NEWS

Goaltender Zach Dietz of the Burlington Cougars tracks the play through a small window in a wall of players at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville Thursday. Cougar teammates David Paluch and Isaac Faccio look to the blueline with Oakville Blades Brendan Bowie and Adam Tucci. Burlington won 5-2. (Photo by Michelle Malvaso / OJHL Images). 

BY RON VALENTINE

Twenty of 21 teams in the Ontario Junior Hockey League got back into action this week after the provincially mandated COVID-19 league closure ended. The Toronto Patriots resume play tomorrow. 

The Burlington Cougars, Milton Menace and North York Rangers won two of their three games. The Wellington Dukes and Pickering Panthers were victorious in both of their contests. 

TUESDAY - The imposed layoff seemed to have little effect on the Burlington Cougars and the Milton Menace as they took part in a see-saw battle at the Central Arena in Burlington. Tied 3-3 after 40 minutes, goals from captain Jordan Stock and Andrew Horsley with the game's only power play goal gave the visitors the 5-3 victory to move them within six points of Burlington atop the West Division with two games in hand. This one had all the earmarks of a playoff game with lots of physicality and intensity. Defenceman Graham MacCauley had his first OJHL goal on a snapshot early in the second period to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. The home side had to do without high-scoring forward Jack Richard who was serving the first of a four-game suspension. Cougars' Head Coach Mark Jooris was philosophical after the game: "It was a playoff feel for sure. I like our effort tonight but our power play let us down. We will learn from it and get better." It was Milton's fourth win in a row. Menace Governor Jason Tryfon summed it up: "It was a wild game!"

WEDNESDAY - The League-leading North York Rangers journeyed to Lindsay where they would fall to the Muskies 2-1. Boyd Stahlbaum scored both goals for the home team. The first one came halfway through the contest and that was on the power play. His second, and of course, game winner, was scored two and a half minutes into the final frame. Seventeen goals to date and his sixth two-goal game. Sean Clarke had the only Rangers goal to send the game into the third tied 1-1. Ethan Fraser recorded win No. 7 after making 33 stops. James Gray took the loss saving 26. With the win, the Muskies jumped out of the East basement and over Cobourg into fourth spot –  but they played four more games.

THURSDAY - The fifth meeting this season between Oakville and Burlington, this one at Sixteen Mile in Oakville. Going into the game the Blades had won three of the meetings but the Cougars would prevail in this one giving Head Coach Mark Jooris a birthday present with a 5-2 win. The visitors built up a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes before the Blades came back to within one before the Cougars scored twice on the empty net. Goals number 20 and 21 for Josh Belgrave. Josh Vagenas, acquired at the trading deadline from Haliburton, had one of the Oakville goals with Chase Strychaluk getting the other. Also scoring for Burlington were Bailey Kirwin, his second since coming over from Stouffville, Joel Chauvin and Matt Franzoi. Cougars Associate Coach Kirby Tokarski: "Mark (Head Coach) was super happy. We were still a little rusty tonight but found a way to win, having the three guys back (Matt Zebedee, David Paluch and Kaleb Tiessen) was definitely a plus for us. We just needed to get everyone back on the same page and buzzing.”

At the Alcott arena in Georgetown, Shane Hyman, captain of the Markham Royals and the Raiders' Owen Holmes (on the power play) exchanged goals in the second and that would be the extent of the scoring over three periods. Ten minutes of extra time could not produce a goal so the teams had to be content with the 1-1 tie. Mikael Kingo with 38 saves was in net for the home team and it was Nicholas Van Kauffman for the Royals who repelled 37. Markham Head Coach Mike Galati was pleased: "I thought we were good in all three zones. and we stuck to the game plan without veering off when things did not go our way. We stayed disciplined for the entire game, which was nice to see."

Tyler Fukakusa extended his points streak to 11 games with a two-goal (one shorthanded) and three-assist performance and Matthew Wilde had four points and upped his goal total to 21 as the Toronto Junior Canadiens, keyed by Shelby Warren's 24-save shutout performance, topped the host Caledon Admirals at the Mayfield arena 7-0. Christian Catalano posted three assists. Canadiens’ GM Blake Ricci is optimistic: "It's great to be back playing games and this was a good first performance. We are taking it day by day as there is definitely some rust to shake off still and we have two really big games upcoming Sunday and Monday."

FRIDAY - One matinee meeting of the minds in Georgetown with the Menace coming in for the local derby. Milton on a four-game winning run came in full of confidence and Ryan Holmes' first goal of the season (on the power play) put them up early in the second period before Jordan Stock, also with the man-advantage and John Mitchell quickly made it 3-0. The goals would come thick and fast now with Brandon Kakei and Aaron Andrade reducing the Menace lead to one but the scoring was not done yet as Ethan Sims netted his fifth in his seventh game in a Milton uniform for the former Niagara IceDog. The Raiders got back to within one courtesy Rhys Chiddenton but with Sebastian Labora on the bench Jamie Barbour found the empty net for the 5-3 Milton win. Carter Tahk, obtained from Wellington at the trade deadline, made his debut in the Menace cage and made 30 saves.

A battle of the big cats in Burlington where the Tigers and Cougars met. Aurora brought a three-game winning streak in but on this night it was all Burlington as they took the spoils with an 8-3 victory. Thomas Lenart with two power play goals and Nathan Naves also with a pair, one on the man-advantage. Joel Chauvin had a big game with a goal and four points and Matthew Franzoi and Matthew Zebedee each had a goal and two assists. For Aurora, Luc Reeve had a shorthanded breakaway marker and Tyson Doucette, acquired from the Soo Thunderbirds, scored his first goal. An eight-point bulge now at the top of the West for the Cougars. Tigers forward Justin Biraben added a bit of perspective: "After being off for a month and playing a team that was on their third game was tough. We had a lot of opportunities but just were not able to capitalize. We learned a lot from that game and we'll be ready to get back at it tomorrow night."

The Wellington Dukes also took a four-game winning streak into Toronto to play the St. Michael's Buzzers and they eked out a 3-2 double overtime win on Jacob Vreugdenhil's 12th goal of the season. It was the second goal of the game for the Belleville native who opened the scoring just 57 seconds in. Graham Dickerson had the other goal for the winners with Brad Somers and Jack Sparkes scoring power play goals for St. Michael's. Matthew Dunsmoor, making his first appearance since late November, made 27 saves while Jacob Gorinsky turned back 30 Dukes' shots on goal.

At the Wayne Gretzky Centre, the hosting Brantford 99ers bested the Markham Royals 4-2. Alex Campbell scored his first OJHL goal early in the third and it would prove to be  the game winner. Easton Wainwright, his 21st and Anthony Rebelo, point No. 20, scored power play goals for the victors. Shane Bondy scored the goals for Markham, No. 4 and 5 on the season for the native of Sharon, ON.

The Pickering Panthers hosted the Collingwood Blues for the fourth time this campaign, having won only one of the first three. But they turned things around with a 4-2 decision. Lucas LaPalm had the game winner and Zach Roy recorded his ninth victory stopping 34 shots. Aron Jessli, who last played in late November, picked up an assist. Ian Martin had his 16th goal and Lucas Rowe his 15th. Captain Cam Garvey returned to the Blues' lineup and blueliner Ricards Landmanis had the game's only power play goal. Panthers' AGM Scotty Nicholson realizes the Panthers are in a good position, 10 points up in first place in the North but: "We still have 21 games left and anything can happen. It will be a big game for us Sunday as we try to figure out Milton." The Menace have won both contests between the two to date.

The Muskies and the Huskies on the ice in Lindsay in a close affair with blueliner Jonah Cochrane getting his second goal of the season with just under three minutes left in the third to give Haliburton the 3-2 decision. The visitors led 2-0 on second period markers from Bryce Richardson and Oliver Tarr (his 25th) before a pair of powerplay goals from Boyd Stahlbaum early in the third period tied things up.

The Trenton Golden Hawks were anxious to break off their five-game losing run at the expense of the visiting Cobourg Cougars and they did just that, by a 5-4 count, on Matt Cato's second goal of the game with just over five minutes left in the third period. It was a four-point night for the former Blind River Beaver. George Krotiris had a shorthanded marker for the Cougars and registering his first goal for the club was Charlie Da Fonseca who pulled the team into a 4-4 tie.

Back on home ice for the second time in 24 hours, the Admirals tangled with the Mississauga Chargers and came back from a 3-1 deficit to win 5-3 led by a hat trick form Daniil Kononov. Luke Perovic had three assists. With 21 seconds left in Period 2, Parker Petruniak scored to tie the game at three, it was his first for the Admirals. Ge started the season with Trenton. A very early goal in the final frame by Josh Sinanen was the game winner. Two victories in their last three games now for the struggling Admirals. Ryan Schaap had his first OJHL goal for the Chargers and J.P.Moreira had his first goal for Mississauga since being traded from Collingwood.

SATURDAY - The first of five 'OJHL Games of the Week' televised on CHCH-TV pitted the Rangers against the Cougars in Cobourg and the South Division leaders dominated the first period with goals from Sean Clarke, his 11th, Daniel Petreccia and Max Donohoe with his 14th, all within the game's first 10 minutes. Former Navan Grad (CCHL) and Humboldt Bronco Justin Jamer got one back for the Cougars late in the second. The Rangers held fast in the third and added an empty net goal for the 4-1 final. It was their League-leading 24th win of the campaign. 

Eager to extend their winning streak to six games, the Dukes' were in Minden for the second matinee contest of the day. Good news for the Huskies: they outshot the visitors 36-16. The bad news: they went down to a 3-0 defeat. Ethan Morrow posted the shutout performance, his second of the season, and Graham Dickerson had two goals and an assist. The former Kitchener Ranger now has 17 points in only 11 games. Blueliner Jonathan Balah had two assists.The logjam atop the East continues with the Dukes in third just two points behind the Huskies and four off the Golden Hawks' 42-point pace. Wellington Head Coach Derek Smith explains: "Morrow had a great week of practice coming off the pause and it set him up for success this afternoon. He was a rock for us in goal. Dickerson is a huge part of our team and having him back  for the first time since mid-November is a huge boost for our hockey club. He plays big minutes for us and contributes at both ends of the rink."

The Stouffville Spirit got back into action with a home game against the Tigers who were looking to bounce back from their loss in Burlington. The net result was a point for each club in the 2-2 tie. The Spirit's Carson Whitson and Aurora's Anthony Drekopoulos traded first-period markers. In the second, Luc Reeve put the visitors ahead only to see Ryan Cutler tie the game with under five minutes left. No goals in the remaining thirty minutes. Stouffville's Ayden Bulmer was the busier goalie in saving 37 while Glen Crandall stopped 23. It was the seventh tie this season in the league.

It was the third game in as many days for the Raiders as the West Division rival 99ers came calling and this time but they managed to prevail in a tight one 3-2. It took Easton Wainwright only 56 seconds to find the net for the 22nd time this season and that goal would stand up for the opening 20 minutes. Rhys Chiddenton's early second period power play goal got the home side on the boardand Kyke Kussmann put them ahead and less than a minute later. In the third, Trystan Mughal scored his first in a Raider uniform to make it 3-1 for the home side. Josh Sordo scored with just over two minutes remaining but that would be it for the scoring and a big win for Georgetown 3-2. Mughal and the 99'ers Adrian Rebelo will miss their next games because of a late third period fight. The Raiders are now tied with Oakville for fourth in the West, one point behind the 99ers who have played three more games. Head Coach Jeff Angelidis on the Raiders' week: "It was an exciting week to get back to the rink and prepare for competition. Thursday night we showed some rust, we had some opportunities to capture both points. Unfortunately for us we were only able to get that single point. Friday night I felt that had our powerplay executed we could have had a better fate. A huge game against Brantford today as we desperately needed the win in this very competitive division."

In just his second start for the Buzzers, Matthew Purdue made 20 saves to record his first OJHL clean sheet in his team's 5-0  triumph at Port Credit against the Chargers. Josh McGuin's first goal got the home side rolling.and Brad Somers, shorthanded, made it 2-0 after 20 minutes. Jared Coccimiglio and Giacomo Martino tallied in the second stanza and blueliner Matt Milic rounded out the scoring in the third. Ben Stewart had three assists as the Buzzers maintained their strong grip on third in the South.

SUNDAY - An unusually light schedule of just three games. In Markham Jack Piper had the game winner seven and a half minutes into the final frame. It was the Schomberg native's sixth goal of the season. Owen Halloran scored both of the Royals' goals including a shorthanded marker with just under two minutes left in the contest that ended 4-3 in favour of the Blues. Collingwood's own Marcus Lougheed scored his first OJHL goal early in the second period that put the visitors up 2-0. He scored six goals in eight games for the Junior C Stayner Siskins this year. Blues' captain Cam Garvey, who has been out with an injury, scored his first goal since Oct. 24. Interim Head Coach Andrew Campoli: "It was good to get those two points today and we are definitely looking forward to getting back to the Eddie Bush and playing games in front of our home crowd." Sixteen of the remaining Blues' games will be played at home. 

The battle of the South giants at the Herb as the host North York Rangers and Toronto Junior Canadiens locked horns. All square after three meetings going in with a win, loss and tie for each club showing how closely matched these two clubs are. This one, however, was not close as a Jason Condotta power play goal just over eight minutes in got his club on the board and they sailed on from that point to a 6-2 final and their 25th victory of the campaign. Big games for Maxwell Donohue, with a goal and four assists and Daniel Baldassarra with two goals and two assists. Donohue leads the team with 36 points. On win percentage, the JC's now are at .758 and the Rangers are at .743. One bright spot for the Junior Camnadiens as Tyler Fukakusa's assist extended his point scoring run to 12 games. North York Head Coach Geoff Schomogyi: "We are starting to find our game legs and timing in the two games following the layoff. It sure has not been easy for any of the teams."

The reward for a home ice win in Milton would be a six-game winning streak but their opponents, the Panthers, brought in their 23-win record and took the two points with the final 3-1 decision. Jake Partridge, Lucas Rowe and Christos Rodis found the net for the winners. Milton got their goal inside the game's last four minutes courtesy Ethan Slms. Zach Roy posted win 10 in 15 games, making 37 saves in the process while Ryan Dugas' loss was just his second in 11 starts. He made 27 saves. The win moves the Panthers up to 50 points, good for an 11-point lead in the North. 

With 125 games being rescheduled from the January pause, next week will be busy as it will be the rest of the way to the playoffs. Thirty-two games are currently on the docket, including St. Mike’s visiting Lindsay for the CHCH game next Saturday afternoon.

Follow Ron Valentine on Twitter @ronandlynda