Stayner, Alliston lead Junior C league
Two teams clearly lead the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League after the mid-way point of the 42-game regular season.
No surprise that Alliston Hornets is one of the teams. Alliston has been the league’s dominant team position since 2007. In that time, the Hornets have won six league titles, two Ontario championships while finishing second in the province three other times.
Last season, they finished second to the Penetang Kings for the league title. Alliston is currently perched on top of the league with a 21-3-1 record.
Penetang, by the way, is in a major slump. Last week, the Kings lost to the cellar dwelling Midland Flyers, 2-0, and to Erin Shamrocks, 4-1, to make it four losses in a row. In their last 12 games they have won only once. You don’t need to be a genius to know there is more to this story than just losses.
Stayner is the other team that has slowly worked its way to the top.
The Siskins, 17-5-2-1, were pushed to the brink Dec. 3 by the Flyers but came out of the game victorious, 6-5, in overtime.
Said Siskins head coach Steve Walker, “When you play a team that you think you can beat you look past it… You just got to get past it.”
Dakota Hynes was the hero netting the winner 1:43 into the fourth period. The game went back and forth for the most part with Stayner’s Trevor Franklin scoring the only goal of the third period to tie the game at 5-5. Netting Stayner’s other goals were Ben Lougheed, 2,
Jamieson Buck and Sean Healy. Stayner out-shot the Flyers 45-32 with Midland’s goaltender Matt Camilleri coming up big on numerous occasions.
In Stayner’s other game, a 6-3 win over Orillia, former Siskins netminder Gordie Weiss stymied Stayner for most of the first and second periods blocking 15 and 11 shots rocketed his way.
Stayner’s coach only had praise for Weiss’s play.
He’s the best player they have and most valuable to any team. He’s a good goaltender, said Walker.
Siskins’ Quinten Bruce scored the only goal of the first period after about five minutes of play. Orillia tied the game one minute into the second ending the period at a 1-1 draw. Stayner came out with all their guns blazing in the third notching five consecutive goals in 12 minutes by Healy, Cooper Martin, 2, Brandon Watson and Lougheed to take total control of the game. Orillia answered back with two goals in the last seven minutes, but the lead was insurmountable.
Caledon and head coach Sandy McCarthy, a former NHL tough guy, is in town Thursday night. Friday, Stayner plays the Kings in Penetang.
Despite Pentang’s recent hard times, Walker believes the Kings are a “good team” and will be one of the clubs Stayner will have to get by to win the league.
