BEARS ‘SEND SHOCK WAVES AROUND CONFERENCE,’ STUNNING #1 ALLISTON 5-4 FRIDAY IN SHOOT-OUT
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
BRACEBRIDGE — There’s hope for the Muskoka Bears after upsetting Alliston in the biggest win of the fledgling’s franchise’s history Friday.
Connor Sampson “stood on his head” stopping 66 of 70 shots as the Jr. C team stung the Hornets handing the top team in the league their first loss of the season.
Jacob Budney got the winning goal in the 5-4 shoot-out victory — the fourth win of the season for the fledgling PJHL team.
Not bad for the last place team in the North Pollock Division.
“It was pretty awesome,” said Sampson who has faced more than his share of shots this season.
Especially being out-shot 27-2 in the first period.
Parker Orr, Owen Vandusen, Kaiden Szabo and Budney stunned the Hornets with a 4-1 lead by early in the third forcing the home team to mound a three-goal comeback to force a scoreless overtime and shoot-out, which Sampson said was “pretty stressful.”
He stopped all three shoot-out attempts.
However, he offered “a big shout out to the entire team. We all worked really hard, especially being short-handed with 14 players. We were blocking shots and everything. It was amazing.”
He called it his “best game of the season.”
The Bears were out-shot 70-19 before a crowd of 396 in Alliston.
Bears executive Ken Veitch boasted “even Huntsville hasn’t beat them.”
But the much deserved high didn’t last long. Reality came back to bite them last night when Penetang came to town, downing them 5-0. Gabriel Donoghue took the loss in goal before a crowd of 481.
Kings coach Scott Simon said his team couldn’t believe the Bears won Friday.
“It sent shock waves around the entire conference,” he said offering a lot of praise for his host rivals.
He said the Kings were following the Bears-Hornets and “players were checking their phones between the second and third periods” in their own 8-4 home win over Innisfil.
“It’s nice to see Bracebridge having success. It sent shock waves around the entire conference. Everybody was excited for Muskoka Bears.”
Simon, who is veteran coach of several area junior teams including the Gravenhurst Cubs, Huntsville Wildcats and Parry Sound Shamrocks and previously also in Penetang for three years (2012-15) said “it’s good to see Bracebridge with junior hockey again.”
This is Simon’s second year in his second stint with the Kings who played their 30th game here last night.
With 12 games go, Penetang is in fourth place, two games over .500 with a record of 15-13-2.
“So we’re very happy with where we’re at in the season. It’s a very competitive conference.
“The playoffs are going to be very competitive. And as Muskoka showed last night anybody can beat anybody.”
The Kings’ top scorer Carson Thayer, who scored last night against the Bears had four against the Spartans the night before.”
Simon said his team, too, is one of the youngest in the league along with the Bears.
“We’re really proud of the young players we have — especially goalie Landon Simec who got the shut-out tonight. He’s played the bulk of our games.”
As of Jan. 10 “all the rosters are frozen,” said Simon, and teams will have to finish off the season with the players they have.
“The trade deadline was yesterday.”
The Bears, who are 4-23, have played the least amount of games have seven games left in January, including at home this afternoon (Sunday) to Midland (UPDATE 2-1 Midland win: Budney scores for Bears) and a rare Wednesday night home date with Orillia. Then its Innisfil in Bracebridge Jan. 18.
Penetang is back Friday Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Muskoka rounds out the season with seven more in February.
So Friday’s win in Alliston is important considering the two could square off in the first round of the playoffs with the top and bottom teams squaring off.
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