By Jeff Gard/Today’s Northumberland
Two late goals in regulation time secured a 5-2 victory for the Cobourg Cougars over the Wellington Dukes in Ontario Junior Hockey League action Monday night at the Cobourg Community Centre.
Sebastian Bulovs opened the scoring for the Cougars in the first period and Tyler Hunt and Kallaway Mercer tallied unanswered goals in the second as the Cougars took a 3-1 advantage into the final frame.
Wellington’s Jacob Dietz cut the deficit to one early in the third. Caleb Thompson restored the two-goal advantage for the Cougars with a power play marker with just over a minute to go and
George Krotiris rounded out the scoring into an empty net with 13 seconds left on the clock.
Goaltender Ryan Piros made 40 saves in the win as the Cougars improved to 20-5-0-2 and ended the six-game winning streak of the Dukes, which had won 14 of their last 15 games entering the contest.
Cobourg was without leading scorer Andy Reist – 24 goals and (40 points) in 26 games – and key defenceman Adam Barone (two goals, 21 assists in 20 games) while Wellington was missing goaltender Ethan Morrow (12-3-1, 2.26 GAA, .913 save %) and forward Matheson Mason (seven goals and 8 eight assists in 15 games) who are all 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.
Following selection camp, the Canada East roster will be named on Wednesday.
Tammies Jammies was also collecting at the Cougars game.
Tammies Jammies is a initiative by Port Hope Police Constable Tammie Staples collecting pajamas for the Highland Shores Children’s Aid.
At Monday nights game a total of 45 pairs of pajama’s were collected and Constable Staples thanks everyone who helped contribute to such a worthy cause.
