The Vankleek Hill Cougars continue to be undefeated at home, but the team is still looking for its first road win, after splitting games last weekend.
The Cougars hammered the winless Metcalfe Jets 8-0 at the Vankleek Hill Arena, last Saturday, October 9, after falling to the Gatineau-Hull Volant 8-4 the previous night in a road game. The split on the weekend leaves the Cougars with a 2-2 record and tied for third with three other teams in the National Capital Junior Hockey League (NCJHL).
Justin Chaumont recorded a hat trick for the Cougars in their win over the Jets, with Jonathan Campbell adding two goals. Simon Levac, Maxim Rozon and Nathan Sauvé added single markers. Nicolas Wilson recorded the shutout in net.
The Cougars got into penalty trouble in their 8-4 loss to the Volant on Friday, October 9, and were never able to recover against the speedy Gatineau-Hull club.
“They were faster than us and more disciplined than us,” said Cougars Head Coach Franky Dopelhamer. “There’s good penalties and there’s bad penalties and the ones we got were all bad.”
Simon Levac notched two goals for the Cougars in the loss, while Sam Guay and Jonathan Campbell added singles.
The Cougars coach noted it is still early in the season and the coaches and players will be working together to resolve some of the issues on display against the Volant. Saturday’s game against Metcalfe was a strong step in the right direction.
“We lost the night before, so we had to show up for that game and make some corrections from Friday night,” Dopelhamer said. “We played a good hockey game.”
The Cougars are at home against the first place Clarence Castors this Saturday, October 16, in what should be a stern test for the local club. The 3-0-1 Castors have rolled over opponents so far this year, scoring 21 goals in four games and allowing only nine goals against.
“It will be a good test for us,” said Dopelhamer, who said the team executives are grateful for the solid fan support the team has received so far this season.
The Cougars have been allowed 100 fans per game for the first two contests of the season and have had capacity crowds for both. As restrictions ease up, the club is hoping to see even more fans in the seats.
