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Admirals’ Nolan Keeler fires three goals in two games,but Caledon is edged 4-2 by Buffalo and 4-3 by Lindsay

February 5, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Jim Stewart

Admirals’ sharpshooter Nolan Keeler tallied his 19th and 20th goals of the season and Caledon fired 54 shots on net on Thursday night versus Buffalo.

On most nights, that would be the recipe for success for the hard-charging Admirals.

Unfortunately for the Admirals, Keeler’s two goals were the only shots to elude stellar Buffalo goaltender Anthony Alessi.

The veteran OJHL goaltender from Lockport, New York turned aside 52 of the 54 shots he faced to backstop the Junior Sabres to a 4-2 win over the Admirals at the Garth Young Arena.

Alessi is ranked 10th in the league with a .927 SV%, has a 2.53 GAA, and turned in one of his best performances of the season to impede Caledon’s playoff push.  

After a scoreless first period featuring the puck-stopping talents of Alessi and Caledon goaltender James Meredith, the Admirals got on the board immediately.

Sixteen seconds into the middle frame, Nolan Keeler opened the scoring when he finished Jack Fang’s pass to give the home side a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Jaden Flora’s power play goal pulled Buffalo into a 1-1 tie.

Keeler fired his 20th of the season at 4:07—earning Jacob Oswicki his second assist of the game—to restore Caledon’s lead. 

Buffalo’s power play struck again when Alex Strachan beat Meredith at 11:52 of the second period.

In the final frame, Braden Guolla scored the game-winning goal at 14:11 and Davin Krakowiak added an empty netter with 44 seconds left on the clock to close the scoring. 

The win strengthened the Sabres’ hold on fifth place in the OJHL West while the Admirals remained seven points behind the King Rebellion for the eighth and final playoff spot.  King lost 2-1 in Burlington on Tuesday night.

The Admirals got more good news from the out-of-town scoreboard when seventh-place Mississauga lost 5-0 in Leamington on Thursday night. The Fleet trailed the Chargers by 10 points with four games in hand heading into their road game on Friday versus Lindsay. 

Alas, the Admirals dropped a 4-3 decision versus the Muskies on the back-to-back as their third period rally stalled in Lindsay.

Keeler continued his hot hand—giving the visitors a 1-0 lead 5:25 into the first period.

However, the Muskies countered with four consecutive goals by Ajay Rai, Kaden Koutroulides, Maxwell Howlett, and Cole MacLean to take a 4-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

At 3:30 into the third period, Connor Hollebeck fired his fourth of the season to cut the Admirals’ deficit to 4-2.

Nate Brentnell’s 9th of the season with 40 seconds left in the game pulled Caledon to within 1, but the plucky Muskies preserved their narrow lead and strengthened their hold on the last playoff spot in the OJHL East. 

The Admirals host the league-leading Toronto Patriots on Thursday, February 5 and visit the 12th-place Raiders in Georgetown on Saturday, February 7. 

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