Host Bobcats claw way to OT win
LLOYDMINSTER, SASK. The Lloydminster Bobcats pulled their record to 1-1 at the RBC Cup after an overtime goal from forward Kevin Darrar to defeat the Carleton Place Canadians 4-3 in extra time Monday at the Centennial Civic Centre.
After going nearly 36 minutes with no scoring, Maxime St. Pierre took a holding penalty to give the Bobcats the man advantage with 50 seconds remaining in regulation, which carried into overtime of a 3-3 game.
Lloydminster’s Darrar, who scored the game-tying goal at the 13:23 mark of the third period, added the game-winning goal, helping the Bobcats stay alive for Saturday’s semifinal round.
“I’m very pleased with the effort. I thought our compete level was a lot better tonight,” said Gord Thibodeau, Bobcats GM and head coach.
“But let’s face it, we didn’t have a long way to go to be better than the first night,” he added in regards to their less-than-stellar performance in their 5-2 loss against the West Kelowna Warriors on Saturday.
The Canadians’ Brett Murray had opened the scoring 30 seconds in before Noah Bauld tied the game at 1-1 on the power play. The Bobcats found themselves in trouble early when Carleton Place took a 3-1 lead on two quick goals from Bryce Van Horn and St. Pierre near the midway point of the opening period before Lloydminster’s Greg Moro responded to close out the period 3-2.
The Bobcats continued to apply pressure in the second period, but were unable to translate shots into goals until Darrar tied the game late in the third.
Alex Leclerc stopped 26 of 29 shots for the Bobcats, while the Canadians’ Colton Point made 41 saves in taking the loss.
While Lloydminster pulled out the win, Thibodeau made reference to the number of shots on goal, 45-29 in their favour, as being frustrating because they were not burying the puck.
Monday night’s win comes as a first for the Bobcats during the weeklong tournament. As for the Canadians, with a 0-2 record, they need to find a way to win in hopes of playing in the semifinals.
The undefeated Trenton Golden Hawks return to the rink on Tuesday when they face the West Kelowna Warriors at 3:30 p.m., followed by a Battle of Alberta between the Brooks Bandits and Bobcats at 7:30 p.m. Carleton Place is off until Wednesday when they play West Kelowna.