2017 RBC Cup

COBRAS BATTLE BACK IN THIRD TO EDGE GOLDEN HAWKS AT RBC CUP

JASON LA ROSE

COBOURG, Ont. – Chad Pietroniro got the winner seven minutes into the third period, finishing the comeback and giving the Cobras de Terrebonne a 3-2 win over the Trenton Golden Hawks on Sunday night at the 2017 RBC Cup.

The Cobras trailed 2-0 after two periods before rattling off three goals in less than five minutes to earn their first win of the tournament, and first win ever at Canada’s National Junior A Championship.

Gabriel Paquin and Pierre-Anthony Martineau had the other goals for Terrebonne, which has the top-scoring offence in the country, but couldn’t find a way past Trenton goaltender Chris Janzen for close to 42 minutes.

The Golden Hawks didn’t waste any time getting on the board; Chris Sekelyk chipped a loose puck past a Terrebonne defenceman at his own blue-line and was off to the races before going post and in past Cobras netminder Jérémy Bélisle just 2:07 in.

Anthony Sorrentino made it 2-0 Trenton before the end of the first period, camping out on the doorstep and knocking in a centering feed from Sekelyk at 15:50 to send the Central Region champions to the intermission up by a pair.

Bélisle and Janzen stole the show in a scoreless second period, combining for 23 saves, before the floodgates finally opened for the Cobras early in the third.

Paquin struck first at 1:58, streaking down the right wing and going far-side to beat Janzen, and Martineau had an easy tap-in off a cross-crease pass from Mickaël Lafrance-Clairsaint to tie the game at 4:44.

Pietroniro netted the winner less than two minutes after that, spinning in the neutral zone to pick up a breakout pass from Raphaël Sawyer before wiring a shot past Janzen on the short side.

That would be enough for Bélisle, who made the final seven of his 35 saves in the third period.

The teams played a fast-paced 60 minutes with few whistles and only four minor penalties, all of which came in the second period. In total, the game finished in just over two hours.

Both teams are off Monday before getting back to action Tuesday at the Cobourg Community Centre. Trenton is up first, taking on the unbeaten Brooks Bandits (3:30 p.m. ET), followed by the Cobras meeting the host Cobourg Cougars (7:30 p.m. ET).