Trappers forward Darnell Koosees drives to the Sons net in the third period. Photo by Chris Dawson.
The North Bay Trappers found a top scoring line Sunday; the question now becomes, where is the secondary scoring going to come from? The line of Jordon Scott, Mitchell Davis, and Roch Pellerin were on the ice for all four Trappers goals in a 4-4 tie with the Nickel City Sons. The Trappers came from behind on three separate occasions, showing a lot more heart and intensity then what was seen in their exhibition opener versus Sudbury on Saturday afternoon.
The first period saw plenty of chances on both sides; however no one was able to find the back of the net. The Trappers came out with far more jump than on Saturday and did not back down from the Sons.
The first goal of the game came 3:17 into the second frame, when Sons forward Joel Gagnon put on a great individual effort and put one past Trappers starter Killian Schlemmer giving the Sons a 1-0 lead. The Sons padded their lead at the 6:04 mark when a give away by Trappers defenseman Pascal Seguin allowed Shawn Stevens to walk in alone and make the score 2-0.
The Trappers would respond with just under eight minutes left in the second when Scott took a quick shot which seemed to fool Sons’ goaltender Alexander Laino, cutting the lead in half 2-1. The Trappers tied the game 35 seconds later as Mitchell Davis scored his second highlight reel goal in as many days, beating Laino with one hand on his stick and a man draped all over him, and we had a tie game 2-2. After the game Davis talked about the opportunity to play with his linemates Scott, and Pellerin.
“It was a really fast tempo when we were out there on the ice. They are both very good players and very skilled, it was fun to be out there with them,” said Mitchell.
Although the Trappers were happy to have tied the game at 2-2, they could have easily been up 6-2 at this point but lacked an ability to finish their chances. Head coach Robin Boucher said he is not worried about the team not finishing.
“It’s just an exhibition game, but we did miss a lot of chances. There were a lot of guys not in the lineup today though. We will be ok,” said Boucher.
The Sons regained their lead with less than twelve minutes to play in the third. Stevens scored his second of the game, this time from behind the goal line, and the Sons were up 3-2. Out came the Trappers trio and once again they knotted the game. Davis was the finisher on a nice tic tac toe play, tying the game at three 26 seconds after the Sons had taken the lead. With just over seven minutes to play the Sons took the lead back when forward Sebastien St. Cyr unleashed a rocket top shelf beating Trappers goaltender Brian Lawson, and the Sons were up again, 4-3. Yet with just under five minutes remaining Davis would complete his natural hat trick as he took a shot from the top of the slot which somehow found its way through traffic and into the back of the net, tying the game for the final time 4-4.
Jordon Scott assisted on all three Davis goals giving him a total of four points on the night.
Following the game, Boucher talked about how clutch the big three were.
“They got timely goals,” said Boucher in regards to his top line tying the game on three separate occasions.
“They played great out there tonight. They really responded when the team seemed down.”
Davis echoed the sentiments of his coach.
“He told us to go out there and get the goals back, and that is what we did. It was nice to be able to go out there and do that. Are team morale is high right now. It was nice to go out there and get the hat trick, but it would have been better to get the win, but we are happy with where we are,” said Davis.
Boucher also added that he was happy with the intensity showed by his team today, and that it is going to be a tough decision when it comes to who will be the teams’ goaltender.
“We wanted more intensity out there, for sure. I don’t know if the players were nervous yesterday but today they were much better. As far as the goaltending situation goes, it is going to be real tough. They have all played well so far and we will likely keep them all here for another week to see how they do,” said Boucher.
