It might be a long shot, but the Huntsville Otters are not giving up on their hopes of a playoff berth.
The Otters took two of their last three games to keep their goal of reaching the Ontario Junior Hockey League post-season alive.
The Otters picked up two road wins by defeating the Couchiching Terriers 4-2 last Thursday in Orillia and thumping the Bramalea Blues 10-4 on Saturday. The only setback came Friday night at home against the Kingston Voyageurs by a 7-2 score.
The wins put the Otters’ record to 20-26-2 for 42 points, 10 back of the Vaughan Vipers for the eighth and final playoff spot.
“Good, but not good enough,” head coach/general manager Brian O’Leary said on Monday. “I knew we would be in tough with Kingston. We were probably good enough to beat them this night. Their goaltender looked a little shaky but we just didn’t get it done. That’s too bad.”
Dan Barnett and Cameron Brace had two goals each for the game in Brampton.
Huntsville led 4-1 after the first on goals by James Olivier, Cameron Brace, Phil Moreau and Barnett. The Otters solidified their lead after 40 minutes to 6-3 on goals by Jordan Forfar and Barnett.
Third period markers by Tyler McGee, Brace, Kylian Kirkwood and Adam Ritchie rounded out the scoring.
The Otters fired 56 shots at Bramalea goalie Gianluca Palmieri, as the Blues dressed just 13 skaters.
Goalie Thomas Shelley went all the way in goal, turning aside 20 Blues shots.
Huntsville played the league-leading Voyageurs tough for two periods, but the third period proved to be the team’s undoing with four unanswered goals from Kingston shooters.
Dane Horvat and Graham Yeo replied for Huntsville in the loss.
Jordan Forfar had two goals and an assist Brace potted a marker and had two helpers in the win over the Terriers at the Rama Mask Arena. Barnett also scored for Huntsville and leads the team with 28 goals.
The Otters, who led 2-1 after one and were tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes of play, scored two unanswered goals in the final frame to seal the victory.
Shelley turned aside just 17 Terrier shots in getting his seventh win in nine games since joining the Otters in a trade with the Brampton Capitals.
The Otters will host another league powerhouse, the Georgetown Raiders, this Friday night at the Jack Bionda Arena. The Raiders are third in the league with a record of 34-9-4.
Huntsville is back in action Sunday afternoon for a 3 p.m. tilt at The Jack with the Collingwood Blues.