Game Report 449		National Jr A Championship
PLAYED AT: Cobourg Community Centre Date: May 20, 2017 GAME NOTES: COUGARS TOP VEES, ADVANCE TO RBC CUP FINAL JASON LA ROSE COBOURG, Ont. – Theo Lewis scored the winner with 8:05 left and set up Spencer Roberts for the empty-net insurance goal, sending the host Cobourg Cougars to the championship game at the 2017 RBC Cup with a 3-1 semifinal win over the Penticton Vees on Saturday afternoon. The Cougars are the third consecutive host team – and fourth in five years – to reach the final; they will meet the winner of the Brooks Bandits-Cobras de Terrebonne semifinal on Sunday (5:30 p.m. ET, TSN 1/3/5). Lewis, who has played 223 regular-season games with Cobourg over the last five seasons, found a loose puck in the slot and wired a wrist shot just under the cross-bar past Penticton goaltender Mat Robson. Daniel McKitrick had the other goal for the Cougars, getting the comeback started late in the second period. Nicholas Jones was the lone goal-scorer for Penticton, which came up a couple of wins short after a marathon postseason; the Vees played 32 of a possible 32 playoff games, facing elimination seven times and winning the first six. Penticton decidedly carried the play in the first period, outshooting Cobourg 11-7 on the strength of a pair of power-play chances, but Cougars netminder Stefano Durante got the game to the intermission scoreless. The Vees broke through with the man advantage just past the midway mark of the second period; Chris Klack got the puck on the halfboards and threw a shot towards the net that Jones redirected off the far post and past Durante for the 1-0 goal. Cobourg answered on a power play of its own in the last five minutes; Nick Minerva found McKitrick at the backdoor, and he kicked the puck from his skate to his stick before beating a sprawling Robson to tie the game at 15:05. The teams traded chances in the third period, but it was Lewis who broke the deadlock, exciting the hometown crowd at the Cobourg Community Centre. Penticton put Robson on the bench for an extra attacker with 90 seconds to go, and Gabe Bast came inches from getting the Vees even, hitting the post behind Durante. Lewis flipped the puck into the neutral zone off the ensuing scramble in the Cobourg crease, and Roberts outraced a Penticton defender before tapping his tournament-leading fifth goal into the empty net. Shots finished even 28-28. Visiting Team: Penticton Vees Home Team: Cobourg Cougars
PENTICTON VEES LINEUP Pos No.   Name G 20   Robson, Mathew G 35   Hildebrand, Nolan   2   Leahy, Joe   4   Bast, Gabe   5   Rossini, Sam   8   Jones, Nicholas   10   Meek, Mitch   12   Amonte, Ty   14   Nash, Jared   15   Klack, Chris   19   Miller, James   21   Cruikshank, Grant   23   Sillinger, Owen   24   Campbell, Duncan   27   Rizzo, Massimo   29   Ripplinger, Turner   64   Bowes, Cassidy   74   Ward, Taylor   77   Mendel, Griffin   92   Sanheim, Taylor	PENTICTON VEES PENALTIES Per. No.  Min  Offence Off PP PS Start On 1st 12  2:00  Hooking 15:44 1   15:44 17:44 2nd 10  2:00  High-Sticking 13:14 1   13:14 15:05 3rd 92  2:00  Slashing 6:44 1   6:44 8:44	COBOURG COUGARS LINEUP Pos No.   Name G 29   Durante, Stefano G 30   Menna, Matt   4   Bumstead, Matt   5   Minerva, Nick   7   Roberts, Spencer   9   MacEachern, Connor   11   Dunn, Sam   12   Baird, Jesse   13   Busby, Matt   14   McKitrick, Daniel   16   Miranda, George   17   Locke, Brenden   18   Huber, Jamie   19   Maguire, Josh   21   Carroll, Matt   24   Syrydiuk, Quinn   26   Bricknell, Jake   27   Roy, Brennan   44   Casselman, Ryan   72   Lewis, Theo	COBOURG COUGARS PENALTIES Per. No.  Min  Offence Off PP PS Start On 1st 11  2:00  Holding 1:39 1   1:39 3:39 1st 24  2:00  Hooking 13:53 1   13:53 15:53 2nd 11  2:00  Tripping 10:14 1   10:14 11:13 3rd 17  2:00  Slashing 14:48 1   14:48 16:48

PENTICTON VEES Goals PENTICTON VEES PLAYERS (plus) COBOURG COUGARS PLAYERS (minus) Per. Time    G-As1-As2     2nd 11:13  PP  8-15-74

COBOURG COUGARS Goals COBOURG COUGARS PLAYERS (plus) PENTICTON VEES PLAYERS (minus) Per. Time    G-As1-As2     2nd 15:05  PP  14-5                         3rd 11:55   72-5-7                         3rd 18:54  EN  7-72

POWER PLAY OPPORTUNITIES PENTICTON VEES 1 / 4 COBOURG COUGARS 1 / 3 PENALTY SUMMARY PENTICTON VEES 6 min / 3 inf COBOURG COUGARS 8 min / 4 inf POINT SUMMARY PENTICTON VEES 1 G + 2 A = 3 Pts COBOURG COUGARS 3 G + 4 A = 7 Pts

SCORING 1 2 3 Total PENTICTON VEES 0 1 0 1 COBOURG COUGARS 0 1 2 3 GOALTENDER/SAVES (Time) 1 2 3 Tot. On Off PEN - Robson (58:24) (L) 7 11 7 25 /0:00 3rd/18:24 COB - Durante (60:00) (W) 11 7 9 27 /0:00 3rd/20:00 Stars of the Game TIME OF GAME:  COB - 72 Lewis  Start: 2:38 PM  PEN - 8 Jones  End: 4:42 PM   -  Attendance:

OFFICIALS Referee: Referee: Linesmen: Linesmen: CERTIFIED CORRECT   This report has been checked and verified against the Official National Jr A Championship Game Report.

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