Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Rare is it in hockey that a team musters just two more shots than the amount of goals they allow in their net.
That was the case Sunday in Napanee when the Campbellford Rebels fell 11-0 to the Raiders, finishing with 13 shots at the other end of the ice, including just two in the opening 20 minutes.
Napanee meanwhile finished with 51 shots in the lopsided win.
Marshall McFarland opened the scoring at the 5:40 mark of the first in what would stand up as the game winner. He was one of nine Raiders to light the lamp. Aidan McFarland and Reid Humphrey each had a pair while Alex Case, Matthew Panetta, Evan Foley, Cameron Sheehy, Noah Westwater and Brodie Maracle each had one. Mitch Bown picked up the low-stress shutout, never facing more than six shots in a period.
Though it was an easy win, it was an important one for Napanee as it officially clinched a playoff berth in the Tod Division. Though never really in doubt, the defending Schmalz Cup champions can now officially bank on another playoff appearance, their 29th in their 31 year existence.
On Friday the Raiders had to work a little harder, but still came away with two points in a 6-3 win over the North Kawartha Knights.
Foley scored on the power-play 3:41 into the game, only to see the Knights’ Karsten Leonard answer with a goal just 10 seconds later. Mackenzie Warren restored Napanee’s one goal lead at 12:15, one they held into the first intermission.
In the second Napanee pushed the lead to 4-1 with goals from Case and Humphrey.
Napanee maintained their two goal consistency in the third when Humphrey and Marshall McFarland each found the back of the net just over 30 seconds apart. Their goals were sandwiched between one from the Knights’ Nolan Flood at 5:57 and Matthew Wilbee on the power-play with 31 seconds left in regulation.
The late goal was of little concern for Napanee however as they held on for the 6-3 win.
Bailey Maracle picked up the win, stopping 31 of 34 while Ryan Bailey took the loss, turning away 40 of 46.
Napanee was 1-4 on the power-play compared to North Kawartha’s 1-5.
The Raiders were scheduled to take on Lakefield on Saturday in a make up game, but inclement weather once again postponed the match.
Napanee is now 27-3-1-2 on the season, good for 57 points. Amherstview is second at 21-10-2 (44 points), Picton third at 19-14-1-1 (40), Gananoque fourth at 17-12-1-4 (39) with Port Hope chasing the final playoff spot at 15-13-3-3 (36). Both Port Hope and Gananoque have 10 games left to play, Napanee and Amherstview have 11 remaining while Picton has nine.
Sunday’s loss dropped Campbellford to 1-30-0-2.
Napanee will welcome Gananoque to the SPC on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop. The Raiders will be sporting strawberry coloured jerseys that night for their annual pink-in-the-rink contest. Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the game-worn jerseys, with proceeds going to the Lennox and Addington County General Hospital chemo unit. An online auction is live right now by searching 2020 Pink in the Rink sweater auction on Facebook.