The Bears needed all 51 minutes to squeeze by a hardworking St. Lawrence Central squad in Tri-Town arena Saturday afternoon. The Bears managed a power play goal in the final two minutes of the game to overcome the Larries, 2-1.
The first goal of the game came fairly early for the Bears when junior forward Owen Logan sliced though the Larries defense in an impressive solo effort to bury the first goal of the game.
St. Lawrence Central refused to go away, however, and found a goal of their own thanks to a flurry in front of junior goaltender Griffin Coakley. A puck thrown to the cluttered net front beat Coakley to tie the game with less than two minutes to go in the first period.
Despite a barrage through the second and third periods by the Bears, including several prime scoring opportunities, Canton was unable to break the deadlock for a majority of the game. The Larries relied on hard work and grit to sustain a tie against the Bears for a majority of the contest. The Larries’ effort, combined with some skillful work from their goaltender, kept the Bears at bay until late in the third.
The Bears finally broke through late in the game. After a charge into the offensive zone by junior forward Robert Palmer, Canton set up their power play and worked the puck back to Palmer, who found the game winner on a well placed shot between the legs of the Larries goaltender. The Bears managed to stave off the opponent for the rest of the game and leave Brasher Falls with two league points.
Coakley finished the game with 21 saves in net for the Bears.
Canton moves to 3-0-0 in league play and sits one points behind Massena in the Division I standings. The Bears take on Massena at home in a matchup for first place in the league standings on Wednesday at the Canton Recreational Pavilion. Puck drop 7 p.m.
