“We’ve decided we’re getting ready for the playoffs, and we believe we can win,” said Mount Forest Junior C?Patriots Head Coach Randy Gibbons.
And it shows.
The Patriots rose from the Western loop cellar on Saturday night, thanks to a gritty shootout win over the Goderich Sailors. One night earlier, the Pats gained another point with an overtime loss in Kincardine, making the big three-point weekend enough to dump the lowly Sailors into last place.
The games further cemented the fact that Mount Forest’s midseason roster additions and ability to rise above adversity has given the team momentum as the postseason nears. Coach Gibbons credited the arrival of players such as Dustin Campbell, Kenny Collingridge, Thomas Kingston and Aron Hosszu as strengthening forces in the Patriot rank and file.
“Tonight’s win gives us confidence,”?Gibbons said after downing the Sailors. “It’s about winning, and we’ve shown we can. We are an aggressive team, with a lot of guys with the heart and desire to win games.”
The pieces of the puzzle came together on Friday night at the lake, as Collingridge, Campbell and Hosszu combined for seven points in the 6-5 overtime heartbreaker. The Bulldogs grabbed a 2-0 lead with a powerplay tally and even strength goal in the first period, but Mount Forest tied it in the second when Curtis Loder scored from Joel Reeves.
Campbell tied the game on the powerplay, with help from Underwood and Collingridge, until Kincardine’s Ben Davis set up the 3-2 goal. The Normanby minor hockey grad has 10 goals and 12 assists, and currently sits in the top 20 in league scoring.
Underwood and Collingridge were set-up men once more for Campbell, as he opened period three with the 3-3 tying goal. Kincardine replied to reclaim the lead, but Matt Reid made the ‘Dogs pay once again on the powerplay, as he finished a feed from Hosszu and Campbell.
With time winding down in the game, Hosszu buried an unassisted goal at 15:56 to give the Patriots the 5-4 edge, but penalties gave the home side the edge they needed to bury another power-play goal, and tie the game with just over two minutes to go in regulation time.
Buoyed by the single point, and a chance to leap frog Goderich in the standings, the Patriots played an emotional home game on Saturday. Once again, the Pats were able to find the net and score the goals they needed to win, powered by Campbell’s shootout winner and a hat-trick from Loder.
Reid opened the scoring on assists from Chris Zubac and Justin Coburn, but Goderich replied with a powerplay goal to close the first. The visitors struck for two more to open the second, and led 3-1 until Loder started his run. Curt scored his first from Hosszu and Campbell, and opened the third period with a 3-3 goal, assisted by Kingston and Reeves.
Goderich put a scare into the home side with a 4-3 tally, but Loder made good in the late going, on assists from Hosszu and Matt Marshall, and sent the game to overtime. The extra period solved nothing, leaving Campbell to light up the fans with his shootout clincher.
Tempers ran hot in the contest, with Pinder, Campbell and Collingridge all leaving early with fighting majors, and the Sailors leaving Mount Forest after fouling the dressing room.
Mount Forest now has a single game to focus on for this weekend, a Saturday home stand against Wingham, at 8:30 p.m