LAURIE WEIR
The Smiths Falls Bears held off a late-game charge with less than five minutes to play in a rare Sunday afternoon tilt, defeating the Hawkesbury Hawks 4-3 in Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) action. The game showcased the talents of young affiliated player Xavier Tessier, who not only scored his first goal as a Bear but recorded his first hat trick. For his outstanding performance, he earned first-star honours.
Tessier opened the scoring for the Bears just 1:39 into the game, assisted by Tyson Parker and Jack Paquette.
Hawkesbury’s Jakob Medeiros replied with less than a minute remaining in the first period, leaving the score tied 1-1.
Tessier added two quick markers in the second period, giving the Bears a 3-1 advantage by the halfway point.
Oliver Touchette responded for the Hawks with about five minutes left in the period, but Smiths Falls held on to a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
In the third period, Parker scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, assisted by Kyle James and Maxwell Richler. Aleksy Bandu closed the gap to 4-3 with an unassisted tally at 5:02, but the Bears maintained their lead.
Parker earned second-star honours, while Touchette received the third star.
Ethan Morrow was solid in goal for the Bears, making 33 saves for the win. Jabe Breizke stopped 26 shots for the Hawks.
FRIDAY NIGHT RESULTS
On Friday night, the Bears faced the Brockville Braves, falling 2-1 in overtime.
Brockville’s Peter Legostaev opened the scoring in the first period, a lead the Braves held until the third.
Caeden Heins scored the Bears’ lone goal at 14:48 of the third, assisted by James and Kyle Dagg, forcing the overtime period.
Jesse Lumsden scored the game-winner for Brockville, giving the Braves the 2-1 victory. The Bears picked up a single point in the effort.
STANDINGS UPDATE
Smiths Falls sits in fifth place in the Robinson Division with a 12-13-3-1 record, good for 28 points. The Bears are three points behind the Braves and the Pembroke Lumber Kings, who are tied at 31 points, and four points back of the Kemptville 73’s (32 points). The Carleton Place Canadians lead the division with a 16-10-1-2 record and 35 points.
Overall, the Rockland Nationals lead the league with 47 points (23-5-1-0), followed by the Navan Grads, who sit second with 40 points (18-7-2-2).
COMING UP
Smiths Falls has a home-and-home series with Renfrew before the break. They’ll host the Wolves on Friday at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday night game in Renfrew, also at 7:30 p.m.
