Raiders declaw Cougars 7-6 in overtime thriller EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer Should the Georgetown Raiders and Burlington Cougars meet up in the first round of OHA Provincial Jr. A Hockey League playoffs a couple of months from now, fans of the respective teams will no doubt get their money's worth if the first four regular season contests are a portent of things to come. Rookie defenceman Adamo Miceli chipped in a sharpangle rebound with only 12.2 seconds left in overtime to give the visiting Raiders a hard-fought 7-6 win against the fourth-place Cougars Sunday night in a back-andforth battle that included some nastiness near the end of regulation play. The fifth-place Raiders now trail the Cougars by four points in the standings, overcoming a 3-1 first-period deficit and some penalty troubles to post just their second road win of the season over a team ahead of them in the West Conference standings. Those two teams tied their previous two outings of 2006-07 and the opening 4-1 Georgetown win at home Sept. 23 degenerated into a fightfest in its late stages. "It was a small win because we only made up one point on a team we're chasing, but it was a huge victory if you had seen the game and what we went through to get those two points," said Georgetown head coach James Richmond, who is now 3-2-0-0 since taking over the team two weeks ago. "It was like we had beaten two teams because of all the calls that were going against us. The guys showed a lot of character. We took a timeout in the third period when Burlington was taking it to us and that's what we talked about. Sometimes you can find an easy way out when things aren't going your way. Hopefully, this is a good start." The 18-4-4-2 Cougars scored three times with the man advantage on the night and were also scorched for shorthanded markers by Raiders George Lovatsis and Ryan Ford. Shortly after veteran blueliner Matt Thomson had given Georgetown a 6-5 lead midway through the final frame, Raider forward Jeremy Whelan was assessed an intent-to-injure slashing match penalty as Burlington's Steve Natywary was given an instigator for his scrap with Georgetown's Peter Mrksic. The Cougars' Stuart Stefan, who would narrowly miss scoring on a breakaway bid in OT, scored on the ensuing 5-on-3 power play to force extra time. Whelan, with 16 goals and 32 points thus far, will sit out the next four games. "He's going to have some time to think about it," added Richmond. "It's tough to lose a game when calls are going against us, but it's another thing when you beat yourself because of a lack of discipline. You're asking a lot from your teammates to keep killing off those types of penalties when you're two men down. It felt like we See RAIDERS, pg. 22 GEORGETOWN JUNIOR "A" Georgetown Raiders' forward Jeremy Whelan taps in a pass from teammate George Lovatsis (55) behind Burlington goalie Oliver Wren to tie the score at three only 13 minutes into their road game Sunday evening at Central Arena against the hometown Cougars. The Raiders traded leads with the Cougars in a highly charged matchup that ended in a last-second 7-6 overtime win for Georgetown. Whelan would later receive a four-game suspension for an intent-to-injure slashing match penalty. Photo by Eamonn Maher Runners set for annual Egg Nog Jog this Sunday The Georgetown Runners are set to stage their 24th-annual Egg Nog Jog this weekend, a 10.8-km run around the Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the race will award medals for the top three males and females in each of the five-year age groups. A new High School Division has been added for 2006 in a team format with five members per side. There will also be a "One Mile Smile" race for kids with a $2 entry fee that will begin shortly after Mayor Rick Bonnette starts the main race. All entrants will receive a toque. Proceeds from last year's event went to the Red Cross, Cancer Assist and Link to Care. For more info about registration, visit the website www.georgetownrunners.ca or pick up a registration form at sports stores in the area. Rebels, Jags tie Christ the King's Kelsy Eady was denied on this scoring attempt by Georgetown goalie Erica Bridgewater during their local high school girls' showdown on Thursday, but the Jaguar forward was able to bank in a shot from the corner seconds later to earn her team a 1-1 draw with the Rebels. Caitlin Dunsmore had given Georgetown a first-period lead. In Halton girls' league play this week, Christ the King visited Robert Bateman Tuesday, while the Georgetown Rebels host Holy Trinity Thursday beginning at 3 p.m. at Alcott Arena. See high school report page 22. Photo by Eamonn Maher