NEWS

Christian Dedonato of the Newmarket Hurricanes makes a hit on Jason Stachelbeck  of the Aurora Tigers earlier this season. The Yonge Street neighbours are now tied atop the North Division of the OJHL. (Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images)

By Ron Valentine

Mother Nature dealt her first big blow of the season to the Ontario Junior Hockey League schedule this week with all six of Friday night's scheduled games called off due to the poor weather conditions.

But there was still lots of action in the 18 remaining contests, including one that was rescheduled. Here's a look by division:

 

NORTH

NEWMARKET HURRICANES - Their trip to Markham will now have a new date and in what was to have been their second game of the week the club was held to a 1-1 tie by Stouffville. After the first two stanzas were scoreless, Alex Ierullo found the net early in the third to give them the lead. After being acquired from the Orangeville Flyers, Kristian Hufsky put in a 24-save performance. The tie puts the Hurricanes at 52 points cheek by jowl with Aurora on the same number as the race for top spot continues.

AURORA TIGERS - A big game on their calendar in Oakville was one of this week's postponements. A trip to Pickering Sunday night was very much on for the Tigers and they moved into a first-place tie with their Yonge Street neighbours, Newmarket, after a convincing win over the Panthers. After giving up the game's first goal, they stormed back to post seven unanswered before the game was over. Led by ex-QMJHLer Austin Eastman's one goal and two assists, 12 players recorded at least a point for the club. Zach Wilkie had the game's only power play goal and former OHLer Jake Bricknell tabbed goal No. 22 and has 66 points now, good for second place in individual scoring. Bradley van Schubert was called upon to make 24 saves.

MARKHAM ROYALS - No Friday night home game for the Royals this week due to inclement weather, however they did record a big win Sunday afternoon, 7-2 over Lindsay. Kosta Likourezos will remember his first goal as a Royal as it came on a penalty shot in the second period. He was picked up at the trading deadline from the Minnesota Wilderness of the NAHL. Jack Jeffers scored just six seconds into this one and ended up with two goals and three assists as did Lucas Condotta. The other member of the 'big three'– Brett Ouderkirk – had a goal and four points. Head Coach Mike Galati indicated that he thinks they have a Top 4 defenceman in Jack Lyons, picked up from the North York Rangers at the deadline and additional scoring depth in Likourezos, a player he has known for a long time. Now, he says, they are set for the final stretch. With 48 points, they keep things interesting at the top of the table.

PICKERING PANTHERS - The Panthers had their long trip to Trenton postponed Friday night, as freezing rain and blowing snow descended on the 401 eastbound but the conditions were much better Sunday as they hosted Aurora but the result did not please them being on the wrong end of the 7-1 scoreline. Andrew Hughes scored his 10th with just 2.16 off the clock but that would be it. He now has 20 goals for the season, the first 10 coming with Stouffville.

STOUFFVILLE SPIRIT- A visit to Lindsay on Friday was called off due to the road conditions but they got a positive result Saturday on home ice with a 1-1 tie against the division-leading Hurricanes. Ashton Reesor's goal with just over three minutes left in regulation got them the point. The 16-year-old blueliner from Stouffville recently announced his commitment to the OHL's Sarnia Sting for next season. Andrew Albano had a sparkler with 47 saves in the tie. Perhaps a start of more positive results for the club.

LINDSAY MUSKIES - No game Friday at home, they were due to host the Spirit, but like all games that night it had to be postponed. They fell to the imposing Royals offense on Sunday afternoon in Markham as the home side took 52 shots on goal en route to a 7-2 win. Noah Dollo scored with one second left in the opening period to make it a 2-1 scoreline but Markham added three in the last three minutes of the second period to put the game out of reach. Joey Campbell had the other Muskie goal.

 

EAST

WELLINGTON DUKES - The Division leaders much anticipated home game with Cobourg was victim of Friday's icy blast but they agreed on a quick replacement date on Sunday afternoon. Three power play scores were a big factor in the Dukes' 26th win of the season, this time by a 5-2 score. Mitch Mendonca rapped in a pair and Zach Uens had a goal and three points. Jonah Capriotti had to make 35 saves to post the win. It was a physical affair with more than 100 penalty minutes called. In Orangeville Saturday night, Jackson Arcan's second goal of the game proved to be the winner by a 4-3 count. Daniel Panetta and Dawson Ellis had the others. Tyler Richardson, acquired from Lindsay at the deadline, made 23 saves to register the win in his first start. 

KINGSTON VOYAGEURS - In Cobourg Monday, after a scoreless first frame Brandon Nadeau's power-play goal would be the sum total of their scoring on this night as they went down 4-1. It was close at home Thursday but the Rangers prevailed 3-2 with the Vees' goals coming from Captain Reid Russell and Josh Leblanc – putting him atop the heap with 18. They have a precarious two-point lead over the third-place Cougars.

COBOURG COUGARS - The shorthanded Cougars started the week off on the right foot at home getting past the Vees by a 4-1 count. Carson Gallagher's unassisted tally just over six minutes into the third period was the winner. Elliot Gerth was strong in the net making 32 saves. Their planned trip to Wellington Friday was nixed by the weather but they got it played Sunday. However, they could not get the result they wanted in dropping a 5-2 decision, with Gallagher netting another with his team a man to the good.

TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS - The 'Hawks only scheduled contest of the week was a Friday night home game against Pickering, one of the casualties of the weather.

WHITBY FURY - The Fury were able to celebrate their third road win of the season on Thursday afternoon in Burlington but it was far from easy as they needed extra time to pull off the 3-2 victory. Liam Robertson's power-play goal late in the first gave them the 1-0 lead but the next one would not come until there were less than five minutes left on the clock in the third and with his first of the season it was scored by Nick Sirizzotti. Greg Smith worked his magic early in the OT to secure the two points. Sunday afternoon they put their eight-game home winning streak on the line against the Patriots, who had set the season high of nine, as their opponents. Ryan Bazzara got them off to a flying start but that streak would come to an end. By the end of 40 minutes, it was 5-2 for the South Division leaders. In the 5-3 final, Liam Robertson had two for an even dozen on the season.

 

SOUTH

TORONTO PATRIOTS - Tyler Fassl made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season and Oliver Benwell, Andrew Petrucci – his league-leading 37th goal – and Dante Spagnuolo, with the empty-netter, did the scoring in their 3-0 win over their arch-rival North York. Kyler Matthews, in his first game since the trade deadline deal with the Chargers, had an assist. The win advanced their winning streak to seven in a row. Sunday afternoon in Whitby was a big game for Petrucci who logged two goals and four points as they ended the Fury's winning home streak at eight games. Matthews, Lee Lapid and Rhys Brown had their other markers in the 5-3 victory. Petrucci became the first player to reach the 70-point mark this season and now has 71. His next goal will be No. 40. The Patriots are the league's No. 1 team with 67 points and a .817 winning percentage and an eight-game streak of wins in the books. A four-point lead for the Pats with two games in hand over Oakville.

OAKVILLE BLADES - A battle of big clubs was called off Friday as the weather prevented the Tigers and Blades from getting it on at Sixteen Mile but they got back into action in Mississauga and rode a 23-save performance by Chris Elliot to the 3-0 win. It was the fifth clean sheet and tops in the league this season for the goalie. Teth Burles and Spencer Kersten in the second and Thomas Maia in the third accounted for the goals. It was their league-leading 16th victory away from home. Eric Uba, acquired from the Dukes at the deadline, had one assist. Head Coach Mike Tarantino is very pleased with Uba's addition noting that he has a good shot and has scored everywhere he has played. He is a 200-foot player, he said, who is not afraid to get into the dirty areas and will be a good addition to their strong forward group. He praised Elliot who he says continues to make big saves at key points in games, and added that you need top goalies to win and they have two guys that the team trusts. A one point lead over the third-place Rangers now with both teams having 11 games left in the regular season. 

NORTH YORK RANGERS -  They topped Milton 6-0 on a 17-save shutout performance by Jett Alexander, his first of the season. Ross Kreiger opened up what would be a 40-shot barrage with the first goal of the game and his 15th. of the campaign. In his first contest since being re-acquired Fedor Rudakov had a goal and an assist. Thursday the long trip to Kingston got them two more points in the divisional run for the roses as they edged the Vees 3-2 in regulation led by two goals from blueliner Peter Muzyka and the decider from Jesse Tucker. Colby Muise made 26 saves for the win. Saturday night at the Westwood against the Patriots would not prove so positive as they suffered a 3-0 loss. Game No. 4 was a home Sunday matinee with Burlington and they needed a goal late in the third by Nick Campoli (No. 14) to send the contest into overtime at ones but that was all they would get as the Cougars took it 2-1. 

TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS - They failed to gain any ground on any of the teams in front of them this week. In their first game, they ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 final against Georgetown. NHL prospect Jack McBain had their only score, his 16th. A matchup of divisional rivals at the 'Pond' on Sunday as the Buzzers provided the opposition but the result was the same as they were setback 5-3 with Jason Pineo, David Sherman and Chad Lopez, both on the power play, accounting for their goals. Lopez now has six points in his last four games.

St. MICHAEL'S BUZZERS - No Friday night hockey in the venerable old arena at Bathurst and St. Clair as their contest versus Burlington was one of this week's postponements. Against the Junior Canadiens Sunday evening, they got two points and strengthened their hold on spot No.7 in the S/W Conference with a record of .500. Jonah Alexander scored the winner in this one and Darren Jackson's goal (an empty-netter) was his 24th of the campaign. Brother Ty Jackson netted his 13th. A big win for this up-and-down squad who meet with the Canadiens again in their next contest. 

MISSISSAUGA CHARGERS - With three veterans traded away, the Chargers still came up with a big effort in Georgetown gaining what might be a valuable point in their 2-1 overtime loss. 15-year-old Tyler Tullio had his second in as many games, the goal coming in the third period. Luca Durante was one busy goalkeeper making 45 saves. They fell short Saturday night in Port Credit being shutout by the Blades 3-0. Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, the Junior Sabres got the 6-2 win with Matthew Brassard and Kyle Lewis finding the net. They now sit one point behind Orangeville (35-36) in the race for the final playoff spot in the S/W Conference.

 

WEST

GEORGETOWN RAIDERS - Three for three this week. The Raiders had a tough battle at home Wednesday night with Mississauga although they got off to a fast start with a goal from Justin Paul just over two minutes in. The Chargers tied it up in the third setting the stage for the game winner in OT from veteran Andrew Court giving him a career-tying high of 12 for the season. At home again Saturday night, they notched a 3-1 win over the J.C's. Just a minute and a half had elapsed when Brendan D'Agostino put them ahead before Andrew Court got No. 13 to make it 2-1 after one. There were just four seconds left when Jordan Crocker netted their third. Both D'Agostino and Court added assists and Zac Elson had two. Troy Timpano made his Raider debut a winning one in stopping 29 Canadiens' shots. Sunday afternoon in Orangeville, Nathan Torchia made 39 saves in the 6-1 victory. Jordan Crocker's goal just past the three-minute mark of the first frame would be the winner. Jason Smith scored his 24th. goal and he and Court are tied for the lead in points on the club with 42. D'Agostino has 40.

BUFFALO JUNIOR SABRES had a light week with just one contest in the friendly confines of the HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo against the Chargers and it ended in a 6-2 win, No. 23 for them, powered by a Scott Ramaekers' hat trick. He now has 10 goals on the campaign, one of six players to reach double figures on the team. Zach Nazzarett had a goal and two helpers. A solid second spot in the Division and sixth in the Conference for the Sabres. They trail Georgetown by seven points and both teams have 15 games left.

ORANGEVILLE FLYERS - A tough one goal setback Saturday at Alder Street as the Dukes took the 4-3 squeaker with Kevin Shirmaly, Rocco Andreacchi and Nathan Gooch getting the goals. In front of their own supporters again they hosted the division-leading Raiders but no joy in a 6-1 defeat with Andreacchi getting the game's third goal. They still cling on to the last playoff spot.

BURLINGTON COUGARS - A big point for Burlington in their Appleby matinee on Thursday. A hard-fought contest against Whitby. Down 1-0 after one, they got second period markers from Matthew Galli, his club-leading 12th and Michael Miele but would get just the singleton with the Fury pulling off the 3-2 extra time win. Their Friday night plans in St. Michael's fell afoul of the storm but Sunday at the 'Herb' they walked away with two very large points on an overtime goal from Galli at the 43-second mark of extra time session No. 2. Mitchell Morrison opened the game's scoring in the second period. Justin Richer had a busy afternoon stopping 39 Ranger shots. A very welcome and important road win for the club who now trail the conference's eighth place team – the Flyers – by four points.  

MILTON ICEHAWKS - The journey to the Herb Carnegie Centre did not end well for the IceHawks as they fell 6-0 to North York and that was their only action of the week.

Twenty-nine scheduled games upcoming for this week as the action continues. It begins with matinees in Burlington and Buffalo today and a nightcap in Cobourg this evening.