The Junior C Otters are skating through their first round of playoffs against the Caledon Golden Hawks. They are five games in and up 3-2.
Their first game was in Caledon on Sunday, February 4 where they took an early lead in the series with an 8-4 win. Goal tending by #30 Ty Sparling was on point with only 4 pucks getting in out of 44 shots on net. Alex Brisson #18 was named one of the top performers by PJHL earning 5 points with two goals and three assists that night. Bo Peltier was also named ‘Player of the Month’ for January 2018. Congrats!
Game two was the Otters’ first playoff home game with their fans in the stands on Wednesday, February 7. It was a close game to start with the first period ending in a 1-1 tie. But once the Otters found their groove and could hear the more than 200 spectators cheering them on, the scoreboard soared to a 7-1 win for the Otters. Coach Marc Gagnon commented, “We love our fans and the support they show for us throughout the year. Love to get this done for the whole town.”
All three stars of the night were Huntsville players: Ty Sparling, Alex Brisson and Josh Quinn.
Game three was in Caledon on Friday, February 9 and the Otters had a tough stride with their first loss to Caledon 3-9. Caledon had more shots on net than Huntsville and closed Huntsville’s lead in the series to 2-1.
Game four saw the Otters play for their fans on Saturday, February 10. Huntsville scored their first goal and had to play defensively to keep Caledon out of their end and away from the puck. The fans were on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer. The Otters took the win 1-0 with #30 Ty Sparling earning a shut out game.
Game five had the Otters travel back to Caledon on Sunday, February 11 where they were in the zone to win. Neither team could put a goal on the scoreboard during the first period, but each scored in the second and third to tie it up 2-2.
In overtime, the refs made a penalty call earning Caledon a penalty shot. Unfortunately, they scored and won the game 2-3. Many spectators were not impressed with the level of professionalism the refs portrayed, especially in such an important playoff game.
“As we approach game six on Friday, were doing everything we can to look ahead, not backwards,” said Coach Brent Tomlinson. “We understand that with a little more puck luck in game five, we may have been able to have that game go our way, but with that said we need to move past that and look at the positives as we head into game six.”
Caledon will be in the Otter nation tonight where the Otters are ready to bring home the win for their fans. “We have received tremendous support from the community all year and we would love nothing more than to have them with us as we try and close out this series on Friday night,” said Tomlinson. “The entire organization and executive has showed tremendous support all year long in doing what it takes to make this club better and now it’s time for us as players and as coaching staff to do our part and play hockey at the level we know we can.”
Both coaches agree that the Junior C Otters have a strong home record, and their speed shows very well on the larger ice surface at the Don Lough Arena.
Come out and support the Otters for the win tonight! The puck drops at 8 p.m.
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