Midland ends losing streak at expense of Cougars
By Bill Rea

Cougars' Mitch Ronan was trying to tuck the puck into the Midland net while his mates were hot in the second period of Thursday's match

Everyone likes to see a long losing streak like the one the Midland Flyers have been enduring come to an end. But supporters of the Schomberg Cougars just wish it hadn't been their team to surrender the loss.

The Cougars could have had their match put away Thursday against the visiting Flyers, but they came up short in the third period and allowed their foes to take command. The final score was 6-4.

"It's about time they won their game," Head Coach Gary Waldrum commented after the match. "I just wish they hadn't won against us."

Despite that, he gave full marks to the Midland squad, who had worked hard for more than a year to break that streak, and deserved the win.

The Cougars spent the first 25 minutes of the match spotting Midland a 3-0 lead, then spent about the next seven minutes fighting back to take a 4-3 lead. John DeRosa led the charge with a pair of goals, while Mitch Ronan and Matt Steenhoek collected the other two. Pat Homersham assisted on two of the goals, while Mike Shuryn and Scott Georgopoulos earned an assist apiece.

But the Flyers dominated the third period, outshooting Schomberg 11-5. They scored early in the frame to tie it, then went ahead with less than two minutes Harvest remaining. They iced the win with a shot into the empty Cougar net with 22 seconds on the clock.

Waldrum said the individual players have not yet learned to work together as a team, adding that's going to take a while.

He agreed it was possible his men were too cocky after coming back so quickly from a three-goal deficit.

"It's easy for them to lose their focus," he commented. "That's one of the issues."

"There's enough talent to win in this league," he said, referring to the players he has. "It's just a matter of time."

Despite the loss, the Cougars are still ahead of Midland in the standings of the Georgian Mid-Ontario division of the Ontario Hockey Association with a win and two ties after eight games.

They return to action tomorrow (Thursday) night when they host the Penetang Kings, starting at 8:15 p.m.

Then they'll have a chance to get back at the Flyers Friday night when they travel to Midland for an 8 p.m. start.