BEARS LOSE WEEKEND PAIR AFTER FIRING COACH BEFORE 6-2, 11-0 BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES TO ORILLIA, STAYNER

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

BRACEBRIDGE — A coaching change didn’t help the Muskoka Bears yesterday.

Before Saturday night’s 6-2 loss in Orillia and another 11-0 home embarrassment Sunday to Stayner, the new PJHL team had already fired ex- NHLer Jason Dawe.

Team president Dave Veitch called it a “mutual” parting of the ways around “commitment” and an 0-4 start.

“It was time,” he said yesterday afternoon midway through another disheartening drubbing. The team’s sixth straight loss this season.

Dawe had lost the room and the “respect” of some, but not all players.

Jake Yard, Veitch’s first choice last summer to lead the first-year community team, took over behind the bench Saturday and Sunday faring no better.

The assistant coach and local owner of the Bracebridge Hockey Academy was thrown in the deep end this weekend and couldn’t spark a quick turnaround.

While the Bears are young, full of rookies — and with only a handful of proven players — the Muskokans were again no match for one of the bigger, faster PJHL Jr. C clubs.

The league scheduler, too, wasn’t kind to them putting them up against Orillia, Alliston and Stayner the first month of play.

Though one new grim team assistant, now “helping” Yard, said yesterday while overlooking the fray, “they’ll have to face them at some point.”

That help can’t come soon enough as the home team skated hard and fast — but not enough as the more experienced Siskins scored almost at will coming out the corner, deking defencemen and scoring from the slot.

Starting goalie Campbell McDiarmid was chased from the Bears net after five first period goals, giving way to Connor Sampson who allowed one more than that in 40 more minutes of facing punishing pucks. Four of them were in the second period, but just two more in a better third period for him and his defence.

Sampson has served up a two strong first and third periods in Orillia two days before after facing a barrage of rubber with 63 shot over 60 minutes. He faced 100 shots over the two games.

At the other end of the ice the Bears mostly gave Bill Beltski the afternoon off before a smaller unannounced crowd of 420 — half the number who have came out for previous games at the MLCC. But anecdotally reportedly still larger than other team attendances around the league.

He was forced to make a couple of key saves to preserve his shut out in a last grasp third period on only 22 Bears shots.

Things didn’t start well for the Bears who were short-handed before the puck dropped after a delay of game penalty.

Then the onslaught began at 2:31 with Bryden Shank scoring his first of his hat-trick (a goal in each period). His teammates continued at 10:27, 11:33,18:54 and 19:53 before the Siskins gave them a period break. The second stanza was marked by Stayner goals at 2:26, 5:26, 6:58 and 8:29. The final nails were driven at 11:07 and 19:20.

Stayner was 2-4 on the power play, the Bears 0-5.

The Bears lost 11-0 to Alliston in Muskoka’s home opener Sept. 13. That was followed by 5-4 to Innisfil, 3-2 against Midland and 4-2 home to Huntsville Sat. Sept. 21.

Yard has some breathing room with his team off until this Friday Oct. 4 in Penetang — and before coming back home Saturday Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.

When local fans won’t be expecting another turkey to be served up.

Or could another goose be cooked?

 

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