BURLINGTON – The South Middlesex Coyotes (2-2-0) and their bid to repeat as Bantam Division Gold Cup Champions have hit a snag in recent weeks. Following a lopsided lost to the Central Mass Cobras the week before, the Coyotes were stunned again on Sunday, falling to the North Shore Stingrays (2-2-0) 4-1 at the Burlington Ice Palace.

North Shore buzzed from the start, getting the early jump on their hosts. Declan Loughnane slipped his way passed the South Middlesex defense for a clean bid in on net to give the Stingrays a 1-0 lead at 4:16. Just a couple of minutes later, Joseph Kranefuss found himself in the right place at the right time to slap home a rebound that had made its way right to him for a 2-0 advantage at 5:52 of the first.

Sean Malone stemmed the bleeding with a score at 7:38. The goal cut the deficit to 2-1 and got the Coyotes into the game, as they controlled much of the latter half of the frame.

Turning to the second period, the Coyotes did what they could to use their size to their advantage against the younger, smaller Stingrays, but the Stingrays were not intimidated by the physical game and even capitalized off of it. They doubled their score in the middle frame, Atticus Roop and Thomas Connolly coming through for a 4-1 score that held into the third.

Heavy pressure from the Coyotes continued into and throughout the third, carrying play for seemingly the entire period. Even as the intensity ramped up in the game’s final minutes, South Middlesex pressing to make the score closer, the Stingrays advantage held. North Shore goaltender Matthew Choi stood to the task and shutdown the talented South Middlesex assault, leading the Stingrays as they closed out the 4-1 victory.