Christmas came early for the Southwest Cougars on Sunday afternoon. Matthew Ramsey scored his second goal of the game, in overtime, giving the Cougars their 16th win of the season. An exciting 3-2 win over the first place Winnipeg Wild.
The Cougars had blown the Kenora Thistles out on Saturday night with an 8-1 win to start the weekend. The Cats opened the scoring when Callum Fortin hooked up with Trevor Hunt and Tyson Kozak. Cody Gudnason then shovelled a Tyson Pringle pass home for a two-goal lead.
The second period saw the Cougars find the net five times. Tyson Kozak scored from Fortin and Hunter Andrew before Kenora got the puck behind Randy Cooke. Cooke finished the night with 22 saves and his 8th win.
Rylan Gudnason then hooked up with Cody Gudnason and Pringle for a 4-1 lead. Kozak scored his second of the frame, unassisted. Braeden Lewis got in on the fun snapping the biscuit home from Cody Gudnason and Matthew Ramsey. Callum Fortin scored his second goal of the game on a Cougar power play with Cory King and Rylan Gudnason picking up the apples.
The third period saw the Cougars stretch the lead when Andrew hooked up with Cory King and Cody Shearer to end the scoring.
The Cougars were all over the Thistles early, firing 53 shots on Mason Vaguy and Cooper Hatfield. Subway player of the game was Cody Gudnason, who finished the night with the winning goal and a pair of assists.
SUNDAY IN WINNIPEG
Sunday afternoon, the Winnipeg Wild made their way to the Cougar den for the first time this season. They had knocked the Cougars off with a single goal win back in October, and Sunday’s game shaped up as a battle by two of the top teams in the league.
Matthew Ramsey opened the scoring 11 minutes in on a Cougar man advantage. Rylan Gudnason had sent him a pass to the right of Brett Murphy and he roofed from below the circle.
The Wilds’ Jackson Klewchuk then battled a puck out of the air behind Caden Wilson with the Cougars down a man to end the first period scoring.
The Wild took the lead 17 seconds into the second period as they took the puck from the faceoff and Jackson Klewchuk scored his second goal of the frame. The teams played back and forth the rest of the period; after the Wild had a goal waved off Andrew got to the front of the net and fought off a Wild defender on a feed from Kozak and King with 14 seconds left in the period
The Cougars were hungry and outshot the Wild 19 – 10. In the third period both Brett Murphy and Caden Wilson shut the door. The Wild failed to score in a scramble at the end of regulation sending the game to five-minute extra time.
Each team had a shot at winning before Rylan Gudnason jumped on the biscuit and fed Ramsey in front of the net. Ramsey slid the puck under Murphy at 2:30 of extra time improving the Cougar record to 16-3-3.
Caden Wilson finished the night with 36 saves while the Cougars fired 44 shots at Brett Murphy. Matthew Ramsey earned the Subway player of the game.
The Cougars have a midweek game with Parkland and then hit the road for a game against the Winnipeg Thrashers before travelling to Beausejour to face the Eastman Selects. Mark Dec. 21 down - the Brandon Wheat Kings will visit the Cougar den in the first game of a back to back set before Christmas.
