JASON PARKS
PICTON GAZETTE-EDITOR
There might have been a hiccup in the final five minutes of the contest but the Picton Pirates (13-17-2) deserve full credit for their win over Napanee Thursday night.
In their only action of the weekend, the Pirates skated out to a 4-0 lead through about 55 minutes of play. Picton kept their mistakes to a minimum. They stayed the right side of the puck. The club clogged shooting lanes. They blocked shots in front of netminder Nic McGrayne who was sensational in his puck-stopping efforts. He made sure the whistles came quick if play languished in the defensive zone.
Napanee finally broke through with 5:36 left in the game. Cameron Krupa picked up a loose puck near the crease after Mr. McGrayne made one of his 32 saves and deposited it into the Picton net for 4-1.
Just 39 seconds later, Erik MacNeil beat a screened Mr. McGrayne to get the Raiders back in the game at 4-2. Just two weeks removed from blowing a three-goal lead to the Frankford Huskies in a game Picton won in overtime, the Pirates had some thinking to do.
REVERSING COURSE
But credit the home side for flipping the script and keeping the Raiders at bay in the waning moments. With under a minute to play, newcomer Logan Calder cleared the puck and Adian Treverton raced the length of the ice to tap it home for his second goal of the period.
Picton opened the scoring in the first when the Pirates forced a give-away in the Napanee end. Kirk Stevenson found Gerrit Kempers, who beat Raiders netminder Ethan Babin at the 6:30 mark.
In the second, Cole Stevenson showed great patience with the puck, allowing Nick Kirby to cruise to the high slot. The Consecon native collected a neat pass and fired a bullet high to the glove side at 13:09.
Mr. Treverton showed off his skating stride 3:50 into the third, beating a Raiders defender to the outside, firing a puck on Mr. Babin and then collecting a rebound and roofing a backhander for Picton’s third tally of the contest.
At the midway mark of the final stanza, Kirk Stevenson got a puck through the wickets of the Napanee goaltender for Picton’s fourth marker of the night.
Picton returns to Huff Estates Arena Jan. 25 to battle the visiting Campbellford Rebels. The Pirates sail into Napanee the following evening for their final game of the month.