The tough times keep getting tougher for the Schomberg Cougars
By Bill Rea

Logan Artindale was breaking out of his own end in last Thursday's match against Penetang.

The Schomberg Cougars continue to struggle.

Their latest outing Friday night resulted in yet another defeat as they fell 9-0 to the Fergus Devils, and that was coming on the heels of a 11- 2 drubbing they endured the night before at home to the Erin Shamrocks.

Head Coach Gary Waldrum said the team's case wasn't helped much Friday by the fact they were missing some players, especially since they were up against the first-place team in the Georgian Mid- Ontario division of the Ontario Hockey Association.

"We actually played a little bit better than we did Thursday night," he remarked.

Thursday saw the team surrender four unanswered goals in the first period, in which they were outshot 21- 5, then Erin added two more early in the second, as the puck seemed to be spending most of the time in the Schomberg end of the rink.

But the home side was able to connect when Jason McMann scored on the power play, with help from Jake Whelan and Shane Jones.

The match took on a slightly different character at that point, as the goal seemed to rev the Cougars to a higher level of play. But it couldn't last, as Erin bagged another marker in the last minute of the frame.

The Shamrocks added two more quick goals in the third, then Blake Elliot collected another powerplay marker, assisted by Dan Naccarato and Brady Sluman.

But that was just little more than a final gasp as Erin got two more goals in the final minutes for the 11- 2 final.

"They've got to stick together as a team and show some pride," Waldrum said of his men after the final buzzer.

Things went just a little better the previous week, helped in part by the fact the Cougars were finally able to finish the match with the Alliston Hornets that started Dec. 1 . Schomberg had been leading 4-2 with about five minutes gone in the third period when the power in the arena in Alliston went out for good. The balance of the match was played out last Sunday, with the teams swapping a coupe of goals and the Cougars prevailing with a 6-3 win. The goals in December included two by Thomas Faris (who has since left the club) and singles by Naccarato and Brad Cantelon. The balance of the match saw Whelan and Chris Case connecting, with Shuryn helping out on Case's goal.

The two teams then lined up for a scheduled full match, and the Cougars didn't enjoy the same kind of luck.

The first period went scoreless, but the Hornets held a scoring festival in the second, banging home seven goals to the Cougars' one. That came from the stick of Sluman, assisted by Elliot and Naccarato. The two sides got one apiece in the third for the 8-2 final. Todd Cantelon notched that marker, with help from Pat Homersham and Shane Jones.

Things went a little better last Thursday when the team hosted the Penetang Kings. They were able to keep up with their foes, but still came out on the wrong end of a heart-breaking 7-5 final.

Naccarato got three of the Cougar goals and Steenhoek got the other two. Elliot led the way in the assist department with three, Shuryn and Steenhoek each had a pair, while Naccarato and Adrian Dupuis got one apiece.

"Mental errors cost us the game," Elliot commented later.

The match marked the first start in a Cougar uniform for Logan Artindale, an 18-year-old defencemen from Newmarket.

"We need to stay disciplined," he said. "It's not a one-person show. We need to play as a team, play for the whole 60 minutes."

But things went sour again the following night when they played in Penetang and lost 8-2.

The Cougars are spending this week on the road. They will be in Stayner tomorrow (Thursday) night for a match against the Siskins, slated to start at 8:30 p.m. Friday night will see them travelling to Midland to face the Flyers. That match will get started at 8 p.m. Their next game will be Saturday when they visit the Shamrocks in Erin. The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m.