Sturgeon Falls Snaps Streak, But Bradford Bounces Back
(Bradford, ON, October 24, 2011)
By: Sean Werth
The dream of 42-0 has been shattered. This past weekend, Bradford continued their season with games against Sturgeon Falls and South Muskoka. On Saturday, Bradford suffered their first loss of the season to the Sturgeon Falls Lumberjacks, with a final of 5-4 OT. The next day, Bradford bounced back, winning 4-3 over the South Muskoka Shield.
The Rattlers’ squad made the trip up to Sturgeon Falls to finish take on the first place club. The Jacks’ were up by three goals after one period of play. After exchanging goals in the second; Bradford needed someone to step up. Within a span of 1:57 in the third period; Andreas Norrby potted two goals and assisted on a Conor Smith goal, bringing the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, Bradford ran into penalty trouble, after Norrby was given a ten-minute misconduct. The league leader in points, Maciej Rompowski, potted one past Carson Bird with 18 seconds remaining in the game; handing Bradford their first loss of the season.
Stanislav Nikonov left the game early after taking a harsh slash from an opposing player, it is unknown how long Nikonov will be out at this time. Furthermore, Sergey Romanov was ejected early in the first period after dropping the gloves with SF forward Patrick Market.
After finishing their road trip, Bradford returned home to take on the South Muskoka Shield this past Sunday. Carson Bird made back-to-back starts, leading Bradford to a 4-3 OT victory. This was the 3rd game in three nights for Bradford, and second in a row that Bradford played into overtime.
The Rattler squad showed a lot of character this Sunday, where many teams would of let the night before effect their games. Andreas Norrby once again played hero, scoring the OT winner. Other goal scorers for Bradford included Nicolas Thommen, Andreas Norrby, and Conor Smith.
Romanov recorded three assists in the game to bring his point total to 20. This ties him with Conor Smith for team point leader.
Both Bird and Rob Sutherland made 44 saves for their respected clubs. Nikonov was held out of the line-up from the slash received against SF.
The Rattlers will continue their four game home stand next Sunday, when the defending Russell Cup champions Elliot Lake Bobcats come to town. The game will be 7:30 at Bob Fallis Sports Centre, come out and support your Bradford Rattlers!
