2003-04 Bantam B - Regular Season Game 1 Details vs. San Jose

11/1/03 - Cougars start the season with a win against the San Jose Jr. Sharks; 2-1

The season has finally begun and the Cougars started it off with a 2-1 victory over the visiting San Jose Jr. Sharks. Period One showcased the Sharks goalie, who came up big against some of the Cougar's sharp-shooters, as well as the goalie skills of Cougar goalie #30 Chris Meyer, who kept the Sharks off the board for most of the period. Line combinations of #14 Josh Bautista, #23 Conor Sullivan, and #27 Brett DeLorenzi had several good scoring chances, followed by #25 Alan Reese with a nice chance of his own. Sharks scored first, but Cougars player #2 Kevin Heyl tied the game at 1-1.

The second period started with the Cougars on the penalty kill and the Sharks were unable to capitalize on their power play chance. Cougars #11 Nathan Ellison had a nice scoring chance, but the Sharks goalie denied him a goal. This period was more physical than the first and the Cougars found themselves in penalty trouble. Fortunately, the Sharks were unable to take advantage, thanks to great pressure by Cougars penalty killers and strong goaltending. Neither team was able to score during this period.

Cougars came out strong in the third period with scoring chances by #9 Jeff Adams and #11 Nathan Ellison. Cougars scored their second goal off a beautiful pass to #14 Josh Bautista in the high slot, who blasted it past the Sharks goaltender to take the 2-1 lead. #7 Max DeLance had a great short-handed opportunity midway through the period. The Sharks had several more opportunities to score on power plays, but thankfully the Cougar defense was able to hold on to the victory.

Summary: Thanks to great goaltending and outstanding defensive play, the Cougars start the season victorious. I felt #30 Chris Meyer came up big when the Cougars needed him most...great job! We're looking forward to many more victories this season.
Go Cougars!