Royals start strong but lose next three as CCHL season begins
By Manotick Messenger Staff
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]The Richmond Royals have opened up their 2018-19 CCHL 2 junior hockey season. The Royals played their first game Fri., Sept. 14 as part of the CCHL 2 showcase weekend, scoring four goals in the second period in a 4-1 win over the Westport Rideaus.
Westport opened the scoring in the first period with a goal by Callum Mayberry from Blake Kettyle. Both members of the Rideaus are local products who played minor hockey for the Ottawa Valley Silver Seven.
In the second period, the Royals took control of the game.
Corey Symington scored the first Royals goal from Grant Cooper and Dale Kilby, and then Ryan Mann scored from Adam Goodfellow and Mitchell Mercier to put Richmond ahead 2-1. Symington scored his second of the period from Joel Holtrop and Danny Carrol, and Ryan Bouley added a goal from Antonio Silenu.
Eric Tessier stopped 41 of 42 shots to pick up the win in goal.
The following day, the Royals took on Arnprior and gave up four goals in the third period in a 7-5 loss. Richmond outshot the Packers 49-32 in the contest.
Nick Vala scored four goals for the Packers, and he opened the scoring in the first period.
Richmond countered with two goals in the first, with Silenu scoring from Noah Dioszeghny and Ryan Bonfield, and Bonfield scoring a power play goal from Symington and Silenu.
Adam Goodfellow put the Royals ahead 3-1 with an unassisted goal in the second, but the Packers got back in the game with goals from Ty Power and Vala. Mitchell Mercier put the Royals back in the lead just five seconds after Vala’s goal, with Wilem Brandt and Danny Carroll picking up assists.
Arnprior came out on fire in the third period. Vala, Danny Johnson and Pat Bones scored to put the Packers up 6-5. Dioszeghny scored for the Royals from Bonfield and Patrick Yates to bring the Royals back to within a goal, but Vala’s fourth goal, into an empty net, sealed the win for the Packers.
On Thurs., Sept. 20, the Royals travelled to Casselman and lost 9-4 to the powerful Vikings.
Yates had a goal and an assist with Bonfield, Symington and Bouley adding goals. Sam Wilson, Bendt and Cory Kippen added assists for Richmond.
On Sunday, the Royals lost their third straight as the Renfrew Timberwolves skated to a 7-4 win at the Goulbourn Rec centre.
Bonfield and Holtrop each had a goal and an assist, with Symington and Silenu scoring the other Royal goals. Wilson, Brandt, Goodfellow, Mercier and Kilby had assists for Richmond.
Renfrew’s Andrew McIntyre had a six-point game, with three goals and three assists.
