Titans fall to Merchants, Navy Vets despite strong goaltending

George Le Gresley

Sports Correspondent

The Paris Titans endured a tough road loss Thursday, Jan. 30, falling 8–2 to the Norwich Merchants.

Norwich jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, firing 47 shots on Titans goaltender Calvin Gardner and building an 8–0 advantage after two periods. Kayden Blacquiere and Cole Kersey scored for Paris in the loss.

The Titans bounced back with a more competitive effort Saturday against the first-place Woodstock Navy Vets. Birthday boy Colton Thomson was tagged to start in goal. The play in the first period was tight, with both sides having one power play each.

The second period was much like the first; the Titans were playing even, and there was a stretch when one might have thought the Paris side had a chance to win. With 4:12 left in the period, Thomson in the net takes a shot that rebounds to his left to a Woodstock player's stick, who shoots the puck past Thomson, who dives but is too late to make the save. At the end of the period, Woodstock led the Titans 1-0.

In the first ten minutes of the third period, each team had a power-play opportunity, but neither scored. At the 12-minute mark, a Woodstock player breaks out alone at the Paris net, chased by a diving Titan player who trips the man, and the referee calls for a penalty shot. Thomson knew the Woodstock player and knew where he could come from so Thomson moved slowly out of his crease and waited for the shooter’s first move. Standing straight up, Thomson made the save on the player who tried to go between the legs. Woodstock scores a power play goal with four minutes left in the period, followed by an empty net goal to end the game as a 3-0 win for Woodstock.

In the end, Colton Thomson was named first star of the game, making a whopping 41 saves. The coaching staff received great effort from the team for two periods. The goal now for the players and coaching staff is to get three periods of consistent effort for the rest of the season and playoffs.

This past Sunday, they would have played the Tavistock Braves, who will likely be their first-round playoff opponent. Details not available by press deadline. On Thursday, February 5, at the Brant Sports Complex, they face the New Hamburg Firebirds at 7:30. On Friday, they travel to Tavistock to meet the Braves and end the week on Saturday, February 7, when the Hespeler Shamrocks come to the Brant Sports Complex for a 7:30 puck drop.