Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Any hope that the NDSS Golden Hawks boys’ hockey team’s strong showing in the St. Peter’s Classic would carry over into their return to KASSAA league play was quickly quelled.
Instead the Hawks came out flat in Monday’s key showdown with the La Salle Black Knights, getting blanked 6-0 at the SPC.
The puck spent the vast majority of the time in Napanee territory as La Salle kept up a constant and steady pressure throughout the game. A bit of bad luck was factored in as well, as a blocked shot turned into a La Salle Break away, leading to a short-handed goal to put the Black Knights up 2-0 in the first. They would score two goals in every period for the 6-0 victory.
“The boys played well (in Peterborough), they lost in the finals,” said Jeff Birchard, Hawks head coach. “We thought it would just carry on and they’d have a good game. (La Salle) is a good squad. I don’t think we played well but (La Salle) played really well.”
Prior to Monday’s league game NDSS reached the finals of the C Division in the St. Peter’s Classic on Thursday, but fell 5-2 to St. Mary’s. On their path to the finals the Hawks bested the Crestwood Mustangs 3-1 and the Adam Scott Lions 4-0. The mid-season high school tournament, one of the largest in the province, had no connection to local league play, serving only as a tune up for teams looking to make a push in the season’s second half. The tournament field drew teams from across Ontario and into Quebec.
NDSS was looking to ride the momentum of their finals appearance in Monday’s meeting against La Salle, with whom they are neck and neck for the top seed in the KASSAA standings.
“It’s tough, but it happens,” Birchard said of the ugly loss. “Get this one out of the way because if it happens in the playoffs you’re packing your stuff up for the season.”
With the loss NDSS is now 4-1 on the season, one back of the Black Knights who are 4-1-1 with one more game played. The Hawks will now enter the exam break and won’t return to the ice until Feb. 5 when they host Frontenac. They’ll take on Holy Cross on Feb. 14 to close out the season.
Elsewhere the NDSS girls’ hockey team picked up a big win against the Holy Cross Crusaders on Thursday, winning 3-1. Maddy Burgess was strong in net for the Hawks. They followed that with a 4-0 win over Sydenham on Tuesday to improve to 4-0-1, first in KASSAA.
In volleyball the junior girls swept LCVI in three sets to move to 2-6. The seniors lost 3-0 in their match.
In basketball the senior boys were just short, losing 47-46 to LCVI.