Cougars Come Back To Salvage Tie Against Tri Valley

February 2, 2002
If you missed today's game, you missed the best game of the year. In a contest full of emotional swings, the Cougars tied the Tri Valley Blue Devils 6-6 in an exciting game that gave the Blue Devils their first blemish in the regular season (6-0-1). The Cougars finished their toughest swing of the schedule and hit the halfway mark with a respectable 3-2-2 record, but knowing they can play with anyone in the league.

The Cougars fell behind early, down 4-1 after the first period, but fought back with 3 goals in 1:06 early in the second. After that the game seesawed back and forth all the way until the final horn. The Cougars even took a brief 6-5 lead midway through the third only to see Tri Valley tie it back up :23 seconds later. Jonathan Wilson preserved the tie by making three brilliant saves in the waning moments of the game.

The Blue Devils' outstanding transition game had the Cougar defensemen on their heels the whole game, and they struggled slowing it down, much less stopping it. Austin Merritt (#77) led the transition for the Blue Devils and wound up with 5 goals (4 unassisted). Once the Cougars stopped the initial charge, the defense settled in and played well, physically taking to them and not allowing the offense to set up. Rarely did a Blue Devil have a puck on his stick without a Cougar in his face.

The turning point for the whole Cougar season may have been the second period of today's game. Down 4-1 entering the period, the Cougars fought

	Nick

back with a vengeance. Greg Schuck got the team going, scoring at 11:48, the then the Cougars showed the Blue Devils their own transition game with Nick Lavarias scoring two beautiful goals (at 11:18 and 10:42) to tie it up. The team was psyched and the building was rocking now! The Cougars were right back in it. The last half of the period was just as critical as three Cougar penalties had the Blue Devils with a man-advantage for almost the last six minutes, including some 5-on-3 time. But the Cougars kept them out of the net with some extremely physical play and the period ended 4-4.

The third period was a game within itself. Tri Valley broke the deadlock with another Merritt goal at 10:45, but the Cougars didn't get deflated by it and Francis Paquet (with assists by Stephen Lamers and Ryan Thornton) tied it again at 8:15. The Cougars took the face-off and came right back attacking the net again. In a wild scrum in front of the net, Katie Jordan somehow got her

	Jonathan

stick on the puck and slipped it past the Blue Devil goalie at 7:54. The elation was short-lived as Merritt scored his fifth goal :23 seconds later. The game ended as the teams exchanged power plays - first the Cougars had one and couldn't convert, and then the Blue Devils, who threw everything they could at the Cougars with their man-advantage during the last 1:17 of the game. The Cougars fought hard during the penalty-kill, but the Blue Devils had a few solid scoring chances - all stuffed by Jonathan.

A tie is rarely satisfying, but today it is. The Cougars could have been blown out after the first period but showed the grit and mettle to come back. The confidence from this game should go a long way towards a successful second half of the regular season.