A long-awaited clash with the Stayner Siskins did not go as planned for the McLean and Dickey Orillia Terriers Saturday night.
The Siskins — who sit atop the North Carruthers division with a 14-1-1 record — were fuelled by a high-octane offence and dominated the final two periods en route to scoring a 7-1 victory over the Terriers at Brian Orser Arena.
The two teams shared chances in the first period, but ended the period tied 0-0, before the Siskins turned up the heat.
Stayner came out in the second frame and controlled the pace, scoring four unanswered goals — including one on a turnover by a Terriers defender that ended up in the back of the net.
Terriers coach Dallyn Telford said his team was "good" in the first period.
"We strayed away from our game plan in the second. We stopped forechecking against them and with a team like Stayner, they are too good. The more time and space (you give them), the more trouble you are in," Telford said.
After a forgettable second, Terriers goaltender Reed Spinola, despite being down 4-0, said: “there’s still 20 minutes left.”
That did not turn out to be true as he was yanked in the third for newly acquired goaltender Carver Monroe, who stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced. Spinola turned aside 37 of the 43 shots he faced in the game.
The Terriers had some penalty trouble throughout the game, and although it may have been caused by frustration due to how the game had gone, taking penalties against a team like Stayner is dangerous.
However, the Terriers' penalty kill unit fought hard, allowing Stayner to score just once in four man-advantage opportunities.
On the other side of the special teams battle, the Terriers' power play unit had four chances and couldn't capitalize on any of them. Much of the credit goes to Siskins goalie Derek Hartley who was exceptional, stopping 24/25 shots on the night.
There was a bright spot in the game for the Terriers as forward Josh Brown netted his 16th goal of the year.
"Josh is in his over-age year and has always been productive for us," said Telford. "He is putting the puck in on almost a nightly basis.”
The Terriers and their fans didn’t have much else to cheer about last night besides a few physical altercations that didn’t amount to much more than a few penalties. Orillia defender Kaden Washkurak, who came to the aid of his teammate after a hit, was ejected for the second straight game.
Saturday night's contest saw the return of Terrier blueliner Kaden Goggins, who had been sidelined with an injured shoulder.
“It feels great to be back,” he said after the game, characterizing his performance as "pretty shaky ... but it'll come."
Saturday night's game between Orillia and Stayner was the teams' first meeting of the season; their Oct. 8 game had been postponed.
With the loss, the Terriers record falls to 9-5-0-1. They will next see action on Nov. 25 when they travel to Alliston to take on the Hornets.
