Alliston takes last regular season Siskins game in shoot-out
Alas, the real hockey season begins this Thursday night for a very good Stayner Siskins Junior C hockey team. That’s right, you guessed it – the playoffs begin Thursday night at the igloo in Stayner.
Stayner improved dramatically from beginning to the regular season’s end, finishing second in the league, four points behind the perennial champion Alliston Hornets.
November, December, and January were phenomenal months for the Siskins with the club only losing once in regulation time.
Friday night in Alliston, with both clubs cementing their top positions, they had nothing to play for but testosterone rights. As it turned out, with all the bumping and hitting aside, these two teams are very comparable. It took a shoot-out to determine a winner in this one, 5-4, for Alliston.
Both clubs turned the jets on in the second period scoring three times each after a 0-0 first period. After 60 minutes, the game ended in a 4-4 draw with Sean Healy giving Stayner a lead 6:32 into the third. Two minutes later, Alliston tied it up. Neither team scored in overtime meaning a shoot-out was required. Alliston won this competition from the third shooter scoring. As I said the clubs are equal. Let’s hope they don’t get knocked off and we get to see a fan-pumping final.
Scoring Stayner’s other goals in the second period were notched by Christian Papineau, Ricky Darrell, with his 31st goal, and Ben Lougheed.
Coach Steve Walker has three goalies at his disposal now. Walker said that he was going to rotate the three goalies and true to his word he gave Portelance the start, using Trevor Bloch, who played two games prior, as the back up. Portelance played with poise blocking 29 shots.
The night before, newly signed goalie Nick Keleher got the call to go between the pipes against Fergus. The Devils were not happy with Walker’s decision, as they were unable to get one by the 20-year-old in 27 chances.
Meanwhile, Stayner shooters had little trouble finding the mesh against Fergus winning 8-0. Kyle Lafreniere, Darrell, 2, Lougheed, Quinten Bruce, Griffin Pearce, Brandon Watson, Jameison Buck, and Lucas Jeffery all scored in the romp.
Bruce, by the way, finished third in the league in scoring with 25 goals and 42 assists for 67 points. Winning the scoring title was Hornets’ Nic Archibald, 74 points from 25 goals and 49 assists. Erin’s Adam Gibson was runner-up scoring the most goals in the league, 37, and assisting on 31 for 68 points. Darrell was seventh, 31-26-57. Siskins’ Sean Healy was ranked number 21 with 14 goals and 26 assists.
By winning the league, Alliston, 32-6-1-1, gets home ice advantage all the way through the playoffs. As well, they get the eighth seed in the first round. Fergus, 16-20-2-2 nipped into the last playoff spot with 36 points, one shootout loss more than Erin, 35 points.
Stayner, 28-6-3-3 plays seventh seed Orillia Terriers, 17-20-0-3, beginning this Thursday in Stayner. 8:10 start. The second game is back in Orillia Saturday with a 1:30 puck drop for game 3 in Stayner. The fourth game is in Orillia Wednesday.
Huntsville, 24-14-2-0, finished third and earned Schomberg Cougars, 18-19-1-2 as its opponent. The finals series pits Penetang Kings, 20-15-1-4, against the Caledon Golden Hawks, 18-8-2-2.
Midland was the other team not to make the playoffs.
