THE BOYS ARE BACK
LONDON (Sept. 11) -- The Ancaster Avalanche opened their 2016-17 regular season with a pair of games at the GOJHL Showcase in London. And while the results weren't what they'd hoped for -- a 5-4 loss to Chatham on Saturday and a 10-6 loss to Guelph on Sunday -- the team played with energy and enthusiasm.
In the first game, the Avs dominated for much of the contest, particularly at even strength. After a scoreless first period, the Avs went ahead on a goal by Tyler Bell early in the second. But Chatham came back with three power-play markers to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. The Avs overwhelmed the Maroons throughout the period and got a pair of goals from Jack Wismer and a single from Dawson Garcia to take a 4-3 lead at the 17:43 mark. But they couldn't hang on as Chatham tied it up with the extra attacker, then, just 19 seconds later, capitalized on a turnover deep in the Ancaster zone to seal the 5-4 win.
The Guelph game was a run-and-gun affair in which Ancaster held a 3-2 lead early in second before fading as the Hurricanes tallied eight times in the game’s final 23 minutes. Graydon James had three goals for Ancaster, while Bell, Zach Bramwell and Domenic Evangelista added singles. Wismer and Ryan Knill chipped in with three assists each for the Avs.
Ancaster travels to Pelham to take on the Panthers on Friday, Sept. 16 (7:30 p.m., Pelham Rink). Our home opener is on Saturday, Sept. 17 when we host the Thorold Blackhawks (7:30 p.m., Morgan Firestone Arena).
- Check out our photo gallery for more images from this game.
