The Port Hope Predators lost an integral game against the Ajax Attack 8-5 Sunday night at the Jack Burger Sports Complex.

The Predators opened the scoring on the power play, as Dave Williams sniped one from Anthony Tapper and Dave "Hollywood" Harris at 3:24 of the first.

The Attack replied with two power-play goals of their own at 6:26 and 13:06, on a night in which Port Hope’s penalty kill gave up three goals on seven infractions. Danny Greiner, who has found a home on the Ontario Junior Hockey League club's top line with Tapper and Capt. Jeremy McCarty, was next on the scoreboard with his tally at 14:45 to tie it 2-2 after one period.

Ajax opened second-period scoring early at just 41 seconds in. They soon added another marker at 2:36, but Greiner had some help from blueliner Jared Barker and McCarty at 5:29 on the power play to keep his team close. Harris had a late goal, with only 45 seconds left to go in the period, from Mitch Moffatt, and the second ended in a 4-4 deadlock.

The third period was when things fell apart. Despite a goalie change midway through the game, poor defensive play got the Preds in hot water, and after a three-goal run by the Attack at 1:53, 4:16 and 11:58, the home team was unable to recover. Barker fired the puck into the net at 17:12 from sniper Tyler Miller and Harris, but it was too little too late. Ajax's empty-netter at 18:30 sealed the deal and Port Hope slipped from fourth place to fifth in the Ruddock Division. Ajax, the Preds, and Bowmanville all have 24 points, and Trenton is close behind with 23. Kingston has now trumped Lindsay and moved into first place as they have a game in hand on the Lindsay Muskies, who are both tied with 36 points.

"It's the same old stuff," McCarty said after the game. "The power-play goals we get scored against us, they're all bad penalties on our part. They're not bad calls, but just stupid penalties we take."

This is said week after week by players and coaches alike. "Guys aren't getting it in their heads that we can't do that. Guys are being over-aggressive, and they should be used to it by now," McCarty said.

With the officiating questioned over the last few games, especially in Buffalo and Trenton last week, McCarty said "sometimes it feels like they're against us. But we're taking dumb penalties, like tripping and it sucks, because we're working so hard, but not winning. On Friday night, it was just call after call. Three times I thought they'd be getting a penalty and it would turn out to be us. It just seemed like every hit was a penalty and we couldn't do anything right. But regardless of the refs, it's just hard to win when you're in the box."

On his teammates’ behalf McCarty said: "The guys are getting frustrated with the losses. Mistakes are costing us wins, but we're still just trying to stay positive and no one is giving up. I think we still have a chance. It doesn't matter what place you're in, so long as you make the playoffs, and that's what counts."

McCarty said the Preds talked about the importance of Sunday night’s game beforehand. "We talked about tonight, this was the difference between holding fourth or dropping down to seventh. This hurt us for sure, but now we just have to turn it around. We need to stop taking penalties. Everyone still wants to turn it around, and everyone still brings it."

The Preds are tied with Ajax and Bowmanville for fourth spot in the division with 24 points each.

Leading the team at only 18 years old is no small feat, but McCarty said he is trying to keep the atmosphere positive and "give it my all every shift, make sure I stay a plus, and when I do something like make a good play, the guys rally around it. And they know when I talk in the room, I'm not just saying stuff for the hell of it; they know I mean what I say."

With the penalty situation, Predators head coach Brendan O'Grady echoed McCarty’s thoughts. "It's the same guys all the time. We're still putting up big goals, but guys aren't committing to team defence.”

Players and coaches will sit down after tonight’s practice to discuss the team's strategy from this point forward.

"Some guys are not thinking about a team-first aspect here. It's not about me, or Brian (Drumm) or Jeff (Hutton)," O'Grady said. "At the end of the day, it's the guys that have to look at each other in the room and look each other in the face. They go to battle for each other, not us."

The team has been faced with much adversity lately, with their starting goaltender out until at least next month and their leading scorer wanting a trade back to his hometown in Northern Ontario. "We have a strong room. We just need to keep plugging away," O'Grady said.

The team, who turned things around with the arrival of Hungarian puck-stopper Akos Agardy, fell flat again when he suffered a serious groin injury. "Akos is a huge piece of our puzzle. When Akos came, our goals allowed went way down, and we played better, but the point is, whether it's Akos Agardy, or Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo, it doesn't matter. We need to play team defence, and stay out of the frickin' box,” O’Grady said.

With all the calls against the Preds, who played 30 minutes of Friday night's 6-4 loss to the Trenton Hercs down a man, O'Grady said "the reality is that we have to keep sticks down, learn to hit with our shoulders and play tough defence without the clutching and grabbing and keep our sticks on the ice. This is nothing new, we're just an undisciplined group right now.

"We need to sit down as a group and take a look in the mirror. I know feelings can get involved, but as a group, we need to play through this. Have you looked at our schedule? It's not getting any easier, and we're .500 and our top player has just asked for a trade."

For now, the Preds are going to "regroup,” O’Grady said. “Every team goes through their ups and downs, this is the time to do it, as opposed to January or February. We need to be accountable — everyone needs to be accountable. There's still a lot of work to do, and we need to work hard together, and cross the T's and dot the I's while we're working hard. If guys don't want to be there, they don't want to be a Port Hope Predator, and we can find guys who do want to be there.”

Tim Clayden, director of hockey operations, said he is unsure if the team is in shape at this point. "I'd like to see a half dozen practices before Christmas about 90 minutes long, without pucks, just skating, and getting back in shape."