The Huntsville Muskoka Otters stopped a three-game winless streak in exciting style.

The Otters won two close games last weekend to improve to 6-2-1, downing the Collingwood Blues 5-4 on Friday night in Collingwood before heading home Saturday night and edging the Milton Icehawks 7-6 in a shootout.

The win over the Icehawks was the Otters’ second victory of the year in a shootout. Huntsville stands third in the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Phillips Division behind the first-place Orangeville Crushers (9-1) and the North York Rangers (7-1).

In both games, the Otters started the third period with the lead, but their opponents refused to roll over, giving the Huntsville players all they could handle.

Head coach Tom McCarthy said his team has to focus more on the finer points during games.

“It’s part of the learning curve for young hockey players. It’s these small (mental) lapses that we have to work on so the game is easier to play. We have to play a little smarter and not play run-and-gun and think we are going to score.”  

He said the team has to concentrate better on its defensive duties. The Otters have a goals-against average of 3.11 after nine games.

The deciding factor in the pair of victories was the Otters’ powerplay, which registered an amazing 41.2 per cent in the two games.

Huntsville went four-for-eight against Milton and three-for-nine versus the Blues, catapulting the special team’s rating to sixth-best in the league at 22.67.

Jon Whitelaw, who has been carrying the team’s offence so far this year, scored twice in the first period against Collingwood to stake his team to a 3-1 lead. Rob Waddell had the other goal for the Otters.

Whitelaw, who leads the team in scoring with 16 points – including nine goals – currently sits ninth in league scoring. However, these stats also contain scoring from the Central Division, which plays in an autonomous loop within the league.

“He has been excellent,” said McCarthy. “A lot of players have been excellent and we have taken advantage of some powerplay opportunities. But Whitey has been explosive on the offensive side.”

Collingwood closed the gap to 3-2 early in the second. Dan Pinkney scored late in the period to restore Huntsville’s two-goal lead, but that did not last long as the Blues replied with a marker with 58 seconds left in the frame to send the two into the dressing rooms with a 4-3 score in the Otters’ favour.

Whitelaw completed the hat trick with a shorthanded tally at 6:56 of the third. The Blues made things interesting with a goal with a mere nine seconds left, but they could not find the equalizer.

The Otters lost Pinkney for the next two games after he received a checking-from-behind major in the second against the Blues. He missed the Icehawks game and will not dress for the team’s Friday home game against the Seguin Bruins. He will be available for Saturday’s game in Orangeville against the Crushers.

The Otters looked to be in control early against Milton, building up a 3-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game on goals by Phil Moreau, Justin Dicks and Corey George. However, the Icehawks rallied with two goals before the end of the period, including another late goal with 57 seconds remaining.

Huntsville again tried to put the visitors away with two goals in the first five minutes with markers by Taylor Holdaway and Chris Wiggin. But Milton refused to buckle with a powerplay goal at 18:24.

The Icehawks tied the game with two goals early in the third. Whitelaw scored what many thought was the winner at 13:58, but the Icehawks again tied the score with a goal of their own two minutes later.

Overtime solved nothing and the teams went to a shootout.

Sophomore goalie Ryan Williams earned his second shootout victory of the year as he stopped all three Milton shooters while Dicks scored on the second round to seal the win.

Monday’s game against Upper Canada College has been postponed to some date in December due to lack of available facilities in the Toronto region.