Siskins in the middle of the hunt
Get the fire trucks out. There’s a barnburner going on this week in Junior C hockey.
The regular Georgian Mid Ontario Hockey League season is coming to an end this weekend and three teams are jockeying for positions 2 through 4. Your Stayner Siskins are in the middle of that hunt.
Huntsville, 20-15-3, currently holds on to second with 43 points and in all likelihood will maintain that position unless a major collapse happens. The Otters host the basement dwelling Orillia Terriers Friday night and go to Midland the next day to play the Flyers to close out their season.
Midland has a chance for second if they can beat the Otters and only if Orillia knocks them off.
Midland has 40 points from a 18-16-4 record. Their home game against the second last place Erin Shamrocks is a must-win.
Midland and Stayner played a week ago Thursday with both teams vying to gain some ground on the Otters. Neither did as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
The tie and a 9-2 Siskins drubbing by the first place Alliston Hornets left Stayner, 17-16-5, with 39 points, one back of Midland and four behind Huntsville. The Otters will end up with more wins making it impossible for the Siskins to capture second overall but third place is possible. Stayner’s remaining two games are against the Shamrocks Thursday (yesterday) and Friday’s opponent, the Penetang Kings.
The 1-1 tie to Midland was obviously a big game for both teams. The game was thrilling from start to finish with both clubs playing smart hockey, only four penalties were called in the entire game. Flyers goaltender Jake Norton and Siskins goalie Trevor Bloch both made many key saves to turn the game in to a goalies duel. Stayner’s Trevor Franklin needed to score at 15:51 in the second period to tie the game.
A minute and a half earlier, one-time Siskin Corey DeRose stuck it to his old team with a mesh-twining goal.
Neither team could score in overtime. Stayner out-shot Midland 37-29.
All the same, Siskins general manager said, “That game cost us second place and even a tie for third with Midland. It’s not that we played bad, we couldn’t score.”
Stayner started the first period reasonably well despite being out-shot 15-9 to end the first 20 minutes 2-2. After 20, Alliston’s powerful club simply wore the Siskins out. The score was 5-2 after the second and 9-2 by the game’s end. Stayner managed just seven shots in the final two periods.
In remembering the dominance of Alliston, Gauthier quipped, “The ice at the end of the second period was shiny at their end.”
The Hornets peppered 53 shots at two defenseless netminders, Luke Aulthouse, and Trevor Bloch, who played the final 10 minutes. Sean Healy and Lucas Jeffery scored Stayner’s goals.
The only team that will not be participating in this exciting week is Orillia. The club is mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs.
Siskins management would also like to extend a thank you to the clubs supporters who attended a fundraiser at the Rock Dell Steak House Monday night.
