Northern Premier Hockey League

TWEED, Ont. — Halloween may have been over, but the Sunday Scaries were very real for the Smiths Falls Rideaus. The Tweed Oil Kings exploded for 12 goals Sunday afternoon at the Municipality of Tweed Community Centre, handing Smiths Falls a 12 to 2 loss and delivering an emphatic response after falling to Deseronto in their previous outing. Colin Doyle led the way with a six point afternoon, finishing with a goal and five assists. Barret Joynt scored twice and added three helpers for five points, while Mac Lowry, Dawson Ellis and Hayden Blackburn each scored twice. Eight different Oil Kings found the back of the net. Tweed also went 3 for 5 on the power play and outshot Smiths Falls 36 to 23. For a Rideaus team that arrived in Tweed having won its first four games, it was an afternoon that went sideways quickly. Tweed Gets Back To Oil Kings Hockey The last time Tweed took the ice, things did not go particularly well. Deseronto came into the Tweed Community Centre and left with a 7 to 2 victory in a game that became increasingly emotional and penalty filled. Sunday offered a response. And it was a loud one. Tweed scored three times in the first period, five more in the second and added another four in the third. There was no prolonged stretch where Smiths Falls could settle into the afternoon. Every time the Rideaus looked for a way into the game, another Oil King seemed ready to jump over the boards and add to the damage. That is much closer to the identity Tweed showed through its opening two victories. Three Goals Start The Afternoon Joynt opened the scoring from Jakob Brahaney and Doyle. Douglas Little followed with his first of the season, with Joynt and Colin Van Den Hurk picking up the assists. Then William Sirman joined the scoring with his first as an Oil King, finishing a setup from Van Den Hurk. Three to zero after one. Interestingly, Smiths Falls actually held a 12 to 9 advantage in first period shots. Evan Morrison took care of everything at the Tweed end. At the other end, the Oil Kings were clinical. Nine shots. Three goals. The Rideaus had already been given an idea of what kind of afternoon this might become. Five Goal Second Breaks It Open If there was any question left after the first, the second period answered it. Doyle scored on the power play from Elijah and Jakob Brahaney to make it 4 to 0. Less than a minute later, Ellis scored from Elijah Brahaney and Brody Morris. Lowry then scored twice, the first on the power play and the second at even strength. Joynt finished the period with his second of the afternoon. Eight to zero. Tweed outshot Smiths Falls 17 to 7 in the period and completely took over the game. This was no longer about protecting a lead. The Oil Kings were rolling. Doyle Was Everywhere A six point afternoon usually gets noticed. Doyle had a hand in half of Tweed’s goals. He assisted on Joynt’s opener. He scored the fourth goal himself. He helped set up both of Lowry’s second period goals. He assisted on Joynt’s second. Then he added another helper on Ellis’ third period goal. One goal, Five assists, Six points. It earned Doyle first star honours and served as another reminder of the depth Tweed has available when its offence starts clicking. This was not one player carrying the Oil Kings. But Doyle was at the centre of plenty of it. Joynt Puts Together A Five Point Afternoon Joynt was not far behind. He scored twice and added three assists. His opening goal got Tweed moving. His helpers contributed to Little’s goal and both of Lowry’s. Then he scored again before the end of the second. Five points. Second star honours. And one of the strongest performances on a day filled with them. For a senior team trying to build momentum early in the season, getting that level of production from multiple players in the same game is exactly what a coach wants to see. The Goals Came From Everywhere The final score was not built around one line. Joynt scored twice. Lowry scored twice. Ellis scored twice. Blackburn scored twice. Doyle, Little, Sirman and Dalton Anderson also scored. That is eight different goal scorers. Van Den Hurk finished with three assists. Jakob Brahaney had two. Elijah Brahaney had two. Little added two assists to his goal. Isaac Brown picked up a pair of helpers late. It was one of those afternoons where seemingly every line had something to contribute. That is dangerous territory for the opposition. Smiths Falls Finally Breaks Through The Rideaus eventually got on the board in the third period. Blake Armitage scored his first of the season from D. Bennett and Curtis Pilon. Andrew McKenney later added a power play goal from B. Boisclair and Armitage. But neither goal changed the direction of the afternoon. Blackburn scored twice in the third. Ellis added his second. Anderson scored his first. Tweed finished with four more in the period and reached a dozen. By the final horn, the only question left was how high the number would climb. Morrison Handles His End A 12 goal performance will naturally dominate the conversation. Morrison quietly gave Tweed exactly what it needed in goal. He stopped 21 of 23 shots for a .913 save percentage. That was particularly important in the first period, when Smiths Falls generated 12 shots and could have changed the feel of the game with an early answer. Morrison did not allow one. By the time the Rideaus finally scored, Tweed had already built an eight goal advantage. Good goaltending can get overlooked when the offence fills the scoresheet. It should not be here. Special Teams Make A Difference Tweed also made Smiths Falls pay with the man advantage. The Oil Kings went 3 for 5 on the power play. Doyle scored one. Lowry scored another. Blackburn added a power play goal late. Smiths Falls finished 1 for 5. That is a significant special teams advantage in a game where the penalty box became busier as the afternoon continued. Tweed’s ability to turn those opportunities into goals helped transform a strong start into a blowout. Tempers Rise Again As the score became increasingly one sided, the physical side of the game became more noticeable. The third period featured a fight between Gavin McDougall and Blake Ellis, with Ellis also receiving an instigator minor and game misconduct. Brody Morris was assessed several penalties during another heated sequence, including a misconduct. Smiths Falls’ Andrew McKenney later received a five minute major and game misconduct for high sticking. Tweed finished with 41 penalty minutes. Smiths Falls had 32. There is always going to be some edge in senior hockey. The important part for Tweed was that, unlike the loss to Deseronto, the penalties were not the defining part of the afternoon. The goals were. A Strong Response After Deseronto That may be the biggest takeaway for Brad Brooks and the Oil Kings. Tweed did not play well against Deseronto, The Bulldogs won 7 to 2. The Oil Kings lost control of parts of the game and spent too much time dealing with the emotional side of the night. Sunday was different, Tweed still played with edge. There was still plenty of physical hockey. But the Oil Kings controlled the scoreboard. They moved the puck, they finished chances, they produced on the power play, and when Smiths Falls tried to push, Tweed kept scoring. Good teams are going to have bad nights. The response matters. Twelve to two is quite a response. OHD Takeaway Smiths Falls came to Tweed with four straight wins. The Rideaus left after allowing 12. Doyle had six points, Joynt had five. Eight different Oil Kings scored. Tweed went 3 for 5 on the power play and got a steady 21 save performance from Morrison. Most importantly, the Oil Kings looked much more like themselves after a difficult loss to Deseronto. There was scoring depth, there was pace, there was bite. And there was very little doubt about the result after the second period. Halloween ended Saturday. Smiths Falls got one more scare on Sunday. Oil Kings 12, Rideaus 2.

AKWESASNE, Ont. — Ryan Spooner gave Arnprior another productive night. Akwesasne still found the stronger finish. The Wild defeated the Arnprior Rivermen 6 to 4 at A’nowara’ko Arena, scoring three times in the third period after Arnprior had battled all the way back from an early two goal deficit. Spooner finished with a goal and two assists and was named the game’s third star. But Akwesasne received timely scoring from throughout the lineup, including two goals from Joshua Barnes, while Isaac Barr and Mathieu Sabourin each recorded a goal and an assist. The result evened the season series at one win apiece. Akwesasne Strikes First The Wild controlled the scoreboard early. Barr opened the scoring from Gabriel Cooper and Sabourin. Then Sabourin made it 2 to 0, with Barr and Cooper picking up the assists. Akwesasne did not dominate the shot clock in the opening period. Both teams finished with 17 shots. The difference was finishing. The Wild converted twice. Arnprior did not. Rivermen Push Back In The Second Arnprior’s response came in the middle period. Thomas Vezina scored on the power play from Ethan De Haan and Spooner to cut the deficit to one. Barnes answered for Akwesasne to restore the two goal advantage. Then the Rivermen found another gear. Chris Newhook scored from Vezina and Spooner. Alexandre Cote followed from Ryan Egan. In a little over a minute and a half, Arnprior had turned a 3 to 1 deficit into a 3 to 3 game. That set up a wide open third period. Spooner Gives Arnprior The Lead Spooner had already contributed two assists. Early in the third, he added the goal. Newhook and Vezina set up Spooner for his third goal of the season, giving Arnprior its first lead of the night at 4 to 3. It completed an impressive Rivermen comeback. After falling behind 2 to 0 and later 3 to 1, Arnprior had scored three straight and put itself in position to take control. Akwesasne had another answer. Wild Score Three Straight Jake Cardwell tied the game from Ty Terrance and Jake Quesnel. Storm Adams then put Akwesasne back in front from Barnes and D. Vezina. Just over three minutes after Arnprior had taken the lead, the Wild were ahead again. Barnes later added his second of the night on the power play to make it 6 to 4. That final goal came during a chaotic closing stretch that included a five minute checking from behind major to Newhook and additional bench discipline assessed to Arnprior. The Wild took advantage and finished the night with the two goal victory. Spooner Continues To Produce Spooner’s three point night was another strong performance since joining the Rivermen. He assisted on Vezina’s power play goal. He helped set up Newhook’s second period goal. Then he scored the go ahead goal himself in the third. One goal, two assists, three points. In his first appearance with Arnprior earlier this season, Spooner made an immediate impact with a four point night. He continues to show why adding a player with his level of experience changes the look of a senior hockey lineup. Sunday’s result did not go Arnprior’s way. Spooner still gave the Rivermen exactly what they expected offensively. One Hundred Shots Between The Teams This was not a quiet hockey game. Akwesasne finished with 51 shots. Arnprior had 49. One hundred shots combined. Carlen Lyle stopped 45 of 51 for the Rivermen. Cory Garrow made 45 saves on 49 shots for Akwesasne. Neither goaltender had much opportunity to relax. The pace stayed high throughout the night, and both teams generated enough offence to keep the game moving from one end of the rink to the other. Garrow’s ability to settle things after Arnprior took the lead became especially important. The Rivermen did not score again after Spooner made it 4 to 3. Special Teams Finish Even Both teams went 1 for 4 on the power play. Arnprior’s man advantage goal came from Vezina in the second period. Akwesasne’s came from Barnes late in the third. So special teams were not the major separation point across the full game. The difference came at even strength and in the timing of Akwesasne’s response. Once Arnprior took the lead, the Wild scored three unanswered goals. That was the deciding stretch. A Physical Finish The game also became much more heated late. Arnprior finished with 45 penalty minutes compared with 12 for Akwesasne. Newhook received a five minute major and game misconduct for checking from behind. Arnprior was also assessed a bench minor, game ejection and gross misconduct late. There was already some physical edge earlier in the third, with Vezina and Félix Sauvé each receiving multiple penalties during the same sequence. For Arnprior, the frustration of seeing a third period lead disappear eventually became part of the story. That is something the Rivermen will want to clean up. Season Series Now Even Arnprior won the first meeting between these teams 5 to 3 on Oct. 17. Akwesasne answered this time. That leaves the season series tied 1 1. The first meeting belonged to the Rivermen. The second belonged to the Wild. And with both teams showing they can create plenty of offence, there is already enough evidence to suggest the next meeting could be just as entertaining. OHD Takeaway Arnprior did a lot right. The Rivermen erased a 2 to 0 deficit. They came back again after falling behind 3 to 1. Spooner had three points. Vezina had a goal and two assists. Newhook scored and helped set up the go ahead goal. And Arnprior generated 49 shots. But the game turned after Spooner gave the Rivermen a 4 to 3 lead. Akwesasne scored three straight, that was the difference. For Arnprior, the offence remains dangerous. For Akwesasne, the response was better. The Wild took the second meeting 6 to 4 and evened the season series. And once again, Spooner made sure his presence was impossible to miss.

ARNPRIOR, Ont. — Three weeks without a game did not seem to bother Ryan Spooner for very long. The former NHL forward made his NPHL debut Saturday night at the Nick Smith Centre and immediately became part of the story, recording a goal and three assists as the Arnprior Rivermen defeated the Akwesasne Wild 5 to 3. Spooner had a hand in four of Arnprior’s five goals in his first senior hockey appearance, helping the Rivermen improve to 3 0 to begin the season. Akwesasne fell to 0 2. For Arnprior, it was another win. For the NPHL, it was also the first look at what a player with 325 games of NHL experience can bring to senior hockey. And before the puck even dropped, Spooner made it clear why he wanted to be there. Three Weeks Off, Then Four Points Speaking with NPHL Insider Ethan Robinson before the game, Spooner admitted there might be some rust. “I feel good. I haven’t played in three weeks, so I’m going to get my legs back and just try to move,” Spooner said. Apparently, the legs came back quickly enough. One goal, three assists, four points. There are plenty of adjustments that come with senior hockey. Different teammates, different systems, different buildings and a different rhythm than the professional game. Talent still travels. Spooner did not need a long introduction to make an impact for Arnprior. From The NHL To A Saturday Night In Arnprior The setting is part of what makes senior hockey so interesting. Spooner played 325 NHL regular season games, recording 48 goals and 119 assists for 167 points. He spent the majority of his NHL career with Boston and also played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. His career later took him overseas, with stops in the KHL, Switzerland and Slovakia. Earlier this month, Spooner stepped away from professional hockey after playing five games for HK Dukla Trencin in Slovakia. Professional hockey may be finished, playing hockey clearly is not. A few weeks later, he was pulling on an Arnprior Rivermen sweater at the Nick Smith Centre. That is senior hockey. Spooner Still Has Plenty Of Hockey In Him Robinson asked Spooner before the game what brought him to the Rivermen after such a long professional career. The answer was not complicated. “It’s going to be fun,” Spooner said. “I figured it’s a way to kind of still play and get out of the house and stuff, and I still feel like I can play, so it’s going to be exciting.” The last part stood out. He still feels like he can play. Saturday provided some evidence. Spooner did not arrive in Arnprior simply as a recognizable name for a poster or a ticket promotion. He stepped into the lineup and contributed to four of the five goals in a two goal victory. That changes the conversation. A former NHL player joining a senior team creates attention, a former NHL player producing four points in his first game creates expectations. Plenty Of Memories Before A New Chapter Spooner’s career has taken him through some of the biggest buildings in hockey. When Robinson asked about the memories that still stand out, Spooner went right back to the beginning. “My first NHL game in the Bell Centre, my first goal I scored in New Jersey, four on four,” Spooner said. “Honestly, I’ve played for 14 years. I have so many things that I can say. I’m just blessed that I got to play for that long.” That perspective fits where Spooner is now. He has already played the NHL games, he has already been through trades, professional seasons and years overseas. This chapter does not need to be measured against Boston, New York or Edmonton. It can simply be about playing hockey again. On Saturday night, that meant Arnprior against Akwesasne. Rivermen Remain Perfect Spooner’s debut came at a good time for an Arnprior team already off to a strong start. The Rivermen entered Saturday unbeaten and left the Nick Smith Centre the same way. The 5 to 3 victory moves Arnprior to 3 0 and six points, level with Smiths Falls at the top of the early NPHL Capital standings. Arnprior had already opened its home schedule with a 7 to 3 victory over Madawaska Valley before adding another win ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Now Spooner joins the equation. That is not a small addition for a senior hockey club. Arnprior already had reason to believe it could contend. Adding a player with more than 300 NHL games to the lineup gives opponents something else to prepare for. Akwesasne Made Arnprior Earn It The final score also matters. This was not a night where Spooner’s debut turned into a runaway. Akwesasne scored three times and stayed close enough to keep Arnprior working. That is probably useful for the Rivermen. Senior hockey is not supposed to become an exhibition simply because a familiar name joins the lineup. There are experienced players throughout the NPHL. There are teams built to win. There are players with professional, major junior and high level university backgrounds scattered across rosters. Spooner’s resume may be one of the strongest in the league. He still has to play the games, Saturday was the first one. He responded with four points. Senior Hockey Gets Another Name People Know The NPHL has continued to attract players with increasingly recognizable hockey backgrounds. For the league, Spooner is another example of what senior hockey can offer. Players do not necessarily have to choose between the professional game and never playing meaningful hockey again. There is something in between. There is a Saturday night at the local rink, there are teammates who still want to compete, there are fans close to the glass, there are standings, rivalries and playoff races, and there is still a puck to chase. Spooner told Robinson he wanted a way to keep playing. Arnprior was happy to provide one. OHD Takeaway Ryan Spooner did not need long to introduce himself to the NPHL. A goal and three assists in his first game helped Arnprior beat Akwesasne 5 to 3 and improve to 3 0. But the more interesting part of Saturday may be why he was there in the first place. After 14 years of professional hockey and 325 NHL games, Spooner told Ethan Robinson that he still feels like he can play and wanted a way to stay in the game. Senior hockey gave him that opportunity. Four points later, the rest of the NPHL has a pretty good idea of what Arnprior just added. Author: Kurtis Potter