Caledon Junior Hockey Roundup 2023-2024: Caledon Golden Hawks Swept from PJHL Playoffs by the Stayner Siskins; Admirals Miss Playoffs; Bombers Swept in First Round by Listowel Cyclones

By Jim Stewart

The seventh-place Golden Hawks put up a valiant effort versus perennial powerhouse Stayner in the North Carruthers Divisional quarterfinals, but Caledon's most successful junior hockey team in 2023-24 was eliminated in four games by the second-place Siskins last Wednesday night.

Carson Marinelli's hat trick paced the Siskins to an emphatic 6-1 series-clinching Game 4 victory at the Mayfield Recreation Complex. Ryan Russell, Aaron Leenaars, and Caleb Tiffin-Seminara scored one goal each for Stayner.  

After the Siskins took a 5-0 lead after 40 minutes of play at the Icebox, Ryan Scott's power play goal got Caledon on the scoreboard at 3:06 of the third period, but that was as close as the home team could get to stave off elimination.

The Golden Hawks gave the Siskins all they could handle in Game 1 of the series before being edged 4-3 in OT.

Titus Mok tallied two goals for Caledon in the series opener with Jacob Altomare adding one.

The Golden Hawks held a 2-0 lead five minutes into the second period in Stayner, but the Siskins replied with three consecutive goals before Mok's second marker sent the game into OT. 

Forward Anton Smirnov scored Caledon's only goal in a 4-1 Game 2 loss in Stayner.

When the series shifted to the Mayfield Recreation Complex for Game 3, Golden Hawks' goaltender Marek Andreoli made 42 saves to keep his club competitive, but Caledon was edged 4-2 to fall behind three games to none to the Siskins.

Smirnov and Mok scored for the Golden Hawks.

In the Golden Hawks' regular season finale in Huntsville, Patrick Polaczek notched his 27th goal of the campaign in the first period versus the Otters—vaulting him into the Top 25 Goal Scorers in the 61-team PWHL. 

Most notably, Polaczek was also the top goal scorer among the Town's three Junior hockey teams in 2023-24 and was an AP for the Bombers in the GOJHL's playoff series versus Listowel.  

The Junior C Golden Hawks finished the regular season in seventh place in the very competitive nine-team North Carruthers Division with a 13-25-1-3 record.

Closing Junior Hockey Notes

The OJHL Caledon Admirals finished out of the 2023-24 playoffs and accrued a record of 10-40-1-5.  The “Junior A” Admirals finished 11th in the 12-team West Conference.

In the GOJHL, the Caledon Bombers finished in eighth place in the Midwest Conference with a record of 5-44-0-1.  In Round 1 of the playoffs, the “Junior B” Bombers were swept in three games by the first-place Listowel Cyclones (38-9-1-2), including a 7-0 loss in Game 3 at the Steve Kerr MC on Friday.