Hockey took a bit of a back seat Nov. 6 as the Haliburton County Huskies hosted members from Minden’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 636 for veteran’s night at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena.
The executive from the local legion were welcomed onto the ice ahead of the annual Remembrance Day observations. They stood for the playing of The Last Post and Canadian national anthem before participating in the ceremonial puck drop.
The St. Michael’s Buzzers were the visitors and they played the role of spoilsports, racing out to an early 2-0 lead after a lethargic start by the Huskies. Luca Marcellitti and Jared Coccimiglio were the scorers in the opening period.
Oliver Tarr brought the Huskies back within a goal, scoring on the backhand after a breakaway at 5:15 in the second period. The hope was short-lived though, with Bryce Sutherland restoring the Buzzers’ two-goal lead less than two minutes later.
Cameron Kosurko, one of three players acquired by the Huskies in a trade with the Wellington Dukes last week, scored his first goal early in the third, setting up a grandstand finish. While the Huskies came close on numerous occasions, they could not find the game-tying goal. Sutherland added his second of the game, scoring on an empty net, with 13 seconds left on the clock.
That defeat took the Huskies to 8-5 on the season.
Huskies defeat Trenton, Cobourg in league play
On Nov. 5, however, the team handed the Trenton Golden Hawks only their second regulation loss of the season, battling to a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Sam Solarino and Christian Stevens were the Huskies’ scorers.
On. Nov. 8, the Huskies picked up another two points, defeating the Cobourg Cougars in double overtime. Stevens was again on the scoresheet, while Tarr notched his 16th and 17th goals of the season, including the winner at 3:57 of the second overtime period.
“We’re playing some really good hockey right now and we’ve strung some really good games together in recent weeks,” said Huskies head coach and general manager Ryan Ramsay. “We’ve added some good depth and we’re really starting to get some secondary scoring, which is important.”
With Pat Saini and Isaac Sooklal injured, and recent addition Payton Schaly not yet in the lineup, Ramsay said six wins in the past seven games is impressive. He commended the togetherness of his squad, saying the environment inside the dressing room is very much like a family right now.
“They go out there on the ice and fight for each other every single night. That’s important because we have tough games. We definitely play in the hardest division in the league. When you look at Wellington, Trenton and Cobourg, every year they’re bringing in the best 20-year-olds that dropped down from the OHL … That’s why our mindset as an organization has had to change, to make our team a little older,” Ramsay said.
The third-place Huskies will battle the second-placed Lindsay Muskies Nov. 12. Then, on Nov. 13, first place Trenton will visit the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena. Puck drop is set for 4:30 p.m
