Panthers lose first playoff game
The Embrun Panthers lost their first playoff game in what was a nail-biting battle against the Ottawa West Golden Knights.
The teams squared off for their first playoff game on Monday, February 26 at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena. The Panthers fought long and hard the entire game, but the Golden Knights took home the win in the final seconds.
Ottawa West opened the scoring halfway through the first period with a power play goal by Luke Mulvihill. The Panthers got another penalty early in the second and the Golden Knights profited another goal from that. The Panthers then finally responded with their own power play goal, but the Golden Knights found the back of the net once more. The second period ended with a score of 3-1 for Ottawa.
With nine minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers pulled goalie Jean-Pascal Sabourin and Mark Morrison quickly put in a goal for his team. The Panthers were on a power play during the last two minutes of the game and Jeremy Barrie tied the game 3-3 for Embrun with eight seconds remaining.
Just as the Panthers thought they were heading to overtime, Luke Mulvihill scored his second of the night with three seconds left in the game to win it for Ottawa West.
Although the Panthers were dealt a devastating loss in their first playoff game, they ended their regular season in a fairytale way Friday, February 23, with a big win in their home arena. They defeated the Brockville Tikis for their fans at the Embrun Arena in a massive 7-3 win. The Panthers took advantage of their two power plays in the first period, scoring on both of them. Noah Haymes and Marc Brosseau were responsible. Karim Selim narrowed the lead 2-1 for the Tikis near the end of the first.
Panthers’ Joey Larcher capitalized on two back-to-back power plays, scoring a goal during each one. Brosseau then scored Embrun’s fifth goal to make the score 5-1.
The Tikis finally took advantage of a power play themselves. Karim Selim scored his second of the night and was soon joined by teammate Alex Lauzon with another goal, making the score 5-3 less than halfway through the third period. The Panthers then picked up the pace again, scoring another two goals, ending their season with a 7-3 victory. Marc Brosseau also left on a high note, with a hat trick.
The Panthers vs. Golden Knights’ next playoff game will be held at the Embrun Arena on Wednesday, February 28.