Cameron Eke of the Collingwood Blues celebrates his goal during Game 1 of the Ontario Junior Hockey League Nutrafarms Championship Series in Collingwood Friday night. The Blues won 5-4. (Photo by Ray MacAloney/OJHL Images)
By Jim Mason/OJHL Communications
If Game 1 of the Ontario Junior Hockey League Nutrafarms Championship Series is an indicator, fans in Trenton and Collingwood are in for a whale of a series.
The host Collingwood Blues couldn’t have written a better script for the opener.
They won 5-4 in front of a sold-out Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
Hometown kid Marcus Lougheed was the hero, deflecting a point shot in with 3:51 remaining in regulation.
The Blues weathered a late storm, with Trenton goalie Ben Bonisteel pulled, much to the delight of the 1,200-plus fans in the downtown Collingwood rink.
“(Jack) Rimmer made a great play, tracking down their guy and stealing the puck. I saw he was going to take a shot. I just tried to get in front of Bonisteel and ended up hitting my pants and going in,” Lougheed told the OJHL, pointing to the location on his dark blue hockey pants where the game-winner hit. “Lucky deflection, but sometimes that’s what it takes.”
The first period was a flurry of penalties (7) and goals (6).
The Blues led 3-0 just over eight minutes in, but Trenton roared back with three of their own before the first intermission.
Then the fireworks subsided.
Cameron Eke gave the Blues a 4-3 lead with the only goal of the second on an absolute laser of a slap shot.
Lucas Lapalm, with his second of the game for Trenton, tied it up again at 4:16 of the third.
Overtime was looming until Lougheed’s heroics.
Was that the biggest goal of his three-year career in the OJHL?
“Probably,” he said. “I had (a game-winning goal) in the last series (against Leamington) but I don’t think there’s been any as big as that.”
Committed to NCAA Division I Lake Superior State, Lougheed remembers growing up in Collingwood before the Blues franchise was reborn five years ago.
“It’s unexplainable. Playing in my home town is a dream come true. I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “After I heard Dave (Steele) was bringing the team back it was definitely one of my goals to make the team.
“After not having a team here when I was younger, It’s neat to see the kids here getting this experience now. When I was their age there were Barrie Colts games, but for them to see people who are older than you in your home town is really cool.”
Declan Bowmaster, Landon Wright and Rimmer scored the other Collingwood goals.
For Trenton, it was Taeo Artichuk and James Jodoin.
Shot were 35-33 in favour of Collingwood.
Game 2 goes Saturday at 6 p.m. in Collingwood before the series shifts to Trenton for games three and four.
