By Jeff Gard/Today’s Northumberland
Both teams will be without some key players Monday evening as the Cobourg Cougars host the Wellington Dukes in Ontario Junior Hockey League action.
Game time is 7 p.m. at the Cobourg Community Centre.
Cobourg’s leading scorer Andy Reist – 24 goals and (40 points) in 26 games – and key defenceman Adam Barone (two goals, 21 assists in 20 games) as well as Wellington’s goaltender Ethan Morrow (12-3-1, 2.26 GAA, .913 save %) and forward Matheson Mason (seven goals and 8 eight assists in 15 games) are at Team Canada East’s selection camp in Cornwall for the upcoming World Junior A Challenge, also being held in Cornwall from Dec. 11-18. Cobourg hosted the tournament in 2015.
The Dukes will also be without head coach Derek Smith, who is an assistant on the Canada East staff.
Following selection camp, the Canada East roster will be named on Wednesday.
Heading into Monday night’s OJHL game, the Cougars (19-5-0-2) are coming off a big 7-3 win Friday night in Milton against the Menace (19-7-1-2). Reist paced the offence with a hat trick.
Wellington (20-5-2-1) has won six straight games and 14 of its last 15 contests, with the only loss coming in double overtime against the league-leading Toronto Jr. Canadiens on Nov. 13.
In their only other meeting so far this season, the Dukes blanked the Cougars 3-0 in Cobourg on Oct. 31.
