NEWS

 

Nicholas Cordeiro of the Mississauga Chargers celebrates his shorthanded goal against the St. Michael’s Buzzers Sunday. The Buzzers won 3-2 at St. Michael’s College School. (Photo by Ray MacAloney / OJHL Images)

BY RON VALENTINE

​​It was a good week for the Pickering Panthers and Aurora Tigers with three wins in three Ontario Junior Hockey League games each. 

The Georgetown Raiders, North York Rangers and Toronto Junior Canadiens won both of their contests and the Cobourg Cougars and Toronto Patriots took five of a possible six points. 

The top spot in the South Division continues to be hotly contested with the J.C's and Rangers tied at 27 points with the St. Michael's Buzzers, who saw their 10-game winning streak stopped by the Rangers, one point behind with 26.

In the East, the Trenton Golden Hawks' 26 points give them a five-point lead over the Haliburton County Huskies with the other three teams grouped closely behind. Eight points from top to tail.

In the West, the Burlington Cougars won two of three to keep ahead of the Raiders by three points, 26 to 23, though they have played two more games. The Oakville Blades, Milton Menace and Brantford 99ers complete the logjam with eight points separating first from fifth.

In the North, the Panthers lead by four points, 26 to 22, over the Collingwood Blues who are seven up on the third-place Tigers.

All 10 clubs in the East and West are playing at or above .500 hockey.

MONDAY - To start the week a double overtime contest in Cobourg where, with his second goal of the game, visiting Haliburton County Huskies forward Oliver Tarr was the hero to give the visitors the 3-2 decision. Seventeen on the season now for the speedy forward from Uxbridge, ON. Jacob Gilbert had a powerplay goal for the Cougars and Liam Filip had the other. Christian Stevens got the winners off to a quick start, scoring just over a minute into the game. It was his 10th point in seven appearances.

TUESDAY - A pair of goals, one shorthanded, from Connor Van Weelie keyed the Aurora Tigers to a matinee 7-2 home ice victory over the Brantford 99ers. Justin Biraben, runner up for North/West player of the month for October, had three assists. Justin noted: "It was a great game for us. We did a better job of capitalizing on our chances, which led us to the big win." Captain Luc Reeve had a goal and two helpers as the Tigers solidified their hold in third place in the North. Jake Partridge had two markers, one shorthanded, and an assist for Brantford. Eighteen points in 10 games for the 99ers captain.

In the second afternoon game, the Pickering Panthers had their offense rolling and ended up with a 6-2 decision over the visiting Stouffville Spirit. The home team had three unanswered goals in the opening 20 minutes to set the tone. Brett Henderson scored shorthanded for the winners while Ryan Cutler and Davis Bone scored both Spirit goals on the powerplay to cut the lead to 4-2. Pickering defenceman Brendan Tomilson had a goal and three points, giving him seven in his last two games. Lucas Rowe's marker in the game's last minute was his 10th, the first Panther to get into double figures in that category.

In the evening contest, the Burlington Cougars doubled the Oakville Blades 4-2 at the Burlington Central Arena to tie the Trenton Golden Hawks with a .800 winning percentage and a five-point lead in the West. Jack Richard's goal near the midway point of the contest was the game winner that broke a 2-2 tie. It was number ten for the Stoney Creek native, the first Cougar to reach that mark. Ten Burlington players have ten points or more. For the Blades, who have backpedaled a bit losing four straight following their strong start, Mason Zebeski scored his first OJHL goal. 

WEDNESDAY - The Toronto Junior Canadiens travelled to Lindsay and came away with a 4-1 victory to claim sole ownership of top spot in the South. Brad Ditillio broke a 1-1 tie in the second for the game winner. Christain Catalano scored twice, the last one into the empty Muskies' net. Chrstian Trianni saved 29 for the win. Alex Farmer had the Lindsay goal. Four wins in a row for the J.C's, outscoring the opposition 14-7. The Junior Candiens upped their road record to six wins and one loss. 

It looked like the Toronto Patriots were cruising to a victory in Cobourg as they had a 3-1 lead with under three minutes left in the third period but two goals with the extra attacker on the ice meant there would be extra time. Kallaway Mercer, No. 9 for him, and Tai York, with his eighth, scored for the home side and the momentum they had carried through into the overtime and in short order captain Tucker Firth gave the Cougars the two points. Patriots' blueliner Noah DeSantis scored his first OJHL goal to give them the two-goal bulge. Final 4-3 Cobourg. 

THURSDAY - A lone Remembrance Day matinee in Aurora as the Tigers edged the Collingwood Blues 3-2 in a double-overtime thriller. The home side went up 2-0 on  William Smith's goal in the first and Luke Reeve's sixth and 21st point of the season just 42 seconds into the second period. The Blues got two quick ones late in that period from the two Owen's Johnston (shorthanded) and Sage, the third goal for each of them. After a scoreless third the overtime hero was Stouffville native Lee Chiang netting his sixth in his last four games. For the victors, Hopeville's Connor Van Weelie had two helpers. Tigers' Governor Jim Thomson on Connor: "I've known Connor for eight years and I am very happy with his start here but at the same time not surprised. He is a talented player and a great kid." 

In the very tight West Division race, the 99ers took a slim 4-3 win over the visiting Milton Menace leaving both clubs with identical 8-6-0-2 records and tied for third place. It took only 25 seconds for Easton Wainwright to put Brantford ahead with his eleventh goal of the season. Kurt Watson's goal midway through the third made it a 4-1 advantage before the Menace got two back courtesy Lucas Buzziol and Justin Randwawa less than a minute apart but the home side would hold fast for the remainder of the contest. Jake Partridge upped his point scoring run to five games with an assist. Lucas Thompson and Brendan Anderson had the other Brantford goals while Jordan Stock had a powerplay goal for Milton. 

Ten wins in a row to set a league record for this season for the St. Michael's Buzzers as they topped the Admirals 7-3 in Caledon. Giacomo Martino had two goals and Brad Somers and Bryce Sutherland two assists each giving them 32 and 28 points respectively at the top of the OJHL scoring list. With the win, St. Mike's leapfrog over the North York Rangers into second place, one point behind the Junior Canadiens in the hotly-contested South Division race. Ryan O'Toole and Jake Barkley tallied their sixth goals for the Admirals. Captain Brad on the Buzzers' streak and season: "It's great to be on this run and everyone is contributing. Before we went on this streak, the Junior Canadiens and (North York) Rangers had both beaten us twice so it's good to be in a race with them. The game against the Rangers on Friday is going to be very big for us."

FRIDAY - Seven games on the schedule with lots of 'Local Derbies' in the mix. The completion of a home and home series between the Blades and the Burlington Cougars, on a three game win streak, at Sixteen Mile in Oakville got things going and the visitors would take three leads in this game only to have Oakville tie it up each time. Michael Tiveron's power play goal in the third, his second of the game, gave the Blades the 4-3 edge and they would wrap it up on Parker Murray empty-netter for the 5-3 final. Tiveron had a big night with four points and Chase Strychaluk notched a goal and two assists. Matt Franzoi had a pair of goals for the Cougars. The West stays very competitive. 

The Buzzers' winning streak ended at 10 games as they fell 3-1 at home to the North York Rangers. Daniel Gaeta's goal in the last minute of period two would be the game winner. Zach Ophoven opened the scoring for the Rangers and added an assist. Daniel Petreccia also had a goal and two points. Bryce Sutherland scored his 14th for St. Mike's, his 29th point of the season. The Rangers moved into a first place tie with the idle Junior Canadiens at 25 points. The Buzzers have 24. James Gray, OJHL Warrior goalie of the month of October, made 20 saves. Rangers captain Jaden Condotta on his club's first 18 games: "We got off to a strong start and, although we lost our last three before tonight, we knew there would be ups and downs. And we were prepared for the Buzzers although they were on a big winning streak. Games against teams in our division are so important. Everyone is contributing and it's good to see Ophoven gaining confidence with every game and (George) Fegaras maturing on defence. He is skilled, can play the simple game and he's very physical." 

Meetings of the Trenton Golden Hawks and Wellington Dukes are always eagerly looked forward to. This one was at the 'Hangar’ in Trenton, Game 3 of the 'Hasty P's Cup' with over 750 fans in attendance. Wellington would pull off a 6-3 win to vacate the basement in the competitive East. Three goals unanswered in the second period for the Dukes made the difference. Brodie McDougall and David Campbell lit the lamp twice each for the winners. Aaron Jamieson had his first two of the season for Trenton. A 50-save performance by the Dukes' Matt Dunsmoor. Dalton Bancroft's two assists for the 'Hawks put him at the 30-point mark.

The 'Battle of Halton Hills' continued in Milton where the Menace hosted the Georgetown Raiders and this one would go into a second overtime session and Andrew Della Rovere became the hero of the game for the visitors in the 3-2 squeaker. Milton led 2-0 on goals by Holden Rogers and Aiden Hughes before three minutes had gone by in the game. Eric Russell got one back on the powerplay early in the second and Jack Guvenal tied it for the Raiders late in the period to set the scene for the extra time. A big rebound for the Raiders following last Sunday's 6-2 loss in Milton. Win 10 for them.

The Tigers, on a three game winning run, were looking to eclipse their 2019-20 point total of 18 when they visited the Markham Royals and they did just that with a 4-1 victory. Forty-two seconds in, Matthew Godwin connected and the home side were off to the races. Blueliner Ethan McFarland's first OJHL marker was the game winner. The third Aurora goal was also scored by a defenceman, William Smith. Godwin added two assists for his three-point night. Khaden Henry scored his seventh of the season for the Royals, to lead the team, early in the third before the Tigers' Lee Chiang found the empty net. Nolan Boyd, became a perfect four for four for Aurora stopping 21 shots. Captain Luc Reeve, who leads the club scoring with 21 points: "The guys have really responded since Boyd came on board from the MHL (Grand Falls Rapids). The loss in Markham really gave us a wakeup call and we have been much better since then, although everyone has stepped up for us it's good to see Godwin, (blueliner William) Smith and Chiang come to the forefront. Chiang is not a big guy but he is non-stop and loves to go to the net." 

The Muskies and Huskies faced off in Lindsay for the fourth time this season with Haliburton up 2 games to 1. It was the start of three games in three days for the Huskies who took the two points with a 2-1 victory thanks to a third period shorthanded goal by Sam Solarino. Duncan Scullion got the Muskies on the board, also shorthanded, five minutes into the second period before Will Gourgouvelis got the unassisted tying score. Christian Cicigoi made 30 stops for his eighth win of the season. Both clubs have 20 points, tied for second spot in the East.

A meeting of the top two North Division teams in Pickering as the Panthers hosted the Blues. In goal for Pickering was newly-acquired goaltender Zach Roy, ex of the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, and he made a strong start recording the shutout in their 3-0 win, saving 37 shots in the process. On the signing of Roy, Asst. GM Scotty Nicholson said: "We have two good goalies but we looked at what happened when we last played (2019-20 season) and got Brendan Bonello from the Kingston Frontenacs. Getting that 'OHL upgrade' changed our whole team dynamic so now we hope to see Zach change the room and get us some big wins." Aron Jessli got the first two Panther goals, both in the second period, and Dustin Hutton's empty-netter made it 3-0 for the home team. Now 12-5, Pickering went four up on Collingwood atop the North Division. 

SATURDAY - Six on the dance card for today. In the Minden matinee, the Golden Hawks and host Huskies, first and second respectively in the East, locked horns and the visitor's offence got into high gear and posted a 6-2 victory. Aiden McIntosh had two goals giving him 12 on the campaign. Jake LaVille had a shorthanded goal for the 'Hawks. The two assists recorded by Dalton Bancroft brought him up into a first place tie in the OJHL point leaders with the Buzzers' Brad Somers. Both of the Haliburton goals, from Lucas Stevenson and Nathan Porter, came on the power play.

Goals from Chase Strychaluk, his eighth, and Chris Gjoncaj, his first, put the Blades up 2-0 at home at Sixteen Mile against the Royals after 40 minutes. Markham captain Shane Hyman cut that lead in half early in the third but a shorthanded marker from Zach Wigle with a little under five minutes remaining would prove to be the winner as the visitors got a late one, his first of the season, from Jacob Boomhouwer for the 3-2 result. Win 10 on the campaign for the Blades who got an assist from Adam Tucci. The veteran was playing his second game since coming in from the Milton Menace.

The Patriots topped the Admirals 5-2 at Westwood Arena, fueled by a four-goal outburst in just over six minutes in the second period. Carter Diceman had a goal and two assists in the game to give the rookie 16 points on the season, tops on the team. Just one point behind, Ryan Forberg had his club-leading eighth goal. For the visitors Sebastian Bulovs tabbed goal No. 9 and point 21. 

There was 1:02 remaining in the West Division matchup at the Alcott with a 2-2 score on the board when Owen Holmes connected for the Raiders. It was goal No.4 for the Niagara-on-the-Lake native. Rhys Chiddenton put the home side one up early but Brendan Anderson got that one back for a 1-1 tie after one period. Following a scoreless second, Easton Wainwright's 12th of the season put the 99er's temporarily in the driver's seat. There were two and a half minutes left in the third when Eric Russell got the Raiders even, extending his point scoring streak to five games. With the 3-2 victory Georgetown held on to second spot in the West. One of the many new faces on this year's Raiders, Logan Heroux, a native of Middletown, NJ who assisted on the Raiders' second goal, played for the Utica Jr. Comets last season. On his time in the OJHL so far: "I really enjoy being a Raider. Great culture here and top coaching staff. My teammates are the best and we are all looking forward to lots more wins coming up."

Coming back from a 3-1 deficit early in the second the Burlington Cougars scored three unanswered in that period to win 4-3 at the Stouffville Arena. Josh Belgrave's 10th of the campaign was the difference maker. Belgrave left the game and did not return after sliding into the end boards. Nathan Naves opened the visitors' scoring with a shorthanded goal. Ryan Cutler had the Spirit's first goal and had assists on goals by Hayden Simpson and Jacob Dupuis who both had their first of the season. Jack Richard notched No. 11 for the Cougars who recorded win No. 12 for the season as his team maintained a three point lead in the West and moved up to 7-2 on the road. 

Playing their first game since Oct. 30, the Mississauga Chargers welcomed the Junior Canadiens, winners of their last four games, to the Port Credit arena. And, boom just like that, two goals inside the first minute for the home team with Jack Tos and Jack Ziliotto doing the honours. Before the end of the opening 20 minutes it was 4-0 Chargers courtesy Daniel Baldassarra and Nicholas Cordeiro. That was the good part for the Chargers as the visitors scored once in the second on Cooper Bertrand's first OJHL goal, and five times in the third to win 6-4, the first club to record 13 victories this season. Matthew Wilde had two for the winners and Eric Vitale potted his fifteenth into the empty Charger cage. The Head Coach of the J.C's Vince Bellissimo said: "Although we have been happy with our team defence so far, the addition of Adam Barkley from the Mississauga Steelheads will help us by giving us more size and strength. We will not have our captain Liam Fedak back off the injury list until late this month. We knew Vitale would be a scoring threat and he has been just that and he is really working on his 200-foot game so that he is really prepared for his next level. His ability to find the net is not easily found. We are in a tight race and have many big games ahead of us." 

SUNDAY - A half a dozen matinees and one evening event beginning with the Royals hoping for some home ice luck against the Spirit. Things went back and forth for 60 minutes and featured a crazy ending with the Spirit's Joe Kennedy netting the tying goal at 19:42 of the third with the extra attacker on the ice  to make it 4-4. But the action was not over as with a single second showing on the scoreboard, Owen Halloran found the net for just the second time this season to give Markham their third win of the season, 5-4. A big game for the Royals' Kevin Martin as the Buffalo-born center assisted on four goals. Bailey Kirwin had two goals for the Spirit. Captain Shane Hyman on literally the last-second win: "When the Spirit tied up the game with 18 seconds left, Coach Mike (Galati) got the board out and put together a quick play, then on the final faceoff in their zone and we got the win. It was crazy!" A confidence booster for the Royals and a tough loss for the Spirit.   

One goal only in the Patriots’ game with the Muskies in Lindsay. The Pats’ Kyle Curtin posted the clean sheet, his first in the OJHL, with a 43-save performance. Joseph Martino scred with a little over five minutes left in the second period. Yacine Chemrouk turned back 25. A good week for the Patriots who got five points out of a possible six. 

The Buzzers, after having their win streak broken, got back on  the good side of the scoresheet against the Mississauga Chargers with a 3-2 win. Bryce Sutherland's goal with a half a minute left in period two was the game winner. He sits in third place in OJHL scoring with 31 points. It was his 15th goal of the campaign. Nick Cordeiro had a shorthanded goal for the Chargers. 

Thirteen goals at the 'Dukedome' with the visiting Cobourg Cougars getting it done late with a 7-6 win. Tai York had the first goal of the contest and the last one, the game winner and George Krotiris weighed in with three assists. Barrett Joynt and Jacob Vreugdenhill (one shorthand) had two goals each for Wellington. It was all Cobourg in the first frame as they built up a 5-0 lead before the home side started to chip away at the lead and by the time the second stanza was done it was a 6-4 game in favour of the Cougars. In the third, Vreugdenhill and Joynt scored their second to tie the game setting up York's dramatics. Ten now for Tai.

Two starts and two wins for the Panthers' newly-signed 'keeper Zach Roy. This time a 4-1 win for Pickering in Brantford. Dustin Hutton, who started his Junior career with the Georgetown Raiders and then played for the Toronto Junior Canadiens before moving to the OHL's Peterborough Petes and Kingston Frontenacs, had two goals for the winners and now has nine points in seven games. Jake Partridge had the 99er's goal. The Panthers are on the move now with four wins in a row. A physical contest with 100 penalty minutes.

At The Herb in North York,  the host Rangers edged the Huskies 4-3 in extra time, courtesy of a goal from Anthony Piccininno, his second of the game. Oliver Tarr's 18th and 19th goals inside two minutes at the beginning of the second period, gave the Huskies a 3-0 advantage. But by the end of 40 minutes it was a 3-2 game and then Luca Rea tied it up in the third. The reward for the victory was a tie for top spot in the South with the Junior Canadiens.

The Menace and the Blues had the evening encounter in wintry conditions in Milton. Holden Rogers continued his strong play of late giving the Menace a quick lead in the first before Collingwood got the equalizer from Dylan Hudon in the second on the powerplay. The visitors were awarded a penalty shot in the final frame and Will Redick made no mistake. With Milton goalie Forbes Andersen on the bench, Owen Johnson made it a 3-1 victory for the Blues. Ancaster's Brett Fullerton stopped 32 Menace shots in his OJHL debut. 

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda