Falcons survive scare from Regals
One of the hardest roles for a hockey player is to be a backup goalie.
“I would say it’s a tough job because you don’t get a lot of playing time, but I love the boys,” said St. Catharines Falcons goalie Ethan Cook Friday night, after backstopping his squad to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Buffalo Regals in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference action at the Jack Gatecliff Arena. “I enjoy coming to the rink every day to see the boys and that’s what keeps me here.”
Cookie, as he is known by his teammates, needed to be solid Friday for his team to defeat the Regals.
“For Cookie tonight as a young guy, it’s tough,” Falcons head coach Tyler Bielby said. “In the first period, he has three shots against and the fourth one was off speed.
“That is a tough period for a goalie to play, but what I am happy about is that in the second and third he didn’t let it happen again. He kept the puck out and gave us an opportunity to come back and get the win.”
Bielby loves Cook’s work ethic and team-first mentality.
“As a goalie, sometimes you can be on the outside looking in but he’s very involved when he is not playing and on the bench,” he said. “It’s like having an extra coach and that maturity is going to allow him to be successful as a goalie.”
Cook has a simple method of staying ready.
“I have the same routine every time whether I am starting or not starting,” the 17-year-old Smithville resident said. “I am always the loudest one on the bench because it keeps me in the game in case I have to go in.”
Cook plays all the games the Falcons are favoured to win, but he puts no pressure on himself.
“It’s just another game, especially when they (Buffalo) come out tonight and gets a bad one,” the former Southern Tier Admiral said. “You have to stop pucks, I ended up doing it and the boys played great in front of me in the third period and we got the win.
“Getting the two points is what it’s all about.”
Cook has been doing a lot of that lately and came into the game riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, including six wins. Heading into Friday, he had a 7-4-2-3 record, 2.20 goals against average and .916 save percentage.
“I love winning hockey games, especially because I was in Fort Erie last year and I didn’t win a lot,” he said. “I think I won four games and being on a winning team is so much fun.”
He feels he is making strides in his development this season.
“I am a lot more consistent in my play,” he said. “Last year, I struggled with my consistency.”
His goal is to become a No. 1 goalie.
St. Catharines dominated play in the first period but fell behind 1-0 when Buffalo scored with 1:38 left in the period. At the time of the goal, the Falcons were outshooting the Regals 19-3. Final shots in the period favoured St. Catharines 20-6.
Buffalo held a 1-0 lead until inside the final two minutes of the second period when the Falcons’ Curtis Egert netted his team-leading 23rd of the season. St. Catharines outshot Buffalo 12-7 in the frame.
Newly acquired Thomas Lenart gave the Falcons the lead 2:26 into the third period before two late goals by Nick Volpatti and Egert in the final 3:40 of the game made the final score 4-1.
“The Buffalo goaltender deserves all the credit in the world tonight,” Bielby said. “He stood strong and gave them an opportunity halfway through the game to be in it, but I am not taking anything away from our guys.
“We came to play, we fought to score goals but we found a way.”
Bielby was happy with how his team stuck with the game plan and didn’t get frustrated.
“I think that’s what I want to take away the most from today’s game,” he said. “We didn’t start to stress or try and do too much ourselves when we got down. We worked as a unit and got the job done as a unit.”
STATS PACK
Falcons 4 Regals 1
BPSN Star of the Game: St. Catharines’ Curtis Egert with two goals and an assist.
For the St. Catharines Falcons: Egert (23, 24); Thomas Lenart (16); Nick Volpatti (17).
For the Buffalo Regals: Kevyn McElligott (2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Jagger Maving 20-12-17=49, by Buffalo on Ethan Cook 6-5-5=16. Power plays: St. Catharines 0-4, Buffalo 0-4. Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 38, Buffalo 8.
Attendance: 401.
Up next: The Falcons are in Buffalo Sunday afternoon.
