NEWS

Samuel Duchesne of the Trenton Golden Hawks accepts his OJHL Warrior Hockey South-East Conference Player of the Month for October award from Rob McGregor (left), the OJHL’s Director of Officiating, and Trenton's Director of Hockey Operations, John McDonald, Friday in Trenton. (Photo by Amy Deroche / OJHL Images)

BY RON VALENTINE

We went streaking in the Ontario Junior Hockey League this week:

• The Toronto Patriots had their 12-game winning streak and perfect road record ended by the Trenton Golden Hawks.

• The Wellington Dukes, who last lost on Oct. 6, took their unbeaten streak to 13 with three wins and the Trenton Golden Hawks won both their contests to move their unbeaten run up to nine. 

• Going three for three this week as well: the Buffalo Junior Sabres.

• The North leading Stouffville Spirit won both games and top their Division by two points. In the West the Oakville Blades, two for two this week, lead the Burlington Cougars, who won their only game by a singleton. The other four in that Division are separated by just four points.

MONDAY - The only scheduled Remembrance Day game, between the COBOURG COUGARS and the visiting TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS, had to be postponed due to the snowstorm. The Cougars parted ways with Head Coach Jerome Dupont, naming Tom Plommer to the post on an interim basis. GM Adam Yahn: "It's never easy making a coaching change mid-season but at this point we needed a new coaching and leadership style. I am very thankful for Jerome's three seasons of service with the Cougars. The new staff will bring along a different perspective along with an enhanced commitment to player development.”

TUESDAY - The WELLINGTON DUKES, undefeated in their past 10 games, journeyed to play the WHITBY FURY in an East Division matchup and it was a 'knock'em down, drag 'em out affair. Patrick Goan, in his first game for the Fury since being traded from Lindsay, led the way with 24 penalty minutes: the total was 131.  Final: 6-1 Dukes of Wellington with Jake Gagnon scoring his 23rd goal and Ben Evans having a goal and two assists and Dawson Ellis had a shorthanded marker. Rookie goalie from Virgil, ON Matt Keeley got the win saving 31 shots.

WEDNESDAY - In a matinee contest, the PICKERING PANTHERS ended their four-game losing streak with a 4-2 home win over the GEORGETOWN RAIDERS. A penalty shot by Brenden Sirizzotti in the second period put the Panthers ahead 3-2 and less than two minutes later Eli Pilosof 's powerplay goal was the insurance the home team needed. Miami's Darius Bell saved 29 for the win. Pickering are now 4-6, both at home and on the road. Graeme McCrory had a goal and an assist for Georgetown.

Two teams having tough season so far and bottom of their respective Divisions met at Harborcenter as the BUFFALO JUNIOR SABRES from the West took on the East's LINDSAY MUSKIES. The Sabres were winners of six straight at home coming into the contest. A good opening period for the visitors with powerplay goals by Curtis Trolley and, playing his first game since being traded from Whitby, and Bryce Caruk. After Sutter Donegan got the Sabres on the scoresheet inside the first minute of period two Duncan Scullion quickly made it 3-1 Lindsay but it would be downhill from there as the Sabres netted six before period end including two each from rookie Ethan Louisos and veteran Nathan Berke (numbers 10 and 11 for him). Third period goals by Alex Stinis and Leo Bax were their first in the OJHL and made it 9-3 for the home side before Adam Miwa and Trolley's second made it a final 9-5 decision in favour of the Sabres. One-hundred-and-twenty of the 134 penalty minutes called were in the third period.

THURSDAY - No rest for the Junior Sabres as they were on the road to play BRANTFORD 99ers and they were able to put up just their second away win in the 3-1 decision. A good night for two Sabres' players named today to the Top Prospects team: Matteo Constantini had two goals and an assist and goalkeeper Luke Pavecich made 32 saves. Captain Alec Cicero assisted on all three Buffalo goals.

The STOUFFVILLE SPIRIT with a home win over the MISSISSAUGA CHARGERS, .500 on the road, moved into top spot in the North and another player just named to the Top Prospects squad was front and centre: Luke Strickland had two goals and an assist. All-star game pick Damon Beaver was seven seconds away from his fourth shutout of the season when he was beaten by the Chargers' Matteo Pecchia in the 3-1 final.

FRIDAY - It was the fourth meeting of the season between the OAKVILLE BLADES and Brantford, this one at Sixteen Mile arena and the 99ers almost stole it and it took a late third-period goal by Harrison Israels to force overtime and then with just eight seconds left in the second session blueliner Bryce Kilbourne scored to give the home side the 4-3 decision. For Israels it was his 15th goal, that an assist took him to 45 points to stay on top in the point-scoring race. Liam Stevens had a shorthanded goal for the 99ers in the third period that gave them the 3-2 edge. Colton Incze made 62 saves in the almost 70-minute loss.

In another all-West match-up, the BURLINGTON COUGARS hosted Georgetown. Going into the Appleby matchup the Cougars had gone seven games without a regulation defeat and the Raiders had gone five games without a victory. Not only did the Cougars fatten up their League best penalty killing record (93.52%) they got a shorthanded tally from Matt Franzoi to tie the game at 1-1. Justin Paul had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead before early in the third Franzoi picked the puck up at his own blueline and sifted his way through for the tying goal. It was lucky 13th for Matthew Giannini who got the game winner on a breakaway. Max Wright stopped 32 for the win. Burlington continues to lead Oakville by a singleton in the West. Though it was far from a dominating performance by his team Cougars' captain Jack Hobbs said: "We will take the two points. Definitely a tighter game than we would like but a great character comeback. Franzoi's goal was 'highlight reel' worthy and it got us all on our feet and gave us energy on the bench." The rookie and graduate of the Hamilton Bulldogs Midgets noted: "When I'm on the penalty kill I'm always told by my coach (Mark Jooris) to go with the puck if the opportunity presents itself so that's what I did in that situation and it ended up working out this time around."

The fourth and fifth place clubs in the North standings met in Pickering with the Panthers and the AURORA TIGERS getting it on and this belonged to the home side who posted the 7-3 victory led by a two-goal, two-assist performance by veteran Ajax native Kevin Stiles. Brenden Sirizzotti had three assists. Rookie Sebastian Tamburro scored twice for the Tigers. A 2-for-2 week for Pickering. Rocco Andreacchi, who had the Panthers third goal and an assist: "A good week for us for sure and hopefully we can keep it going now."

The MILTON MENACE, much improved of late, had a tough task with the COLLINGWOOD COLTS in to visit but backed by an outstanding 42-save shutout display by Garrett Boyonoski, his second straight clean sheet and two goals from newly-named captain Jordan Stock they earned the 3-0 win. A goal in each period for the Menace. A very solid victory against the second-place club in the North.

The MARKHAM ROYALS with just three wins in their last 10, hosted the TORONTO JUNIOR CANADIENS , winners of their last four games but there was a shutout in this game too posted by Nick Stofcheck, his OJHL- first- he made 33 saves. At the other end the J.C's Christian Mattiace performed the same feat over 60 minutes but just 35 seconds into the extra time North Bay native Nick Davis gave Markham the 1-0 win.

The host St. MICHAEL'S BUZZERS and Cobourg, who now have former Pickering GM\Head Coach David DeMarinis behind their bench as Associate Coach, fought a close battle with the home team coming out on top with a 3-2 win. This one also went into overtime and the hero in the second session was rookie Thomas Sinclair who scored his seventh goal and 19th point of the campaign. Sophomore George Krotiris had the only goal of the final frame to get the Cougars into extra time.

The TRENTON GOLDEN HAWKS, unbeaten in their last seven games, hosted the TORONTO PATRIOTS, winners of 12 on the trot and 11 for 11 on the road. Rocky Harbour NL native Kyle Robinson, in just his second game for the Golden Hawks broke a 4-4 third period draw and Jared Gerger and Griffen Fox, into the empty net, added goals for the 7-4 final. Blueliner Robinson was obtained from the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Jr. League. Former Barrie Colt Peter Fleming had two goals for the Patriots. Fox's goal gave him a five-game scoring streak. Captain Sam Duchesne on the win: "Things didn't go too well in our first meeting (the Patriots beat them 5-2 at the Westwood) and this was a back and forth game, although we had a good third we kept our consistency up throughout the game. We were able to make plays and create some turnovers. The game plan in our rink worked well, they are a good team but we were ready for them."

Lindsay, looking for a bounce-back had the Dukes, who had not tasted defeat in their last eleven contests in town and a pair of markers from Ben Evans led Wellington to the 4-1 victory to stay tied with Trenton on top of the East and they do have three games in hand. The Dukes built up a 3-0 first period lead before Tristan Roberts got one back for the Muskies late in the second. Jake Gagnon's 24th goal of the season was the only one of the final frame.

SATURDAY - Game No. 24 for the Oakville Blades and they needed two points from their home contest with Lindsay to leapfrog back over Burlington and take first in the West. Alton McDermott opened and closed the scoring for the Blades who took the 6-3 victory. Justin Randhawa had a shorthanded marker for the winners. Cameron Hatziioannou, bearing his newly acquired "A" had Oakville's fifth goal and added an assist. McDermott and Harrison Israels are tied for the club's goal scoring led with 15. Harrison needs three points to be the first player to reach the 50-point mark in the League. It was home win number ten for the West Division leaders. They have only two home games between now and Christmas. GM Jordan Selinger:  "… the World Junior team is taking over our rink for two weeks in December but we will get through it and the good thing is we will have lots of home games down the stretch."

The Patriots had a chance to regroup and start another streak at home as the entertained the Whitby Fury and they did it in a big way, winning 8-1. Three goals in less than four minutes in the opening period got them off to a good start. Truly a team effort with sixteen skaters getting at least a point. Josiah Degazon netted his seventh and eighth goals. Mario Peccia posted his OJHL-leading 15th win of the campaign. The win was a big one with the Junior Canadiens still nipping at their heels. Two powerplay goals for Toronto to take the League lead at a 24.76 per cent success rate.

The Dukes of Wellington were looking to extend their unbeaten streak to thirteen games in Brampton and they built up a 5-0 advantage en route to a 5-3 victory with Dylan Massie scoring twice and Daniel Panetta getting a goal and three points. The visitors had their offense really rolling pouring 65 shots on the Admirals' net. Sean Wu, coming in after the Dukes fifth goal stopped all 38 shots he faced. Brian Bygrave, the former Smiths' Falls Bear, had his first OJHL goal for the winners. Head Coach Derek Smith: "Our leadership group has been great this season, they have created an environment of hard work while still having fun. The players have had a common goal all season and that is to keep developing, keep better every day and enjoy coming to the rink. It's been a good first half but it's a long season and we still have work to do."

With a win in Aurora the Spirit extended their lead atop the North to three points. For the third time in his last five games, Luke Strickland scored two goals and Connor May's two assists were his 30th and 31st.points of the season. Tanner McEachern chipped in with a goal and two helpers. Eight wins against four losses on the road for Stouffville and four straight setbacks now for the Tigers. In their last 10 games, the Spirit have an enviable 8 wins, 2 loss record.

A South Division battle in Port Credit with the Chargers welcoming the North York Rangers. Matthew Sop tallied both Chargers' goals but it would not be enough as Cole O'Hara tabbed the winner in the third period in North York's 4-2 win. Top prospect Aydin Parekh had the insurance marker into the vacated Mississauga net.

SUNDAY - The Fury and the 99ers met in Brantford hoping to redeem their weeks as both clubs had two losses coming in. It was a battle of the goalies between Whitby's Connor MacKenzie and the 99ers Colton Incze. MacKenzie saved all 42 shots in his club's 2-0 victory and Incze made 31 stops. Blueliners Isaac Sooklal and Aaron Chiarot each had a goal and an assist. For Hamiltonian Chiarot it was his first goal in his third game as a member of the Fury. Ironically, he was traded to them from Brantford.

The Junior Canadiens trying to keep pace with the front-running Patriots in the South were in tough with the Buzzers as visitors. It was the fourth meeting of the two clubs with the J.C's leading the season series 2-1. Mathew Rehding, on a powerplay, and Rizvan Manurov, shorthanded, scored late in period one to get the J.C's going. Matt DiGiulio got one back for St. Michael's in period two. Connor LePage's third of the season gave the home side the two-goal lead and Thomas McKeown got the empty-netter in the 4-1 win, their 16th of the season and they trail the Patriots by four points. Three assists for Matthew Di Cesare.

The Menace, victors in their last three contests, two by shutouts, had the Golden Hawks, unbeaten in eight as the formidable opposition on Thompson Street and the visitors unleashed their balanced offense with five different players finding the net in their 5-1 win. Cameron Gaylor had three assists moving him up to the 25-point mark and Anand Oberoi made 28 saves while Griffen Fox extended his goal-scoring streak to six games and also posted two helpers. Forty-four points for the 'Hawks in 29 games; the same number for Wellington in 26 contests.

The North York Rangers hosted the Junior Sabres, winners of their previous two contests this week and the U.S. squad made it three in a row doubling the home team 6-3. Matteo Constantini scored twice, his first one shorthanded, and added an assist for the Sabres, who on Nathan Berke's goal early in the second period led it 4-0. Nathan leads the club in goals with 13. Here's the key, said captain Alec Cicero, who scored an unassisted goal to open the scoring: "Playing simple, playing smart." Michael Mroziak, broadcaster, opines on the Sabres: "The team struggled early on with injuries but Coach Nick (Tuzzolino) seems to have found good chemistry with the lines and other non-veterans are now stepping up. The goalies are young but gaining in confidence at the OJHL level."

A big game for two North Division clubs, with Markham and Collingwood facing off at the Centennial arena where a double overtime powerplay goal from Nick Davis, his second of the game and 12th of the season, gave the Royals the 4-3 edge. Davis scored overtime game winners in two straight games. All the regulation time goals came in the second period. Markham are now three points behind the second place Colts. The Royals Vincent Bonaiuto, who had two assists in the matchup and leads the squad along Zac Sirota on 26 points: "It felt good to have the team healthy. I've had the privilege of playing with Nick (Davis, 25 points) for the past few weeks. He's a dynamic player and we have built up great chemistry between us on the ice."

The Aurora Tigers announced Sunday that Rob DeFulviis was out as general manager and head coach. Jim Wells Jr., who was the Tigers’ associate coach, assumes the head coaching duties. Daniel Giammarco, the former associate GM/coach, is the new GM.

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda