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The Huntsville Otters now boast a 2-1-0 record on the season with two home games coming up this weekend

Huntsville Otters Fall 5-2 to Stayner Siskins

[ratings]

Despite Sam King scoring his first goal of the season just 30 seconds into the first period, the Huntsville Otters (2-1-0) were unable to hang on Friday night for their third straight win, falling by a score of 5-2 to the Stayner Siskins (1-1-0) at the Canada Summit Centre.

Andy Baker scored a power play goal and added an assist, while Shawn Antonides and Josh Zantingh both recorded helpers for the home team. Connor Christansen made 22 saves in his third consecutive start, a chippy affair that saw four misconduct penalties and a fight in the third period alone.

After Stayner tied the game at one goal a piece in the first period, the second frame was a back and forth contest. The only goal came from the opposition’s Ricky Darrell, his second of the night, with just under five minutes remaining as the Otters were shorthanded.

The third period saw the visitors add to their lead with two quick strikes that pushed the score to 4-1, as emotions began to run high on the ice. Things reached a boiling point when Christansen was upended by a Siskins forward in what looked to be a clear-cut goaltender interference play. Huntsville’s Josh Zantingh stood up for his net-minder by dropping the gloves against Jackson Clarke shortly afterwards, and Chris Goodfellow and Lucas Ryerse were both sent off for ‘Inciting an Opponent’.

Jared Stevens (#18) keeps the puck out of reach of a Stayner forward while looking to make a play up ice

Jared Stevens (#18) keeps the puck out of reach of a Stayner forward while looking to make a play up ice

“It was a hard fought battle,” said head coach Shawn Crozier after the final buzzer had sounded. “We needed better defensive coverage, had too many breakdowns in our own end, and they had a hot goalie tonight. Penalties were also an issue, we needed more discipline out there.”

Huntsville had just one powerplay goal on the night, finishing 1/6 on the man advantage.

“Now we need to turn it around, and get the momentum back in our favour,” continued Crozier. “We have two big home games next weekend that we need to get ready for.”

Darrell had a three-point night with two goals and an assist for the Siskins, while Sean Caulfield played admirably between the pipes, stopping 25 of 27 shots for his (and the team’s) first win of the season.

The Otters next games will be on Friday, October 2 against Orillia at 8:00 pm, and Sunday, October 4 against Caledon at 2:30 pm.

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