by Murray Link
On Saturday Dec 7th, the North Dundas Senior Rockets took on their division rivals, The South Stormont Mustangs. The Mustangs, who hale from Long Sault, could be considered the biggest “thorn” in the Rockets proverbial side, being the only team in the East division to beat the two time league champs last season. The Mustangs in fact beat the Rockets on three separate occasions last season, which is a feat that only the Gananoque Islanders matched in winning the league championship last season, defeating the Rockets three games to two.
This highly anticipated game was livestreamed on YouTube by EOSHL TV for those who were not able to make it to the rink, and watched by over a thousand people on the league’s YouTube channel. The Rockets defeated the Mustangs in the first game of the year in a close 5-2 affair. The two teams will play one another two more times before the regular season ends.
The Rockets had to keep an eye on the Mustangs’ biggest stars, #7 Isaac Barr and #51 Marc Beakstead, who were paired on the same line together. Barr – who leads the league in scoring with 30 PTS (8G, 22A) – is known for his speed and ability to move the puck. Beakstead – a local who grew up in Morrisburg – is currently 6th in league scoring with 27 PTS (14G, 13A).
Scoring in the first was hard to come by as the Mustangs had two breakaways that were stopped by goaltender #25 Matt Jenkins. The Home team also narrowly missed goals on 20 shots in the period by hitting the post on two occasions. It wasn’t until 38 seconds left in the first that #17 Jack Nevins fired a beauty into the top corner of the net to open the scoring for the Rockets, making it 1-0 after the first period. Nevins, who is a crowd favorite, had good reason to celebrate after his first goal of the season. In attendance and “at her first Rockets game” was his 3 month old daughter, Emma.
Not long into the second period, the Mustangs would use the momentum of their top line, and at 18:27 #7 Isaac Barr tied the game with a crafty goal assisted by #51 Marc Beakstead. The Rockets would answer back two times by the end of the period with goals by #4 Kevin Lough and #27 Mike McNamee to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. The third period saw both teams trading goals and to top it off, an empty netter by Rockets #28 Cody Caron to give the home team the win. With the win, the Rockets improve their record to 10-0 for the season, remaining the only team in the league to not lose a game in regulation.
The last home game of the year is scheduled for Saturday Dec 14th vs the Glengarry Pipers at 2:00 pm in Chesterville. This is the annual Christmas game where Santa Clause will make an appearance and possibly some of his helpers. The question is residents of North Dundas: ARE YOU GOING TO THE GAME?!
