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Junior B Northmen open the season with a split

April 30, 2014   ·   0 Comments

It’s still way to early to see how the season will go, but after two games the Orangeville Northmen Junior B squad are at .500.

The squad lost their first game of the season when they traveled to Elora to take on the Mohawks on Saturday, April 26.

After trailing 3-2 at the end of the second period, the Northmen matched goals with Elora in the third but couldn’t make up the deficit and had to settle for a 6-4 loss.

The home opener at the Alder Street arena in Orangeville on Monday, April 28, produced a positive result when the Northmen notched six unanswered goals in the first period to lead 6-1 over the Guelph Regals going into the second frame.

The second period saw the Orangeville squad score five more with the Guelph teams getting back in the game with four of their own.

The final frame saw the Guelph team challenge the lead scoring five times to close the gap, but the O-ville squad held on to take the win 13-10.

The Junior B squad has a new head coach this season. Bruce Codd, an Orangeville native is in the top spot after spending the last few season coaching Junior A in Toronto.

“It was a good lesson that you can never relax in this game,” Codd said of the big lead that evaporated when the Guelph team fought back.

 

“We had a slow start in the fist period, then in the last ten minutes we poured it on for a good lead going into the second. In the third we took our foot off the gas and allowed them to get a couple quick ones and get some momentum. In this game, that’s so key. When you’ve got the momentum you’ve got to keep it and when you don’t, you’ve got to squash it.”

After two games, the squad knows they have a lot to do with continuous improvement in the arena.

“We’re happy with tonight’s result, but there’s a lot areas we still need to improve on,” Codd said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The team brought back eight guys from last season who are on the roster. The coaching staff are still watching to see what happens at the Junior A level when things shake out in the final line-up.

“Any time a new coach comes in it’s always tough for the guys. They’re trying to get used to you and vice-versa. I’m trying to learn the kids and see what they can do and make sure they’re in the right spots. We’re looking for guys who compete hard every night, and guys who think the game. I think that’s a lot of it.”

The Junior B Northmen will be on the road in Hamilton for their next game to face the Bengals on Friday, May 2.

They return home to the Alder Street arena on Saturday, May 3, to host the Welland Generals.

Game time is 3:00 p.m.

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