News

Jan 25/10 - Caribous push closer to first place with sweep of Cataracts

Never underestimate the heart of a champion.

The Clarenville Caribous only trail the league-leading Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts by two points after the defending champions swept the Cats at the Joe Byrne Memorial Stadium over the weekend.

The Caribous defeated the Cats 6-3 Sunday in Bud Light West Coast Senior Hockey League action to register the road sweep. The Caribous won Saturday’s game by a 4-2 spread.

Andrew Pearcey padded his lead in the scoring race with a hat trick and one assist for the Caribous Sunday.

Ryan Lauzon, Mike Sibley and Mitch Oake, with the game-winner 13 seconds into the middle stanza, also scored for the Caribous. Jason Hedges (2) and David Philpott replied for the Cats.

Jason Churchill outduelled Doug Jewer in the crease in both games.

“I think we’re starting to peak at the right time,” Caribous sniper Andrew Pearcey told The Western Star Sunday via cellphone on the Caribous’ bus. “We played really good hockey our last 12 games. We started out 2-4-2 and we’re 10-2 in our last 12 so it just goes to show we’re a team that most of the time we don’t start that great, but we end up building towards the playoffs and hopefully we’re going to keep this momentum going into next weekend and hopefully right into the first round.”

The Cats lead the four-team league with 28 points on a 14-6 record, while the Caribous are hot on their heels with 26 points on a 12-6-2 record.

The battle for third spot will heat up Friday 8 p.m. when the Corner Brook Royals battle the Deer Lake Red Wings at the Pepsi Centre in the first game of a home-and-home series with the Red Wings. The Red Wings host the Royals Saturday 7:30 p.m. at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex in Deer Lake.

Pearcey leads Andre Gill of the Cats by six points in the scoring race after the speedy forward collected six points (4G, 2A) in the weekend sweep. Gill picked up a brace of helpers for the Cats in a losing cause Sunday, but was held off the scoresheet in Saturday’s affair.

Pearcey is the scoring leader, but doesn’t receive much in the way of accolades like some of the stars in other centres, but he’s OK with it knowing the league is full of former pros and junior hockey stars and the calibre of hockey provides great entertainment.

He credits his linemates Ryan Lauzon and Chris Mooney for his fine play this season and acknowledges he has had great linemates since he joined the Caribous.

Other than the support of his linemates, Pearcey feels he has tried to be consistent with his play all season and he has been able to accomplish that mission so far.

“We are just playing well as a unit and we have a lot of chemistry,” he said. “When you have two linemates like Lauzon and Mooney it makes it a lot easier to go to the rink every day and just makes it fun. And when you’re having fun, good things happen.”

The following is a quick look at Saturday’s game between the Caribous and Cats:

Caribous 4, Cataracts 2

Ryan Lauzon scored two goals to lead the charge for the Caribous Saturday night in Grand Falls-Windsor. Scoring leader Andrew Pearcey and Bran Crann also lit the lamp for the Caribous. Rodi Short and Ryan Delaney scored for the Cats.

- DAVE KEARSEY
The Western Star



< back to news