‘Almost’ isn’t good enough in most of the sports, you either win or you loose. The Bears almost made it after a fierce comeback in Friday’s game against the Navan Grads, but in the end it just wasn’t enough and they had to content with a 3:4 shootout loss.
The Bears got of to a bad start, with Navan taking the lead with a score by Jean-Sylvain Boyer at 12:45 in the first period, followed with a shorthanded goal by Devyn Orpana at 19:22.
A penalty shot by Tate Leeson at 1:11 during the second period put the Bears back into the game. But Blake Butler extended Navan’s lead again with a score at 18:49.
Reid’ Russett’s score at 10:19 in the third period, assisted by Justin Trudel, gave the Bears a renewed hope. And indeed, Bruce Coltart balanced the score board with a hit at 14:07, assisted by Noah Adams and Cade Helmer.
The first overtime period saw no further scoring by either team, forcing a shootout decision.
The shootout once again showed the Bears well known Achilles heel, their apparent weakness to transform shots on the net into actual scores. While Navan’s Devyn Orpana and Jean-Sylvain Boyer had no problem to sink their pucks into the net, the Bears’s Reid Russett and Tate Leeson didn’t fare as lucky.
Smiths Falls send a total of 49 shots at the net during the game compared to 25 by Navan.
First Star of the evening went to Bruce Coltart, Second Star went to Jean-Sylvain Boyer (NAV), and Third Star was awarded to Blake Butler (NAV).
Article and Photos by Chris Uhlig
