The Huntsville Jr C Otters have found some of the consistency General Manager Craig Shaw was looking for following a season high three-game losing skid earlier in December, coming up with three wins in their last four games to maintain their hold on second place in the GBMOJCHL.
The outburst has the Otters four points ahead of the Midland Flyers with nine games left in the regular season, keeping the team on track with their goal of finishing in the top two in the league and earning home ice advantage for a potentially deep playoff run.
Just two of the Otters remaining games will come against teams with a record above .500, including a showdown against the first place Alliston Hornets on January 15, and their final game of the regular season against the Flyers in Midland. The other seven tilts will come against less formidable opponents well behind the Otters in the standings, giving Huntsville an advantage in the scheduling as the season winds down.
The Otters only had one game this past week due to the Holiday break; they made it count, rocking the Stayner Siskins by a final score of 7-3 at the Summit Centre on Sunday afternoon. The Otters came out of the gate flying, scoring four goals in the first period with two coming from Nathan Zantingh to take a commanding lead early on.
Andy Baker added his second of the game after play resumed in the middle frame, pushing the Otters lead to 5-0 before the Siskins responded with three unanswered goals of their own. The Otters would continue to apply pressure, restoring a comfortable three-goal lead with Baker’s third of the night before Curtis Ballantyne sealed the win with an empty netter in the final minutes.
Baker continues to lead the league in the majority of offensive categories, becoming the first player to score 50 points this season and well ahead of the pack with 58 total points in 31 games. Captain Jake McIntyre’s seven points in his last four games also has the veteran leader in the scoring race at third overall with 48, while Kyle Burns in seventh and first among all defence men with 41.
The Otters play their first game of 2016 this Saturday in Orillia against the Huskies before welcoming the Penetang Kings to the Canada Summit Centre on Sunday, January 3 at 2 pm.
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