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Local Content -
Local Sports
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Written by Marcia Love
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Monday, 12 December 2011 21:54 |
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The Cypress Cyclones were unable to secure a win at either of their away games over the weekend. The team was defeated 4-1 by the Saskatoon Westleys on Saturday, and by the Saskatoon Quakers 7-2 on Sunday.
The Westleys had an early lead in Saturday's game, bringing in two goals during the first period. Craig Fournier earned the first goal for the Cyclones on a power play from Mason Sabo and Lane Sanderson with six minutes left in the second period, but the Westleys increased their margin when they slipped the puck in a minute later. A final goal for the Westleys in the third period closed the game in their favour. "We had a slow start. We started to come back at it in the second, but in the third they just played a better game," explained head coach Al Fournier. "It was reasonably close, but we couldn't generate enough offense." He noted Josh Schneider made his return to the ice after taking off a week with a shoulder injury. "He played two shifts on Saturday, but he knew he couldn't do it right away," Fournier said. Sunday's game didn't offer any better results for the team as they took on the north division's third-seeded Quakers. The Saskatoon team didn't waste any time, snapping in four goals in the first period. They brought in another goal in the second period, after which Quinton Bracken scored on a power play from Sanderson and Dallas McIntosh. The Quakers knocked in their sixth goal a few minutes later, followed by a repeat goal for the Cyclones by Bracken on a power play from Sanderson and McIntosh with three seconds left in the period. The goals marked Bracken's first of the season. In the third period, the Quakers made a final goal to finish the game 7-2. "These teams are good and they're not going to give you an inch, so the learning curve is very high," Fournier pointed out. Although the team had nearly all of its players travel to Saskatoon over the weekend, Fournier said exhaustion and illness meant a few of the players weren't on top of their game on Sunday. "We pretty well had a full squad, and then some of our guys weren't feeling so good and our deep line-up was not so deep anymore," he explained. Goal tending was executed well by Donald Schmaltz during Saturday's game and Paul Breton on Sunday, Fournier added. The Cyclones have defeated both the Westleys and the Quakers on home ice before, but Fournier said the away games were a different story. "Two-thirds of our games have been on the road, and it shows that they're tired," he stated. However, he hopes the team's upcoming home games will give them the advantage. "We seem to be a little more comfortable at home in common surroundings, and the crowd support helps," he said. Fifth seeded in the south division, the Cyclones will host the Ochapowace Thunder at their next game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. They will take on the team again at home on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. |
