Box Score Maclise and Mount Royal dominate against Regina
Brendan Stasiewich, Mount Royal Cougars Sports Information
CALGARY, AB- On Friday evening at the Flames Community Arenas the Mount Royal Cougars (14-6-3) were far too much for the visiting Regina Cougars (5-18-0) to handle, dictating play on their way to a 5-3 win.
Cam Maclise was the best player on the ice for the boys in blue and white, registering four points, including two goals. Jamie King, Jordan McNaughton and MacKenzie Johnston also lit the lamp for the home squad. Meanwhile Miguel Pereira scored one and Christian Magnus picked up two for Regina.
Despite Mount Royal nearly tripling the visiting Cougars in the first period shot total (14-5), the frame was wide open with both teams having their fair share of scoring chances.
The Regina Cougars struck first six and a half minutes into the game when forward Ian McNulty took the puck out of the corner and fed Christian Magnus in the slot. With the nearest Mount Royal player a full stride away, Magnus sent a wicked wrist shot bar-down for his first of the year.
Five minutes later, Mount Royal, who were looking to avoid dropping their third in a row, would draw even. After a shot from the point got knocked down in front, a few Mount Royal players hacked at the rebound attempting to get it past Regina goalie Mitch Kilgore. After a few swipes a rebound found the stick of Cam Maclise at the side of the cage where he would easily bury his 10th of the season.
With five and a half minutes left in the frame Regina defenseman Devon McMullen joined the rush coming into the Mount Royal zone on a two on one alongside Miguel Pereira. McMullen sent a perfect saucer pass over the outstretched body of a Mount Royal defender onto the stick of Pereira who snapped it past Lanigan for his seventh of the season.
It wasn't soon after the Pereira goal was announced that Regina would take the first penalty of the game. Just second into the powerplay Connor Rankin sent a pass to the point where Jordan McNaughton let a slap shot fly that somehow found a hole through a tumultuous screen in front. With Kilgore blind, the McNaughton shot found the back of the net equalizing the game at two.
Maclise was just inches away from scoring his second of the game at the beginning of the second. Receiving a pass at the side of the net it appeared Maclise had Kilgore beat, but a quick cross crease slide allowed the Regina goalie to turn the attempt away with the toe.
However Maclise, who was on fire in the contest, could not be stopped. Minutes later after Mount Royal received their second powerplay of the game the puck came to Maclise at the right circle. Maclise sent a snapshot that fooled Kilgore, beating him over the shoulder to give the home Cougars their first lead of the game.
Jamie King, who's been hot of late scoring five since the December break, increased the Cougars lead to two after an unbelievable individual effort in the offensive zone. With the puck between his legs at the boards, King stayed strong on the puck despite being hacked and hit by defenders. Once loose with the puck he skated neatly around a few other Cougars' players and wired one towards the net. The puck struck the post, went off the backside of Kilgore, and had just enough momentum to cross the line.
Mount Royal kept their foot on the gas, continuing their second period domination. Maclise picked up his fourth point of the night assisting on a MacKenzie Johnston marker from in tight, increasing the Cougars lead to three.
Regina took a late second period penalty, giving Mount Royal nearly a full two minutes on fresh ice to start the third. Mount Royal went into the locker room dominating in every department, up 27-10 in the shot total.
Most of the third period went by without much action until Christian Magnus buried a rebound for Regina with a minute left in the game. Unfortunately for the visitors it was too little too late, as the horn sounded giving Mount Royal a 5-3 win.
Mount Royal goalie Cam Lanigan made 17 stops on 20 shots in the win, improving his record to 3-2-2. Meanwhile Mitch Kilgore, who never had a minute off in this contest, turned aside 35 of 40 shots falling to 2-10 on the year.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at the Flames Community Arenas for a 3 P.M. afternoon affair.
