LAURIE WEIR
The Smiths Falls Jr. A Bears delivered another overtime knockout punch to the Renfrew Wolves on Saturday in Central Canada Hockey League action, securing a 4-3 win in Renfrew.
The Bears also defeated the Wolves in overtime Friday night at home in this home-and-home series. [Read article here: https://www.hometownnews.ca/bears-clip-wolves-in-overtime/]
Kyle James scored the winner at 2:57 of the extra period, with assists from Tyson Parker and Jack Paquette.
Smiths Falls opened the scoring in the first period with a goal by Paquette, assisted by Kyle Dagg, giving the visiting Bears a 1-0 lead.
In the second period, Matthew Verspeeten tied the game for the Wolves with his goal at 13:33, assisted by Tal Stevenson and Sam Glover. With under a minute remaining in the frame, Travis Ouellette restored the Bears’ lead, scoring with help from Kyle James and Davis Hails to make it 2-1.
Renfrew came out strong in the third period, scoring twice to take the lead. Angelo Protopapas and Christopher Clarke tallied goals for the Wolves, with Clarke’s marker coming at 8:19.
The Bears responded quickly, with Chris Cardillo scoring at 9:05 to tie the game at 3-3. He was assisted by Dagg and Parker, setting the stage for the overtime period.
Game stars were James (first star, Smiths Falls), Dagg (second star, Smiths Falls) and Verspeeten (third star, Renfrew).
Ethan Morrow was solid in net for the Bears, earning the win with 20 saves. Smiths Falls outshot Renfrew 40-20.
The Bears finish December with a 4-3 record and sit at 14-13-3-1 overall for 32 points. They are tied with the Kemptville 73’s for eighth place in the league and fourth in the division. The conference remains tight, with the Bears just six points behind the first-place Carleton Place Canadians and one point behind Pembroke and Brockville, who are tied for second with 33 points each.
Smiths Falls’ next home game is Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. against Nepean.
