Both teams had suffered losses going into the game. Cobourg travelled to Lindsay on Friday to take on the Muskies and they took a beating for their trouble, losing 8-2 while being outshot 45-28. Matthew Singleton and Patrick Jobb scored for Cobourg while Dan Clarke was pulled after allowing seven goals on 32 shots.

On Saturday, the Predators hosted Wellington. The Dukes continued their domination over the Preds with their third victory in the season set, defeating Port Hope 5-2. Chad Dunlop got both goals for Port Hope while Jeff Potvin allowed five goals on 20 shots in the loss.

The pair of losses left both teams hungry for a win heading into Monday's showdown in Cobourg and the game was hard fought. Cobourg owned a shot advantage of 28-24 while both teams racked up 54 penalty minutes. The scoreboard, however, belonged to the Predators as they built a 4-0 lead in the first half of the game before Cobourg's Matt Mihalic scored twice to close the gap to the 4-2 final score. Jeff Potvin made 26 saves in the Predators net while Dan Clarke stopped 20 for Cobourg.

"We played well," said Cougars head coach Bill Brady of the losing effort. "At different points in the game, we outplayed them. We deserved better."

The Cougars are now winless in their last three and are tied for last in the East Division with six points (3-7-0). They're back in action on Thursday in Kingston where they'll try to hand the first place Kingston Voyageurs their first loss of the season.

"We've got to battle," said Brady. "If we play to our capabilities, we've got a good chance to win the hockey games. If they beat us, they'll have to earn it."

The Predators (7-4-1) sit third in the division with 15 points. They can move up with a win on Friday when they host the last place Quinte West Pack.