interfere with play on the ice.