The Raiders managed to grab three of a possible four points through two games this weekend in OJHL action. Here’s the recap in case you missed it.
Friday, Dec. 1, the Raiders travelled to Collingwood for a match up with the league-leading Blues. The Raiders and Blues had already met once this season, with Georgetown prevailing 5-3 on Nov. 4.
The Raiders looked to take another two points from a team that had only lost three times the entire season. The Blues took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, before Gabe Ciarallo tied the game at 1-1 after 40 minutes of play.
The Blues took a 2-1 lead early in the third period. However, the Raiders came roaring back with goals from Quinn Tavares and Carson Lloyd inside of three minutes apart to take a 3-2 lead. The Blues tied the game at 3 at the 15:01 mark, and that’s where this contest would stay through 60 minutes of play.
The first period of overtime would solve nothing, so off to 2 OT the teams went. After the Raiders had many chances to end the game, unfortunately it was the Blues that prevailed in double OT.
Spencer Young scored his 21st goal of the season and second of the game to give the Blues the victory; a tough loss for Georgetown to swallow. However, taking a positive from the loss, taking a point from the best team in the league while on the road is positive momentum to build off from. The Raiders played well during this game, while ultimately coming up short.
Saturday, Dec. 2 saw the Raiders return home to Alcott Arena to face the Caledon Admirals. The Raiders were eager to avenge their tough loss from the night previous, and did just that.
Georgetown jumped out to a 3-0 lead within the first five minutes of the game; goals scored by Kaleb Nelson, Quinn Tavares and Teddy Puccini gave the Raiders the advantage.
Caledon would make it 3-1 before the end of the first. No scoring occurred in the second period, before Caledon made it 3-2 early into the third frame.
The Raiders managed to calm the game down before Luca Rea and Brandon Kakei both recorded tallies to give the Raiders another three-goal lead. Caledon would score late in the period, with 5-3 Georgetown being your final score.
For the Raiders, this was an important game to win. Securing two, and three of a possible four, was crucial in the ever-intensifying Western conference. Avenging the loss from Friday night with a commanding victory Saturday was fantastic.
Highlights for the Dec. 2 win over Caledon can be found here.
Raiders vs Panthers Preview
The Raiders are back in action tonight! Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., Georgetown hosts the Pickering Panthers at Alcott Arena.
This will mark the first meeting of the season for these two clubs. Heading into the match up, the Panthers are 6-2-2-0. Their season record is 11-17-1-3, good for 26 points and 10th in the East conference.
The Panthers have won their last two matches and will be trying to extend their winning streak tonight. Leading scorer for the Panthers is Nicholas Anthanasakos with 20 goals and 44 points on the season.
The Panthers have a good penalty kill, at 81.1 per cent success rate on the season. The Raiders need to find a way to strike early and often on the power play to increase their chances of victory in this game. Pickering owns a 4-8-2-0 record on the road, while Georgetown holds a 10-3-2-0 record at home; something else the Raiders need to take advantage of.
The Raiders sit in fourth place in the West with 38 points and a 17-9-0-4 record. Georgetown is one point behind Leamington for third place in what’s shaping up to be a very close race for the second-third-fourth seeds in the West.
Milton, Leamington and Georgetown are only separated by four points from second-fourth. Leading scorer for the Raiders is Quinn Tavares, who has scored 15 goals and 39 points this season.
The Raiders are in good form and hold a 7-2-1-0 record in their last 10 games. Limiting the number of power plays Pickering takes is a key to victory for the Raiders. Scoring early and building a lead quickly will help stifle the Panthers attack. It should be another great game for your Raiders.
Make sure you are at Alcott Arena tonight! Doors, and the Booster Club for alcohol, open at 7 p.m.; puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. If you can’t make the game, tune in on Flohockey.tv.
