DUNDAS, ON – The Redeemer Royals hockey team hosted the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on Friday night.
The Royals were undefeated coming into this contest. They had beaten the Bonnies 10-2 and 7-2 in the two contests they played last season. However, this game would be a much closer contest.
The Royals would take an early penalty less than two minutes into the game, but would absolutely control the course of play on the kill. This would set the pace for the rest of the frame.
But it would be the Bonnies scoring first, just over nine minutes into the opening frame. However, the Royals would respond just under a minute later, when Ty Storie would find Colton Stanley for his third goal of the young season.
The Royals outshot the Bonnies 14-4 in the first, but the score would be 1-1. A late penalty would put the Royals down in a man in the middle frame.
The Royals successfully killed off a much better-looking Bonnies powerplay, but St. Bonaventure would take the lead roughly halfway through the middle frame with a well-executed 2-on-1.
Penalty trouble both ways would see a rare 3-on-3 develop for a full two minutes. St. Bonaventure wasted no time extending their lead, scoring just 12 seconds into the penalties. However, just about 40 seconds later, Tucker Copeland would find Asher Cabral on the back door, who roofed one past the Bonnies netminder to cut the deficit back to one.
That's how the second period would end, the Royals still trailing 3-2. The Bonnies outshot Redeemer 13-12 in that frame.
Having rarely been behind in games this season, this was relatively unfamiliar territory for the Royals.
And things wouldn't get any easier as the Bonnies finally capitalize on their powerplay roughly 11 minutes into the third, regaining the two-goal advantage.
The Royals would respond a few minutes later, when the Captain Hudson Kosloski would find Tucker Copeland, who buried one low blocker side to cut the Bonnies lead back to one.
With the net empty, the Royals pushed hard for the tying goal. However, St. Bonaventure goaltender Jacob Amrhein, who had shut the door on the Royals time and again all night, would not be beat. The Royals drop their first game of the season 4-3.
The Royals looked like they had the majority of the chances, but sometimes a hot goaltender is all you need if you're the Bonnies.
Redeemer awaits the scheduling of their next game as they look to bounce back.
