The Peterborough Timbermen had a short break this week, only resting Monday-Thursday. They’re back on the floor tonight at Children’s Arena at 8 p.m. against the Oshawa Outlaws.
The Outlaws bested the Timbermen last Saturday at the Memorial Centre 12-9, so it will be a revenge game for Peterborough.
Team captain Riley Campbell said the Timbermen’s record of 2-1, plus a big 16-10 win over Whitby, has given them confidence.
“We know we can put up the numbers now and we know we can win,” he said. “As you can see, we’re putting up the numbers, putting up the goals. Our goaltenders are playing great too. They’re keeping us in each game.”
Head coach Joe Sullivan has a hard decision to make when it comes to goaltending, with Ryan Masters, Kevin Croswell and Brett Perras all having strong showings in their first outings with the team this season. He has yet to reveal who will start against Oshawa.
“It’s a great situation to be in,” he expressed. “Kevin came in and his conditioning wasn’t there, [which he recognized], but I thought he made some great saves to keep us in the game. In Paris, Ryan Masters played absolutely outstanding, and you’ve seen the capabilities of Brett Perras to throw the ball and make the saves when we needed them. Right now [the starting job] is up for grabs and we’ll just have to play through and see how things bounce.”
The 2-0 Outlaws are led by Brandon Benn’s five goals and three assists, as well as John St. John’s two goals and seven assists. Scotty Komer has both wins in goal.
The Timbermen have more firepower up front and are led in scoring by Joel Matthews (9G/4A) and Mark Vradenburg (1G/12A). All but four players have registered at least one point on the season.
Last weekend the Timbermen surrendered a 5-1 second-quarter lead to the Outlaws. Campbell said the Timbermen are better prepared for the rematch, especially after they stopped a comeback threat from the Whitby Steelhawks on Sunday.
“We learned from Saturday. We didn’t want to let them slide back in. That’s what killed us,” he said.
And now it’s all about staying positive on the bench.
“We’ll just turn around and keep playing,” Campbell said. “Staying up on the bench on Sunday really helped us through that to not let them back in the game.”
