A broken wrist broke up a potent line combination.
Seb Lloyd's injury is now fully-healed and he's back in uniform for the Cariboo Cougars. He's also back skating with Levon Johnson and Tyson Witala, and the trio was terrific in a 7-2 Sunday road win against the Fraser Valley Bruins.
In the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League game, played in Chilliwack, the above-mentioned linemates combined for 15 points. Lloyd finished with one goal and four assists, Johnson had two goals and three assists, and Witala fired three goals and added two helpers.
"It was a good game for us," said the 17-year-old Witala. "We just got Seb back. We started the year together and things are finally starting to click with us.
"It was good to contribute and help the team get a win."
Lloyd was hurt Oct. 10 against the Greater Vancouver Canadians and is now six games into his comeback. The 16-year-old has established himself as one of the best set-up men in the MML.
In Sunday's game, the Cats were ahead 1-0 after the first period and 6-2 after the second. Chase Witala, younger brother of Tyson Witala, notched the other Cariboo goal and David Readman was the winning goaltender.
The victory was the perfect tonic for a disappointing result on Saturday night. Playing in Abbotsford, the Cats had a 2-1 lead on the Bruins late in the third period and had a chance to bury their opponent while on a power play. Instead, an ill-advised drop pass became a turnover and led to a tying goal by Bruins forward Jackson Playfair. The six-foot-two, 190-pound Playfair is the son of former NHLer Jim Playfair, who is currently bench boss of the AHL's Abbotsford Heat.
"Unfortunately we let a point go there," said Cougars head coach Trevor Sprague. "We put a good effort up, we just didn't capitalize on our opportunities when we had them. We were a little soft in front of the net and didn't shoot to score in certain cases."
Chase Witala and Johnson were the Saturday goalscorers for the Cougars. In the nets, Readman relieved starter Jared Rathjen after the first period. Rathjen was forced out of the contest by shoulder pain.
On the season, the Cougars now stand at 17-6-1. The Bruins, meanwhile, slipped to 6-13-5.
Next on the schedule for the Cariboo club is a key doubleheader against the Valley West Hawks. The teams, fighting for second place in the 11-team league, will clash Saturday (6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.) at Kin 1.
For the Cats and Hawks, the games will close out the 2010 portion of the MML schedule. Both squads will compete at the Mac's AAA Midget Hockey Tournament in Calgary during the Christmas break.
