Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Napanee Raider goalie Nicholas Nabuurs was 57 seconds away from his second shutout of the season Sunday night until Gananoque’s Ryan Bigler found the back of the net.
While the last minute goal may have spoiled the shutout, Nabuurs and his teammates still left their first visit to Gananoque with a 3-1 victory, their sixth in a row overall.
Nelson Powers opened the scoring for the visitors at the 11:45 mark of the first period, besting former Raider Cam Parr for the first goal of the game. Jacob Gilbert picked up the assist. Just 27 seconds later Brodie Maracle doubled Napanee’s lead, converting a pass from Cameron Harris for a 2-0 lead.
Parr was kept busy through the first two periods, facing 19 shots in both frames. He gave his Islanders a chance, turning in a scoreless second period. Nabuurs meanwhile continued to stymie the Islander offense.
Gilbert picked up an important insurance tally for the Raiders at the 3:37 mark of the third, with help from Justynn Steven and Austin Labelle.
Bigler finally solved Nabuurs in the final minute of the game, but it was too little, too late. Nabuurs finished the night with 30 saves while Parr had 44 in the losing effort.
Napanee entered Sunday’s game coming off the heels of a 10-2 triumph on home ice over the last place Campbellford Rebels.
Despite still being winless on the year, the Rebels made the Raiders sweat a little, scoring a pair of quick goals midway through the second period to knot the game at 2-2. The Raiders’ offense found a second gear in the second half of the game, reeling off eight unanswered.
Bailey Matthews had built the Raiders a 2-0 lead with a goal midway through the first and a second at the 5:44 mark of the middle period. He added one more late in the third for a hat trick. Dayton Kent, Luke Joseph, Evan Foley, Steven, Maracle and Jacob Murphy each added a goal. Napanee went 3-8 on the power-play and added a short-handed goal. The Rebels were 0-6 on the man-advantage.
Bailey Maracle earned the win, facing just 16 shots on the night.
With the win the Raiders are now 9-1-1 on the year, four points up on the 7-4-0-1 Picton Pirates. The Jets, losers of three straight, sit third at 5-5-1, eight back of first place. The Islanders are 4-6-0-1, good for nine points while the Port Hope Panthers are 2-8 and the Rebels 0-10.
Napanee will look to keep up their winning ways this weekend when they welcome the Port Hope Panthers to the SPC Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop. On Sunday they travel to Amherstview to face the Jets at 7:25 p.m. The Jets are one of just two teams to have taken a point for the Raiders, skating to a 3-3 tie back on Sept. 28.
Before Friday’s game the Raiders announced they had acquired Selby’s Keegan Wayte for a player development fee. The defenceman had five goals and four assists in nine games this far. He didn’t suit up for any of Napanee’s games this weekend.
On Saturday the Raiders sent three players-Joseph, Maracle and Gilbert, to the PJHL Ontario Prospects Day, representing the Tod Dvision. They fell 2-1 to the Yeck Division.