Haliburton County Huskies co-captain Raine Nadeau said he can’t wait to take to the ice in Friday’s ‘Battle of Hwy. 35’ in Lindsay as he and his teammates seek to get back on track following a dismal 6-1 defeat to the Toronto Jr. Canadiens Jan. 11
The blue and white were second best from the first whistle to the final buzzer last Saturday, in front of 525 fans at S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena. It was the team’s first regulation defeat in five games.
Despite icing a collection of new names, including major junior imports Chase Lefebvre, from the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Peterborough Petes, and Nolan Ling, acquired from Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Huskies were rolled over, outshot 44 to 32.
“I think we beat ourselves – too many little breakdowns,” Nadeau told The Highlander. “We do pre-scouting on all our opponents, and I just don’t think we stuck to our gameplan of how to beat them. It was a bit of a wake-up call, but no need to panic or really worry. We know how we can perform and that we’re a top team.”
Deandres De Jesus had the Huskies lone tally, potting his 22nd goal of the season late in the first period, assisted by Nathan Poole and Ty Petrou. The home side had already shipped two goals earlier in the period and gave up three more in the second and one in the third. Starting netminder, Tyler Hodges, was pulled following the sixth goal having made 31 saves on 37 shots.
It’s been a good week of practice for the team, said Nadeau, with everyone laserfocused for this weekend’s matchups against the Muskies and Wellington Dukes. It’s a tale of two tapes thus far this year, with the Huskies 2-0 over the Muskies, but winless against the Dukes.
“Two big games, but at this stage of the season every game is a big game,” Nadeau said. “Wellington have had our number a little bit this year, but we’re confident in what we have in the room. We just have to stick to what we’ve been doing, what’s made us successful this year, and see where that takes us.”
With such a shift in team dynamic ahead of the trade deadline – the Huskies added eight new faces since Dec. 20 – Nadeau said there’s been a buzz at the rink every day. The group held a team dinner to welcome the fresh arrivals, with Nadeau excited to see the franchise go all-in for a playoff push.
In Lefebvre and forward Tai York, who has 11 points in seven games since joining from the United States Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampede, he feels the Huskies have added a couple of guys with top-of-the-line skills and experience.
“Tai played four years in the OHL [with the Barrie Colts] and Chase was with the Petes for a couple seasons. You can see on the ice how much they stand out with their hockey IQ and the plays they can make. They make us a more dangerous team for sure,” Nadeau said.
Huskies 5-2 Stouffville
With roster moves made earlier in the day, a depleted Huskies outfit ran away with a 5-2 win over the Stouffville Spirit Jan. 9.
The home side took a shock lead five minutes into the opening period, but York tied things 41 seconds in the middle frame, assisted by Luke Hampel and Petrou. Cameron Hankai, Alex Bradshaw and Petrou added further markers in the second, with Bradshaw finishing the scoring 6:43 into the third.
Goaltender Stephen Toltl earned his first win with the blue and white, making 21 saves.
Puck drop in Lindsay on Friday is 7 p.m., with the home encounter against the Dukes starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
