CHRIS UHLIG

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” had nothing in comparison to the thriller that is the finals of the Bogart Cup this year. The battle between the Bears and the Grads is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The Bears dropped the first game April 19th 2:3 in overtime, came back on home ice April 21st with a 4:3 overtime win in game 2 themselves, just to get beaten badly in game 3 on April 24th with a 1:4 loss. Last Friday’s game at the den saw the team face yet another 2:3 loss, but with nothing to lose they went on to mount a stunning 5:0 shutout win Sunday.

Let’s take a look at the two most recent games in detail.

Friday night’s game was expectably packed again with 1113 spectators watching in the seats. The Bears got off to a bad start with Navan scoring twice during the first period, at 4:55 by Shaan Kingwell and at 9:57 by Cristobal Tola. The Bears finally answered back at 4:43 in the second period with a score by Travis Ouellette assisted by Jack Paquette and Shaymus Stevenson. But the Grads once more extended their lead with a goal by Sebbie Johnson at the 14:39 mark. Capitalizing on a power play advantage, the final score of the game became the work of Shaymus Stevenson at 17:02 narrowing the gap. The third period saw no further scoring. Navan took the 3:2 game win to gain a 3:1 lead in the series.

Smiths Falls slightly outshot Navan 33 to 29, being particularly on the offensive during the second period.

First Star was awarded to Jaeden Nelson, goalie of the Grads, Second Star went to Shaymus Stevenson, and Navan’s Sebbie Johnson took Third Star.

Sunday turned into the start of a do-or-die mission for the Bears, to remain in the quest for the Cup, all games have to be won now. The team made it clear that it had not lost any of its fighting spirit and came back with a 5:0 shutout win. Kyle Dagg brought the Bears to the lead with a score at 7:02 in the first period, followed with a goal by Kyle James at 18:35. The Bears further extended their lead during the second period with scores by Quinn Booth at 13:29 and a powerplay goal at 17:34 once more by Kyle James. The last puck was sent by Travis Ouellette into the Grads’ net at 16:39, denying Navan a spot on the scoreboard.

Kyle James earned First Star, Dawson Labre was awarded Second Star, and Navan’s Cristobal Tola took Third Star.