Hockey Needs Shootout to Sweep Rockets

(Howell, MI)-- It was a tale of two games, but the #21 ranked Cleary Cougars were able to get it done to earn two more victories this weekend over the Toledo Rockets.

In Game 1 at Toledo:  Cleary started the game off strong with a pair of goals in just over six minutes of play.  Blair Krawchyk scored, with assists from Dylan Tammadge and Braeden Bzovey, to give the Cougars the lead, and Bennett Sheppard scored, with assists from Dylan Tammadge and Blair Krawchyk, to make it 2-0.  After Toledo scored, Cleary rattled off seven unanswered goals to take a 9-1 lead late in the second period.  Cleary would get goals from Tommy Madden, followed by JC Garbacik, Bailey Ewonus, Brett Woolcott, JC Garbacik again, Brayden Goddard, and Dylan Tammadge in that stretch.  The Rockets would get one back to finish the period, but Cleary led 9-2 with twenty minutes to play.  In the third period, Blair Krawchyk scored his second goal of the game, with assists from Austin Bailey and Bennett Sheppard to score the tenth goal for the Cougars.  Toledo would score their final goal just two minutes later, but the Cougars scored a pair of goals late, thanks to Bennett Sheppard, with assists from Blair Krawchyk and Dylan Tammadge, and Bailey Ewonus, with assists from Tommy Madden and Avery Byron, to make it 12-3.

Nick Meyering would make 22 saves on 25 shots faced en route to his sixth win of the season (4 wins & 2 shootouts).  

In Game 2 vs. Toledo:  Cleary would spot Toledo a pair of first period goals, including the second being scored with just sixteen seconds remaining in the period, to trail 2-0 after the opening twenty minutes of action.  Zane Rydel would score early into the second period, with an assist from Ethan Lindle, to cut into the Rocket lead, and less than a minute later, Bennett Sheppard would tie the game, with an assist from Dylan Tammadge.  Toledo would respond a minute later with another goal to retake the lead, and then just past the halfway mark of the game, extended their lead once again to make it 4-2.  Cleary would make a goalie change at that point in the game, with Ryan Nickerson coming into the game in relief.  After the goalie change, Bennett Sheppard scored his second goal, this time while on the penalty kill, with an assist from Blair Krawchyk, to cut the Rocket lead to 4-3.  With just under three minutes to play, Dylan Tammadge tied the game for the second time, with an assist from Blair Krawchyk.  That 4-4 tie would be short-lived, as Toledo scored less than thirty seconds later.  After drawing a penalty, Bennett Sheppard would get his hat-trick on the power play, with assists from Blair Krawchyk and Tommy Madden to once again tie the game at 5-5.  In the third period, Tommy Madden gave the Cougars the lead after stealing the puck and beating the goalie near post.  Cleary looked to be heading to a regulation win, but the Rockets would score with just over four minutes to play to tie the game at 6-6, and eventually would force overtime.  Neither team could score in the overtime period, though the Cougars certainly had their chances, and for the third time this season, Cleary would have to go to a shootout.  

In the shootout, Braeden Bzovey would score on the team's first shot to take a 1-0 lead.  Ryan Nickerson would make the stop on Toledo's first shooter, but Bennett Sheppard was denied with a chance to win the game on Cleary's second shooter.  Toledo would convert their second shot, and after both team's third shooters were denied, Nickerson would come up huge once again, making the save on the Rockets' fourth shooter.  Bailey Ewonus had his number called, and he would not be denied, as he scored, giving the Cougars a 2-1 shootout victory.

Ryan Nickerson would make 11 saves in the game in relief.  Bennett Sheppard recorded his second hat-trick of the season, and finished the weekend with 8 points.  Blair Krawchyk had a trio of assists in the game, and finished the weekend with 7 points.

Cleary is now 11-1 on the season (8 regulation wins, 1 loss, 3 shootout wins) with a 9 game win-streak, and will return to WHAC-tion next Friday and Saturday with a pair of games against the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils.  The team will travel to Redford Ice Arena on Friday before returning to the friendly confines of 140 Ice Den on Saturday for an 8:00 PM puck drop