The Xpertek Hockey News

Jonny on the spot
Richardson finds groove with three-goal performance

Ottawa – Veteran Xpertek Construction Inc. Hockey Club winger Jon Richardson admits that he had been squeezing the stick a little too tight in the four games he had played since the birth of his first-born son.

Like most first-time, hockey-playing fathers, Richardson was eager to score that first goal so he could bring the puck home to his boy and hopefully infuse him with an early passion for the great game of hockey.

Problem is, Richardson was held pointless in every game he had played since the little tyke made his appearance – until recently, that is.

In a demonstration of pure goal-scoring precision, Richardson had not one, not two, but three pucks to bring home after Xpertek HC easily disposed of its far inferior Battlecat opponents by a 6-2 score in recent OSMHL action.

“Yeah, it’s true that I wanted to score so bad,” Richardson said post-game. “I kept the puck from my first-ever minor hockey goal. I kept the tennis ball from my first-ever road hockey goal. I kept the puck from my first-ever Carver Communications goal. I kept the puck from my first-ever Xpertek goal. And I even keep all the pucks after I score in the warm-up. Obviously, I was going to keep the puck to commemorate my first goal after my son was born. It took longer than expected, but I’m really, really, really relieved right now.”

All three Richardson goals were set up by Marc Baril, who briefly held the OSMHL scoring lead for the first time in his career, only to fall back to a tie for fifth going into this weekend’s action after other teams in the division made up their games in hand.

Xpertek HC managed the win with a back-up goaltender manning the crease in place of regular netminder Pat Lafontaine, who was called up to face the Montreal Canadiens alumni in a friendly match across town.

It remains to be seen whether Lafontaine managed to stymie the Habs shooters with the aplomb he brings to the ice in the OSMHL. Still, the call-up should be good for his confidence and will hopefully propel him to a solid second half with Xpertek HC, who will next face-off against their archrivals – The Saints – on Sunday, December 21, at 10 p.m. at Bernard Grandmaitre Arena in their last game before Christmas.


THREE STARS

1. Jon Richardson – Snipes three-goals, brings pucks home for the boy
2. Marc Baril – Makes like Gretzky, sets up three
3. Steve Parker – Two-point effort vaults centre up the league scoring ladder