The Winterhawks travelled to Shelburne on Saturday night and came out on the wrong end of a shootout.
The tight-checking contest saw the Muskies squeak out a 2-1 win over the visiting Winterhawks.
A short bench was bolstered by the debut of Jordan Roulston. The 6'4", 225-lb. winger is the younger brother of Mitch and Kyle and has played Jr. C with Mount Forest and Sr. AA with Durham.
Following a scoreless 1st period, the Winterhawks got on the board when Shelburne native Trevor Smith beat Ed Davey to make it 1-0.
Josh Sturrock again was on top of his game in the Winterhawks net, turning away the Muskies repeatedly to keep it 1-0 heading to the final frame.
The Muskies would tie the game when Blake Lovell beat Sturrock at the eight minute mark.
Luck was not on the Winterhawks side on this night, as twice they thought they had a go-ahead goal, only to be waved off due to the net coming off its pegs.
After a scoreless overtime period, Shelburne's Chris Greer scored the lone goal of the shootout to secure the 2-1 win.
The Winterhawks record drops to 6-6-1 on the season, but taking three of a possible four points this weekend has put the club back in a playoff spot.
The Ripley Wolves fell 5-0 to Mapleton-Minto on Saturday night, allowing the Winterhawks to tie the Wolves for the 4th-and-final "AA" playoff spot in the North Division, though the Winterhawks continue to have two games in hand.
The Winterhawks will be home next weekend for a pair of games against teams they are battling in the standings.
The Durham Thundercats will visit The Plex on Friday December 18th at 8:30 p.m., followed by a big matchup the next night, Saturday December 19th, against Ripley at 8:00 p.m.
with files from winterhawks.net
