Pat Payton
Sports Editor

Stratford Cullitons missed a perfect opportunity to grab sole possession of fifth place Friday night at the Allman Arena.

The Tribe dropped a 5-4 decision to the struggling Cambridge Winter Hawks in front of about 750 fans. Winterhawks, who have managed to hold on to third place, came into the game with a 4-8-2 record in their previous 14 games.

Following weekend action, Stratford (21-26-1) finds itself alone in sixth spot in the Midwestern Conference standings, two points behind Elmira Sugar Kings (20-21-5) and six behind the fourth-place Listowel Cyclones (24-21-1). Both teams have also played two fewer games than the Tribe.

The loss, as well, gives Cullitons a 2-3 record in their first five games in February. Coach Phil Westman was hoping to finish 6-2 in their final eight regular-season games heading into the playoffs.

60-minute effort required
“We didn’t play that well at all, except for the last five minutes,” said veteran centre Cohen Adair, who noted that the team paid the price at practice the following morning.

“Cambridge is a team we could possibly meet in the playoffs, and those are the games we need to win. But we need to play a full 60 minutes, not just five,” he added.

Winter Hawks’ John Kavanagh opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period.

After Stratford defenceman Myles Melchers tied it in the first minute of the second period, captain Cody Hall put the visitors ahead to stay with back-to-back goals before the end of the frame. The goals were the 34th and 35th of the campaign for Hall, Cambridge’s leading scorer.
Kavanagh’s second of the night, at 11:39 of the third, put Winter Hawks up 4-1.

A goal by Cohen Adair gave Cullitons a faint hope with 4:03 remaining, but Ryan Clarke restored a three-goal Cambridge lead just 42 seconds later.

With goalie Evan Groenestege on the bench for an extra attacker, goals by Shayne Rhyno and Adair – just seven seconds apart in the final minutes of play – made the score more respectable.

“The last two times we played Cambridge, we beat them,” Adair said. “I don’t know if that played a factor. Maybe we felt it would be easier to beat them.”

With his two goals, Adair (23-35-58) took over the team scoring lead from Kyle Wilhelm (22-35-57), who sat out the game with a charleyhorse.

“I’d much rather win games than the scoring title,” Adair said. “I don’t keep track of the stats much, so I didn’t even know I had taken over the scoring lead.”

It was a tame affair, with Winter Hawks taking six of the 10 minutes in minor penalties.

Neither side scored with the man advantage.

Overall, Stratford out-shot Cambridge 40-34, including 18-8 in the final 20 minutes.

Notes:
• Cambridge took the season series with the Cullitons, 4-3. Four of the games were decided by a single goal.

• Exactly half (13) of the Tribe’s 26 losses this season have been one-goal decisions.

• Listowel pulled to within two points of Cambridge with a 6-2 victory over the Winter Hawks Saturday night at the Galt Arena.

• Wilhelm didn’t practice with the Cullitons last week, and the coaching staff decided to rest the big winger on Friday. “He could have played against Cambridge, but we decided to give him another week off so he’d be 100 per cent (this) Friday,” said Jason Lott, the Tribe’s director of hockey operations.

• Lott reports that feisty winger James Graham is likely out for the remainder of the season with concussion-type symptoms.

“He makes players on the other team accountable, but I think we’ve added some guys like Shane Rhyno and Brock Reynolds who can fill that role,” Lott says. “They are similar-type players who can play on your top two lines, and they also bring some toughness, too.”

• Josh McQuade reached the 60-goal, 140-point plateau in Brantford Golden Eagles’ 6-1 victory over the Hurricanes Saturday night in Guelph.

McQuade, 20, had two goals and two assists, and finishes the weekend with 61 goals and 141 points – tops by a country mile in the GOJHL scoring race.

• Cullitons host last-place Guelph this Friday at 7:30 p.m., and then travel to Elmira Sunday for a huge game against the Kings at 7 p.m. The Tribe completes its 51-game regular schedule with a home game Friday, Feb. 26 against Kitchener Dutchmen.