Falcons fall in overtime
The St. Catharines Falcons managed to look both awful and awesome Friday night.
The Falcons fell behind the Hamilton Kilty B’s 3-0 after two periods before rallying in the third to tie the game, only to lose 4-3 in overtime in a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference game at Jack Gatecliff Arena.
The inconsistent nature of the effort had St. Catharines coach Tyler Bielby shaking his head following the game.
“I’m at a bit of a loss for words right now because as a coach I’m so proud of them for the way they battled in the third period. We’re in an interesting part of the season and part of winning is believing you can win,” he said. “We challenged them in the third period. It was 3-0 and at the end of the day to make sure they (Hamilton) remember the third period. Make sure you know they’re coming back Monday and there’s no doubt the boys did that for 20 minutes.
“Now we challenge them to bring that Monday for 60 minutes.”
The Falcons visit the Kilty B’s Monday and need a win to keep their hopes of finishing in first place alive. Hamilton, which have won seven straight, lead the Falcons by six points for first place with a game in hand. The Kilty B’s have also dominated the season series, taking four of the five meetings.
“I think if you said first place doesn’t mean anything then you’re probably a loser before you even get started,” Bielby said. “For us, it’s about the process and getting better every day and learning about sticking together and not turning on one another and challenging each other to be better every day.
“That’s our focus right now and if first place is a possibility down the stretch, great, but tonight makes it more difficult.”
Trailing 3-0 after 40 minutes, the Falcons found another gear, scoring twice before the period was three minutes old to narrow the gap to 3-2. Jonah Boria then tied the game with another highlight reel rush for his ninth of the season.
The Falcons were unable to carry that momentum over into overtime which saw the Kilty B’s win it when Nathan Phillips scored just 41 seconds in.
Bielby had a simple explanation for the turnaround.
“Effort,” he said. “Wanting it more. This game is simple. It’s a game of mistakes. When it’s all said and done, 95 per cent of the time the team that works harder is going to win the hockey game.
“I thought they worked harder than us for 40 minutes. I don’t know how that happens on home in with first place on the line, but that’s why we’re coaches and we have to figure that out.”
Bielby figures the Falcons may have been too worried about making a miscue early on, which led to their poor start.
“In a big game, you don’t want to be the guy who makes a mistake to your teammate,” he said. “I think tonight it wasn’t so much a matter of want, we were gripping our sticks and once they started playing more free and looser, that’s when we’re at our best.”
On the other side of the coin, Bielby singled out his team’s excellent penalty killing in the third. The Kilty B’s went scoreless in eight opportunities with the man advantage overall.
“The way the boys killed those penalties in the third period to make sure we still had a chance to come back and tie it up, it’s why we do this. It’s why we show up to the rink,” he said.
Falcon facts: Cal Reesor and Matthew Stranges did not dress for the Falcons . . . Ryan McGuire, Stephen Campbell, Thomas Shain and Luke Johnston were scratched for the Kilty B’s . . . The Welland Junior Canadians knocked off the Niagara Falls Canucks 6-5 in overtime at the Gale Centre.
STATS PACK
Hamilton’s Matthew Duarte with a pair of goals.
Kilty B’s 4 Falcons 3 OT
St. Catharines Falcons: Blake Yetman (12); Nate Robertson (9); Jonah Boria (9).
Hamilton Kilty B’s: Matthew Duarte 2 (17, 18); Nathan Phillips (12); Liam Galton (11).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Braedyn McIntosh (30), by Hamilton on Andrew MacLean (30); Power plays: St. Catharines 0/4 Hamilton 0/8; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 16, Hamilton 8.
Up next: The Falcons visit the Kilty B’s Monday and the Fort Erie Meteors Tuesday.
Dear reader. If you liked this story or one of the 3,900 other stories found on our website, please consider hitting the Support Us button on the right-hand side of our home page and making a PayPal contribution to our website. Your support would be much appreciated. If you are a business owner, please consider advertising on our site. Our rates are reasonable and we provide plenty of exposure for your business. Contact bpotrecz@outlook.com for more information.
