By Jeff Gard/Today’s Northumberland
Getting a big series opening win on the road was mission accomplished for the Cobourg Cougars on Sunday night in Wellington.
Cobourg took a 2-0 lead out of the first period and held on for a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division best-of-three semifinal playoff series victory against the Wellington Dukes.
Now the Cougars have two opportunities, including Monday night at home, to clinch the series victory.
“It was a nice boost of confidence,” said Cougars head coach Wes Wolfe of his club’s victory over the top-seeded Dukes. “We played a tremendous first period. It was a great team win, all four lines contributed in a big way and certainly coming home for game two, it meant a lot for us to get off on the right foot here.”
Charlie Da Fonseca opened the scoring 12:59 into the contest and teammate Caleb Thompson bolstered the lead 37 seconds later as the Cougars took the two-goal advantage out of the first period.
Still leading by a narrow 2-1 margin after two, Andy Reist restored the two-goal lead for the Cougars with 8:47 left in the third period just after shutting down another Dukes power-play opportunity.
Wellington’s big line of Emmet Pierce, Jacob Vreugdenhil and David Campbell continued to lead offensively, but were stymied by the Cougars at even strength.
Campbell scored on a 4-on-3 power play late in the second period and Vreugdenhil, with an extra attacker on the ice, pulled the Dukes within one with 1:31 to play in regulation time.
“Something we discussed as a team is that all three of those players had over 60 points (each in a 54-game season) and reality is even if you shut them down there’s a good chance that they’re going to find their way onto the scoresheet,” Wolfe said. “We need to lean into the strength of our team and that’s the fact that we have four lines that can contribute.”
Cougars goaltender Justin Easter earned the win in net as his club out-shot the Dukes 30-24.
Home-ice advantage now shifts to the Cougars for Game 2 on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Cobourg Community Centre as the Dukes look to stave off elimination. If necessary, the third-and-deciding contest is set for Thursday back in Wellington.
“I think for us the key is to continue to stick with the game plan,” Wolfe said. “As we came into the third period with a lead, what we said was focus on winning one shift at a time and if you continue to win one shift after the next there’s an aggregate that builds up that ultimately you win enough shifts that you win a period and you win a game.
“We’re not even thinking about what’s going to happen after (Monday). We’re just focused on coming out with a good start again and winning that first shift and hope that positive momentum builds into the rest of the game.”
COBOURG 3 WELLINGTON 2
1st period
COB Charlie Da Fonseca (AJ Cook) 12:59
COB Caleb Thompson (Trevor Hoskin) 13:36
2nd period
WEL David Campbell (Jacob Vreugdenhil, Emmet Pierce) 17:21 PP
3rd period
COB Andy Reist (Aaron Chiarot) 11:12
WEL Jacob Vreugdenhil (Campbell, Pierce) 18:29
