Cody Cox notched a hat trick and
Myles Playter turned away every shot he faced as the Owen Sound Jr. Attack
Tykes shutout the visiting Essa Eagles 7-0 at the Julie McArthur Regional
Recreation Centre on Sunday afternoon.
It was the second victory in as many days for the Tykes, who earned a hard-fought 5-4 road win on Saturday over the Honeywood Hurricanes.
Against Essa, Brett Warrilow and Kashias Keeshig also scored twice and added an assist each, while Jaren Pirie (3), Bryce Martin, Jillian Goldie, Cooper Schneider and Ronan Helder provided the other helpers.
“That was the best team game we have played this year,” said Jr. Attack head coach Rob Martin. “The kids played three solid periods of hockey.”
After a scoreless first period, Cox scored his first of three on the afternoon a mere 34 seconds into the second frame when he rung a hard wrister off the post and in. Pirie and Martin collected the assists.
Warrilow made it a 2-0 game just over a minute later after he stripped an Essa defender in the neutral zone, broke in alone, and positioned a perfectly placed shot high over the shoulder of a left to fend for himself Eagles goaltender.
Cox provided Owen Sound with a 3-0 advantage when he shoveled home his second marker of the contest on a rebound with 1:54 remaining in the second period. Defenceman Goldie pitched in with the lone assist.
The Jr. Attack began the third period just as they had the second, when Warrilow banged home his own rebound only 44 seconds following the period puck drop. Keeshig and Pirie contributed the helpers.
Keeshig, who by game’s end would earn the team’s “Hardest Working Helmet” honours, would then break open the floodgates with a pair of goals in a span of 3:08 at the midway point of the third period. He first rifled in a cross-ice pass from defenceman Schneider to give Owen Sound a comfortable 5-0 lead, before extending Owen Sound’s lead to six with just over eight minutes to play. Warrilow and Pirie provided the assists.
“I was really proud of how the kids played today,” said Martin. “They made it a hard decision who to give the hardest working helmet to. All 14 players on the ice deserved it.”
Rounding out the game scoring and his hat trick afternoon was Cox when he accepted a feed from linemate Ronan Helder in front of the Essa net with 7:08 remaining.
The Jr. Attack Tykes, which improved to 3-3-1 on the season, next pay a visit to Essa on Saturday, Nov. 3. Puck drops at 12:30 p.m.