Panthers’ playoff hopes fading away after 2-0 loss to Cape Breton
The Cape Breton Capers may have delivered the final blow in the UPEI Panthers’ pursuit of a playoff spot Sunday afternoon.
By Thomas Becker
The Cape Breton Capers may have delivered the final blow in the UPEI Panthers' pursuit of a playoff spot Sunday afternoon.
The Capers (7-0-2) earned a 2-0 win behind two first-half goals, and now the Panthers (0-6-2) are forced to win their final four games to have a chance at a postseason berth.
Their first goal came in the 20th minute when the Capers took a short corner before crossing it to the 18-yard box where Andre Beecher (Brampton, ON) rose for the powerful header to beat keeper Evan Couturier (Lower Coverdale, NB).
The road team added their second goal of the game in the 39th minute, when Cian Lynch (Dublin, Ireland) took a pass from a teammate along the sideline and crossed it to an open Kairo Coore (Whitby, ON), who put away the header in the top right corner.
"The boys are buzzing right now," Coore said of the team's successful six-point weekend. "This is what we've trained for, and we're excited to push on for the playoffs and hopefully make our way to nationals."
From there, Cape Breton locked in defensively, and the Panthers had a hard time generating much on the offensive end.
After the game, Coore credited UPEI's fight knowing what was at stake for them.
"Every time we come to P.E.I., it's a very difficult trip. They're physical all the time and they always get the best out of their players."
The Panthers travel to St. John's to take on the Memorial Sea-Hawks for a weekend set, while The Capers return home for a Saturday game against the Dalhousie Tigers.
Photo Credit: Mike Needham
