Ajax Attack sweeps Panthers in two-game set

PICKERING -- Rookie winger Ian Watters has done it all for the Ajax Attack so far this season.

And, Sunday's game against the rival Pickering Panthers -- the last of a two-game, home-and-home set -- was no exception.

The high-scoring Pickering teen who, ironically, just happens to be the son of Panthers' general manager Gary Watters, stuck it to his father's Panthers, scoring the final two Attack goals in regulation time to square the score at 4-4 and send the contest to overtime.

After the OT session yielded no goals, the teams proceeded to a shootout, where Watters scored the Attack's first of two goals en route to the 5-4 victory in Ontario Junior Hockey League action.

Watters was also on the leading edge of the Attack's 8-1 pasting of the Panthers at the Pickering Recreation Complex on Friday night. He recorded a tidy five-point effort, bagging a goal and adding four assists to set up the Attack for a weekend sweep of their Pickering rivals.

Moreover, the Attack's (13-13, one shootout win) two weekend victories enabled them to leapfrog past the Port Hope Predators and Trenton Hercs into fourth-place tie with the Bowmanville Eagles, both with 28 points, in the OJHL's Ruddock Division standings.

Meanwhile, the losses to Ajax kept the Panthers (5-18, 2 OT wins, 1 OT loss, 1 shootout loss) mired in the Ruddock Division basement, four points behind the eighth-place Whitby Fury.

Watters acknowledges games against his dad's team, the Panthers, have special significance for him.

"I try to put my game up a notch when we play Pickering, because my dad is the GM," said Watters.

He explains that he chose to play in Ajax rather than in Pickering with the Panthers as many of his friends from last year's Ajax-Pickering Raiders midget team opted to play with the Attack this season.

"I wanted to play with my friends, so I wanted to play here."

Attack head coach Carey Durant commended his players for battling hard after trailing by two goals in the third period, then coming from behind to send the game into overtime and later win it in a shootout.

"I thought our team showed a tremendous amount of character today," said Durant. "They're our cross-town rivals and you always want to win. We're also battling for the Durham Cup (with Pickering and Whitby), and we would like that crown."

After his Attack crushed the Panthers in the series opener Friday in Pickering, Durant expected them to step up their efforts in the series finale.

"I give Pickering a lot of credit. They didn't roll over. Those guys over there are doing the best job that they can. They tried to play us real physical today, but our guys just kept chipping away at them."

Panthers' head coach Bill Brady said Sunday's loss followed a familiar script this season: Play well for long stretches but, at critical junctures in the contest, fail to connect on scoring chances.

"I thought we outplayed them and we had numerous scoring chances. It seems to be the story of the year. We just can't capitalize," said Brady.

The Panthers' inability to score was glaringly apparent in a 4-on-3 man advantage to open the five-minute overtime frame, with Ajax captain Chris Gour in the penalty box on an interference call. Pickering had several solid chances to end it, including one by Greg Riggs, who was thwarted in getting his stick on a loose puck in front of Ajax goaltender Adam Stein.

On home ice on Friday, the Panthers stayed with the Attack for two periods, trailing 2-0 at that point. In the third, however, the Panthers completely collapsed, allowing six goals by the Ajacians.

The Attack are in Kingston on Thursday night to play the first-place Voyageurs. Their next home game is Saturday against the Lindsay Muskies at the Ajax Community Centre at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are in Whitby on Thursday for a game against the Fury. On Sunday, they host the Trenton Hercs at the Pickering Recreation Complex at 6:30 p.m.