Lucas Gonu scored the go-ahead goal in the first period, and the Kemptville 73s held off the challenges of the Smiths Falls Bears in a tough 1-0 win.

A goal 9:22 into the the first period by Gonu proved to be the game winner, and powered Kemptville to the victory Joey House provided the assist.

The 73s were boosted by Billy Cooper, who turned in a shutout with 34 saves. Cooper managed to improve on his goals against average, which stood at 3.88 prior to the game.

Kemptville was sparked by Gonu, who grabbed one goal.

The 73s excelled on the penalty kill, not giving up a single goal in five chances.

In addition, Kemptville received assists from Brett Varrin, who had one.

Smiths Falls' offense operated below it season average. The Bears put an average of 4.1 pucks into the net per game. Smiths Falls forced Kemptville goalie Cooper to work between the pipes, taking 34 shots.

The 73s incurred 10 minutes in penalty time with five minors. Jimmy Howe recorded 29 saves for the Bears. Smiths Falls incurred four minutes in penalty time with two minors.