AMHERST, NY – After spotting the visiting Cobourg Cougars a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Buffalo Junior Sabres scored three goals in the second period then held back a Cougar squad that cut the lead to one in the third.
The Cobourg Cougars, members of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s East Division, got their go-ahead goal on a power play tally by Landon Schiller at the 5:29 mark of the first, assisted by Alex D’Oliveira and Connor Armour.
They took that lead into the first intermission but then Buffalo got on the scoreboard at 6:10 of the second period when Pat Egan scored his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Max Mikowski and Nick DeSimone.
Buffalo then took a 2-1 lead just 36 seconds later. Nolan Sheeran put the hosts ahead with his goal, assisted by Egan and Mikowski. Egan got his third point of the game later in the period, when he set up Nick Smith’s shorthanded goal at the 14:11 mark.
Those points put Egan into the team’s scoring lead with 27 points (10 goals and 17 assists in 18 games).
Cobourg got within a goal of tying up the game in the third period when Taylor Gauld scored at the 7:49 mark, assisted by D’Oliveira and and Schiller. Jr. Sabres goalie Brandon Mueller stopped the other eight shots he faced in the period. Buffalo then put the game out of reach when Ryan Kuhn scored an empty-netter with just seconds remaining.
Mueller finished the game with 22 saves to earn his fourth win of the season.
Buffalo (14 wins, 3 losses, 1 overtime loss and 1 shootout loss) travels to Mississauga Saturday to meet the Chargers then returns home to host the Burlington Cougars on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Northtown Center at Amherst.
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Photo: Nick Smith, whose shorthanded goal proved to be the game winner. Courtesy OJHL Images.
