After taking the first two games convincingly by crushing the Jets 6-0 and 5-1 last week, their opponents put up more of a fight on Friday as they managed to keep up with the Castors, but the Clarence Creek team managed to hold on to the lead to win the game 4-3 and sweep the series.
Nikolas Guindon and Jacob Servant each notched a goal and a helper, Connor Head-Smith had two assists, Cedrik Bisson and Alex Ross scored a goal apiece, and Ryan Carroll, Jordan Croll-Stevenson, Martin Cayden and Zachary Payer all had assists in the victory against the Jets.
Castors’ Head Coach Tim Kosch is satisfied with his team’s performance in the first round, but is a little upset with the unsportsmanlike behaviour displayed by the Jets in the final game: “I’m not happy with the way things played out in the last game. There was a lot of unnecessary roughness after the whistle, and that led to one of our guys being injured. I’m not surprised, given that they were the most penalized team in the league this year, but I think it shows a lack of sportsmanship on their part.”
Nevertheless, the Castors’ head coach is happy to be moving on to the second round, and says his team is ready to go toe-to-toe against any team in the league: “Every team has its strengths and weaknesses. Like Gatineau, for instance, is really solid defensively, and the Cougars have prolific scorers. But we’re ready to face any team, and they will have to adjust to the way we play; not the other way around. We are the best team in the league, and we want to set the tone for the next round.”
The Castors will face the Morrisburg Lions in round two if the underdog manages to upset the South Grenville Rangers and take the series on Wednesday. However, if the Rangers win, then Clarence Creek will face-off against the winner of the series between the Gatineau-Hull Volant and the Vankleek Hill Cougars, who are playing in Gatineau on Friday.
