Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Statistically speaking, the Napanee Raiders suffered their largest loss of the season on Saturday in Port Hope, falling 5-1 to the Panthers.
The loss was just the fifth time Napanee lost in regulation, while the four-goal deficit represented a season high. Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, the one goal scored was a season low.
Port Hope goaltender Sam Dingle deserves a lot of the credit for the near shutout, turning away 33 shots from the high-powered Raider offense. He actually faced more shots than his counterpart Alex Zamuner, who saw just 25 shots on the night, allowing four of the five goals. The final one came while he was on the bench, yanked in favour of an extra skater in a last ditch effort to generate some offense with his team down 4-1 at the time with just under three minutes to play. The Hail Mary tactic would yield negative results with the Panthers instead tacking on some insurance.
Ryan Kidd was the lone Raider to solve Dingle, doing so 3:33 into the third period, ending a string of four unanswered from the Panthers.
Port Hope took the lead less than two minutes into the game courtesy Isaac Langdon. They doubled the lead at 12:14 of the second when Cole Kimble stretched the twine, his first of three on the night. Kimble was at it again in the third, striking just 1:30 into the frame to push the lead to 3-0. Langdon picked up his second of the night 1:19 later.
After Kidd’s goal gave the Raiders the faintest bit of hope, the 4-1 score remained stagnant until Kimble capped his hat trick with an empty net goal at 17:08.
Napanee entered Saturday’s game coming off a solid 4-2 home win the previous night against the Picton Pirates.
Connor Hobin got the Raiders on the board with his first of the season just shy of the midway point of the first period.
That score held until the second when the two sides alternated goals, the two teams combining for give goals in a little over 11 minutes. Noah Westwater, Hobin and Marshall McFarland each scored for Napanee while Landon McLellan and Gerrit Kempers accounted for Picton’s scoring.
Both defenses settled in for the third period with neither side able to generate any offense, resulting in the 4-2 final.
Bailey Maracle picked up the win for Napanee, turning away 26 of 28. Brady Spry took the loss, finishing with 34 saves. Both teams were shutout on the power-play, Napanee 0-2, Picton 0-4.
The weekend split meant little to Napanee in the grand scheme of things, as they continue to play out the regular season after already sewing up first place in the Tod Division. They are now 35-4-1 with five games to play.
The Amherstview Jets are second at 23-12-2 (48 points), followed by the Panthers at 18-15-3 (39), Picton at 17-13-3 (37), Frankford at 15-20-1 (31) and Campbellford at 3-30-2 (eight).
Napanee will have a shot at redemption Friday night when they host the Panthers at the SPC. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday the Raiders travel to Amherstview to take on the Jets at the W.J. Henderson Arena, also getting underway at 7:30 p.m.