By Kevin Gould, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

It’s not the way they wanted the season to end. It never is of course, unless it ends with a championship trophy being hoisted. But a sweep at the hands of the Ottawa Junior Senators, well, few would have predicted it.

What initially promised to be a long series was over in four games, the Cornwall Colts eliminated from the CCHL playoffs with a 4-3 loss in Ottawa on Wednesday night.

“They’re a very good team, they definitely have a chance to win it all,” said Cornwall captain Grant Cooper, who would meet with his teammates on Thursday afternoon, one final time before starting the off-season.

Many will be back next season, others will not. Five cannot return, no longer eligible. Cooper — along with Shawn Baird, Tristan Conrad, Dean Derouchie and Tanner Spink — is one of the five graduating Colts. He’ll be playing NCAA Division I hockey with Clarkson next season.

That’s next year though, and right now the sting of playoff elimination is still raw.

“It’s sad that it comes to an end right now,” said Cooper who, like the majority of his teammates, never could seem to get it going offensively against the Junior Senators.

“They got to pucks first and they hemmed us in pretty good at times. It makes it difficult,” said Cooper. “It’s too bad because I thought we were playing pretty well down the stretch.”

Did the Junior Sens ever get to see the Colts’ A game?

“No, I wouldn’t say so,” said Cooper. “We might have got away from some of the little things we had to do.”

Give the Junior Sens credit for much of that. Ottawa never let the Colts get their teeth into the series. For instance, Sebastian Dirven’s goal 2:45 into Game 4 marked the only time Cornwall held a lead in the series. It lasted for 12:01, Nicolas Samson tying the game for Ottawa. Before the end of the period, the Sens would be up by two, getting goals from Zachary Cross and Luke McCaw.

David Poirier pulled the Colts back within one with the only goal of the middle period and it stayed that way until Isaac Anderson scored into an empty net with 53 seconds remaining. Dirven scored again with 12 seconds left, and the Cornwall net again empty.

And so it ended, a season which saw the Colts finish second overall, a vast improvement on the previous campaign, where Cornwall missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2006-2007 season.

For Cooper, it’s the end of four years with the organization.

“A great experience overall,” summed up Cooper. “A little tough the way it ended, but they say junior hockey is supposed to be the best years of your life, and I can definitely say I enjoyed my time here.

“Played with different guys, meeting new guys every year, just a great experience.”

The captain’s thoughts on next year’s squad?

“It will definitely be a change. A lot of guys leaving, but still a pretty good core group of players coming back. They should do well next year.”

• The Junior Sens now wait, to see who they’ll meet in the final, Kemptville or Carleton Place.

The three-time defending champion Canadians trail the best-of-seven series 2-1, after losing Game 3 at home on Wednesday, 4-1.