SCORERS GO MISSING
2008-02-15

As written by Matt Flemming of the Orillia Packet & Times Newspaper Friday February 15, 2008.

The Jim Wilson Couchiching Terriers got off to a rough start in their Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League playoff series against the Stouffville Spirit last night, losing the opener 5-0.

The Terriers dominated play for long stretches, but had trouble putting the puck in the net.

With the score 2-0 in the second period, Couchiching looked poised for a comeback, holding the play in the Spirit zone and generating chances. But Spirit goaltender Trevor O’Neill made several sparkling saves.

The Spirit scored two quick goals in the final two minutes of the frame to make the score 4-0 and put the game out of reach.

“We’re working hard; we’re controlling the puck,” said Terriers coach Bart Crashley. “But we’re not generating offensive chances from all our work.

“There were phases of that game where we outplayed them badly, but we couldn’t score a goal. And then they came down and scored one.”

The Terriers were without top scorer Tyler Swan, who served the second game of a four-game suspension. The team lost its appeal of the penalty due to a lack of video evidence.

While Crashley said the team should have been able to score without Swan, he admitted his absence threw off the team’s lines and chemistry.

“Our No. 1 scoring line has been disrupted. They played well together all year,” said Crashley.

He said the new lines will need to learn to play together quickly if they are going to have a shot at winning the series.

“Our biggest concern is scoring goals. We have to get some offence going.”

The team also took some undisciplined penalties in the final 10 minutes of the game.

“We were frustrated, but so what? We’re big boys,” said the coach. “This is a series; it’s not just one game.”

The final shot total favoured the Spirit 35-23. Crashley said there were some goals Terriers goaltender Tyler Kimmel may have liked to have had back — “I’ve seen him sharper” — but the netminder was also the victim of some bad bounces, including one goal a Spirit player knocked out of the air.

The Terriers, meanwhile, came on the ice sporting some interesting haircuts, with many adopting red mohawks, including forwards Shane Cater and Rick Acorn.

The best-of-five series now moves to the Rama MASK for Game 2 on Saturday night.

Terriers general manager Roy Micks made a bold prediction before last night’s game that Swan would return for Game 4 at home and score the winning goal to win the series.

But Couchiching will first need to get their offence going without Swan if that prediction is to come true.