Happy Monday, Raider faithful. Let’s get you up to speed on the past weekend, as well as set for tonight’s action.
Saturday, February 24 – Raiders vs. Blues Recap
Saturday, February 24, the Raiders welcomed the Collingwood Blues to town for the fourth and final regular season meeting of the clubs. The Raiders held a 1-1-1-0 record against the Blues this season heading into the contest. This was an important game for the Raiders with the regular season ending in just over a week’s time.
The Blues took a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period before John Mitchell tied the game at the 13 minute mark. Things would remain at 1-1 until Collingwood would score to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. The second period was full of special teams markers, as both teams scored on the powerplay. The Blues took a 3-1 lead under seven minutes into the frame before Luca Rea cut the deficit to one on the powerplay shortly after. Then, a bad turnover gave the Blues a 2 on 1 break and the potted a shorthanded goal to take another two goal lead, this time 4-2. However, as was the theme of this back and forth game, the Raiders responded with Conner Thomson-Dick scoring his 14th on the power play. The Blues lead the Raiders 4-3 after two periods. Teddy Puccini managed to tie the game under a minute into the third period. However, it was the Blues who would limit GTown’s chances and score two in the third, plus an empty net goal to have this contest end 7-4 for the visitors.
For Georgetown, turnovers and being caught defensively were the catalyst for a few of the Collingwood goals. It was a back and forth game the entire night, but if Georgetown would inch closer to Collingwood, the Blues seemed to know how to respond right away. Positives to take from the contest are the fact that the Raiders scored four on the league’s best team, and two on the power play. Until the third period, the Raiders kept pretty good pace with the Blues, which is a great sign to see. It would have been nice to finish off the visitors and have the 7-4 result end in GTown’s favour, but let’s be glass half full. A good effort against a great team.
Monday, February 26 – Raiders @ 99ers Preview
Tonight, the Raiders will travel Brantford and the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre for a face-off with the 99ers. This game was originally supposed to happen on February 15th but was postponed. More about that here.
Here’s what you need to know for tonight’s matchup.
This will mark the fourth meeting of the season for Georgetown and Brantford. The Raiders hold a 2-0-1-0 record against the 99ers in the three previous matches. GTown has scored 16 goals to Brantford’s 7 in those games. The last meeting of these teams ended in a 7-1 Georgetown thumping on November 25, 2023.
The 99ers currently sit at 8th place in the West Conference with a record of 24-25-0-3. Brantford has 51 points so far this season. In their last 10 games, Brantford sports a 6-3-0-1 record and are currently on a three game winning streak. Their most recent appearance was a 5-1 win at Toronto on Saturday night. At home this season, Brantford is 11-14-0-0. Special teams percentages at home include 11.83% on the power play, and 85.39% on the penalty kill. Leading scorer for the 99ers is #90 Even Kojokaro (40-26-66).
The Raiders currently stand in seventh place in a very tightly contested West Conference with a record of 27-20-1-4. Georgetown currently has 59 points, eight clear of Brantford in 8th but only one back of Oakville in 6th, two back of Burlington in 5th, and six back of Buffalo in fourth place. Safe to say it will be a close race to the end of the regular season this week.
In their last 10 games, the Raiders sport a 6-3-0-0 record and have won five of their last seven contests. Their most recent appearance was the aforementioned 7-4 loss to the Blues last Saturday night. On the road this year, the Raiders have a record of 12-12-2-0. Special teams percentages on the road for Georgetown include 17.39% on the man advantage, and 77.27% on the penalty kill. The Raiders leading scorer is #91 Quinn Tavares (25-35-60).
For Georgetown, this is a must-win. Playing another team below you in the standings that you’ve already had great success against this season; winning these matches are paramount.
As mentioned, the Raiders need all the points they can muster to keep pace with Burlington, Buffalo, and Oakville in a tight race to the postseason. Beating teams below you in the standings is a sign of a galvanized squad, and Georgetown has another chance to prove just that tonight. The Raiders like to score lots of goals against Brantford, a trend that should expect to be continued tonight. Georgetown will be hungry to avenge their tough loss to Collingwood. Brantford has a good home penalty kill percentage. If the Raiders can find a way to bury a couple on the man advantage tonight, as they found a way on Saturday, this will be a big advantage. As well, playing disciplined hockey and staying out of the penalty box is key. Brantford’s power play at home is only >12% effective this year, but that doesn’t mean the Raiders should be okay taking penalties. Georgetown is poised to strike tonight, and it should be another fantastic game.
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