For a second time this season, the Huntsville Otters (20-15-3) have emphatically ended a three game losing streak, shutting out both the Schoemburg Cougars and Caledon Golden Hawks in a home and away series this past weekend with just two regular season games left on their schedule.
The Otters began the weekend at home with a hard fought match against the Cougars on Friday night, in a game that featured 19 combined powerplay opportunities and 125 total penalty minutes. Referees Ed Black and Paul McQuillan were forced to make nearly every call in the rulebook as frustrations began to boil in the third period after Huntsville had staked themselves to a comfortable 4-0 lead.
Josh Zantingh opened the scoring just 1:38 into the game, with twin brother Nathan Zantingh and Curtis Ballantyne drawing the assists. Josh scored again a little over five minutes into the second to increase the lead to 2-0, before Ty Traynor and Jake McIntyre found the back of the net less than three minutes apart to give the Otters all the offense they would need for the win. Newly acquired Nathan Andonides stopped all 39 shots he faced in the shutout.
Jared Stevens has been a stabilizing force on the Otters blueline currently sitting second in defenseman scoring on the team with 23 points
The Otters travelled to Caledon Sunday night for their second game of the weekend, where once again they played determined hockey in a 7-0 barnburner that saw all but four Huntsville skaters hit the scoresheet. McIntyre, Burns, Traynor and Andy Baker all had two-point nights, while Antonides made 42 saves in his third shutout in four starts for the Otters. The Otters most recent acquisition now sports an incredible .979 save percentage and sparkling 0.75 goals against average since joining the team.
The Otters continue to boast the league’s top point producer in Andy Baker, who currently has 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) through 38 games, as well as the league’s top offensive defenceman Kyle Burns, whose 45 points rank him eighth overall among all skaters. Captain Drew McIntrye is also in the top 10 in league scoring, sitting in sixth place with 53 points.
As the regular season wraps up with the team’s final two games this weekend, the Otters are now just one win away from clinching second place in the GBMOJCHL. With a three-point lead on the Midland Flyers, Huntsville will face Orillia at home on Friday before travelling to Midland in a game that could determine their playoff seeding.
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