BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Downriver Unified got four goals from Cameron Cousino and spoiled Senior Night for the North Oakland Eagles, claiming a 6-4 win on Thursday.
Cousino got the scoring started just 5:21 into the game when he banged in a shot off the goalpost in transition. That was a sign of things to come as Unified in general and Cousino in particular were just a bit too fast for North Oakland in transition all night.
“We’ve got a couple of forwards that can motor pretty good, so we use that a lot,” Downriver Unified head coach Garret Presnell said.
Cousino would pile up four goals and an assist on the night, with all of his points coming off the rush or turnovers – or the rush following a turnover, including the game-winner when he stole the puck at the blue line and picked out the top corner with 9:31 to play.
Henry Vena added a breakaway goal just 42 seconds later to make it 5-3 Unified, and North Oakland would never draw even after that, though Aidan London’s power play goal with 5:12 to play pulled North Oakland to within a goal, 5-4.
North Oakland’s Nolan Poolton (R) protects the puck from Downriver’s Garrett Worden during the game played on Thursday at the Detroit Skating Club. Poolton had a goal, but the Eagles lost 6-4. (KEN SWART – For MediaNews Group)
North Oakland hit a post about a minute later. But the Eagles never really threatened after that, in part because they took three penalties in the last four minutes and had to spend most of the closing minutes on the penalty kill.
Cousino would finish the scoring with an empty-net power-play goal with just 15 seconds left.
North Oakland’s power play was lethal, paying off on three occasions throughout the night – one each by Xavier Sanchez, Noah Voss, and London’s late marker. Though while the Eagles were good five-on-five, they couldn’t convert many chances at even strength, and they struggled to stay out of the penalty box, especially in the third period when they took five penalties.
“When we’re five-on-five, we do fine. But we get a lot of penalties, and we pay for it every time,” Eagles head coach Eric Button said. “Tonight was a perfect example.”
Photo gallery of Downriver United vs. North Oakland Eagles in hockey action
Goalies Julius Livernois and Owen Fulsher combined to stop 34 shots as the two seniors provided solid goaltending for the Eagles, while Owen Calhoun stopped 29 shots for Downriver Unified.
Unified improves to 11-12-1 overall and has two games left in the regular season – home games this Saturday and Sunday against Bishop Foley United and Allen Park before opening the playoffs on Tuesday against New Boston Huron – which will be their fifth game in a span of seven days.
“We’re very proud fo the team effort tonight,” Presnell said. “It was a good win.” He added that, “We’re short benched, so it’s short shifts and they keep their legs under them. It was Olympic ice tonight. They haven’t played on that this year, so it was a little something different, and they did good.”
North Oakland (5-19) will close out its regular season on Saturday against Fenton-Linden, then open the playoffs next week against Utica-Fraser Unified.
“Sometimes you get the bounces. Sometimes you don’t. In a one-goal game, it could go either way at any time,” Button said. “We play Fenton on Saturday. We played them once already. It was a competitive game. It should be a good game. It’s the last game of the season, so it will be the last regular season game for the seniors. Hopefully, they come out, put forth the effort, work hard, and we can be successful.”