Caledon Golden Hawks winning streak snapped by Hornets

Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

The charitable nature of the annual ‘Pink in the Rink' game, hosted by the Caledon Golden Hawks, did not extend to the on-ice performance of the Alliston Hornets.

The Carruthers division-leading Hornets entered Caledon East Arena on Sunday evening and firmly disposed of the Golden Hawks in a 5 – 3 final, taking a lead just over one minute into regulation though needing until the dying minutes to secure the two points.

In just his first loss in four games, veteran goaltender Jason Cumbo was beaten on a move in-close by Jordan Taylor shortly after the opening faceoff, though Caledon's Logan Hoover was able to tie it late in the first period on a bad giveaway in the Hornet zone.

An exchange of goals between Caledon's Noah Li and Alliston's Keegan Gillis-McAnulty in the second period kept the game knotted, before a gaping rebound early in the third was capitalized on by Marc Bottero to give Caledon the lead.

Yet it was a short-lived one, with Alliston bouncing back for three straight goals before the clock ran out to take the 5 – 3 victory.

While the pink-clad Golden Hawks showed their colours on the ice, off the ice the club hosted a bake sale as well as an auction of the game-worn jerseys, with all proceeds going to Headwaters Health Centre.

It was a rare blip on the radar for Cumbo, who has shone recently as part of one of the league's top goaltending tandems. His 42 saves marked his fifth loss in ten starts so far this season.

It matched that of the pair's other half, Aidan Spooner, who two nights earlier had been handed his first loss in three starts, a 5 – 4 loss at the hands of the Midland Flyers on the road Friday. It snapped a five-game winning streak for the Golden Hawks, with an empty netter eventually playing the winning goal right before Caledon's Vito Sica made it a one-goal effort in the dying seconds.

Spooner made 31 stops on 35 shots, also picking up his fifth loss of the year, and dropping below a .500 record.

Both goalies will be looking for a bounce back as the team approaches the midway point of the PJHL season, continuously stuck in the middle ground of the Carruthers division standings. Currently, Caledon sits in sixth place in the eight-team division with a record of 8-9-1-1, with most of the blame falling on a poor road record.

With sixth of those wins coming at home at Caledon East Arena, the Golden Hawks will be looking to add to that total on Friday when they host the Orillia Terriers, who hold a three-point advantage on Caledon in the standings.

Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m.

They wrap up the week's schedule in visiting the streaking Stayner Siskins on Saturday evening.

For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com.