NEWS ITEM

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

 

Woodstock loses in shootout

By JEFF DERTINGER, QMI AGENCY

SIMCOE -- Three players -- the veteran, the young rookie and the old rookie -- proved to be the difference between winning and losing for the Simcoe Storm last night.

After 65 minutes of action at Talbot Gardens, the Storm and visiting Woodstock Navy Vets remained deadlocked 3-3 and headed for a shootout. Thanks to the hockey stylings of Kris McCoubrey, Josh Bint and Tristan Lysko, it was the home squad who skated away with the victory.

Bint, the young Simcoe native in his rookie year with the club, was up first. Coming in from goaltender Neil Pittock's left side, Bint seemed to glide through the slot, made Pittock go down and fired the puck home with a wrister.

At the other end, Woodstock's Derek Cowing tried to go five-hole on McCoubrey, a three-year veteran with the Storm, only to lose the puck at the last second for the easy save.

Lysko was up next. The man who formerly played provincial junior A before coming to Simcoe this season deked to his backhand, sprawled over the outstretched stick of Pittock and deposited the puck home while in mid-air.

With Woodstock's Kyle Robertson needing a goal to extend the proceedings, it was up to McCoubrey. Robertson came down with deke in mind, but never fooled the Storm netminder and was shut down by a kick-save to end the game.

It was the second win of the weekend for Simcoe -- who also beat Caledonia 6-3 Friday -- and seventh win in the last eight games. Simcoe is now 9-5-1 on the year, and they're winning with equal scoring throughout the lineup.

Sunday's game began with a power play goal by Lysko before Robertson tied things up with a power play marker of his own.

Scott Lowe, who has been on fire lately, made it 2-1 Storm a couple minutes later. That's how things remained until midway through the second period when Cowing scored to once again even the tally.

In the third, Corey Bethune deposited the rubber for Simcoe, but Robertson replied just 46 seconds later.

Simcoe cont rolled the play throughout the third period and into the five-minute overtime, outshooting the Navy Vets 19-8, but Pittock was rock solid, singlehandedly earning his team a point.

With the overtime loss, the Navy Vets remained in the basement with a 2-11-3 season record, leaving them three points behind Paris. Woodstock's next game is Friday at 8 p.m. in Norwich against the division-leading Merchants.

(Simcoe Reformer & Sentinel-Review)