Golden Hawks eliminated by Stayner Siskins in five games

February 27, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
In the end it was a slow start that killed the Caledon Golden Hawks’ season, with the powerhouse Stayner Siskins proving to be too much to handle in the first round of the OJHL playoffs.
The Hawks fell in five games to the Carruthers division’s top-seeded team, though they put up a valiant effort in their defeat.
Needing a win Thursday night at Stayner Memorial Arena to avoid elimination, up-and-coming goaltender Christian Cipironi was stellar in the first period, as he and his Stayner counterpart both put up goose eggs in a dozen shots seen by each.
Stayner continued to throw a ton of pucks at the net in the second, and were able to beat Cipironi with three straight goals in just more than eight minutes.
Caledon captain Matt Magliozzi broke the shutout just a few minutes later, though Caledon would head to the second intermission down 6-2.
Andrew Ireland replaced Cipironi between the pipes in the third, allowing two goals on 12 shots.
Anton Trublin added a late marker for a final score of 8-3. Kevin Pleasance was Caledon’s other goal scorer.
Despite dropping the series in five games, the Hawks were able to accomplish what only the Alliston Hornets could do throughout the entire regular season: beat the Siskins.
Their 5-3 win over Stayner in the second game of the series was only Stayner’s fourth loss of the year.
It was a small victory in context, but a massive one for a team that completely turned their season around in the second half. After earning just one win in their first 16 games, the Hawks went on to be one of the top contenders for the remainder of the year, eventually beating every other team in the Carruthers division, save the Alliston Hornets.
With their feet now wet in the junior hockey landscape, the Hawks have a bright future ahead.
Each first round series in the Carruthers division has now been decided, with the Orillia Terriers and Penetang Kings wrapping it up Sunday. Penetang came back from a 3-1 series deficit to move on, and are set to face the Hornets, who have been stagnant for close to two weeks after ousting the Schomberg Cougars in five games.
The division semifinal will be a rematch of last year’s final, when the Hornets swept the Kings in four games.
Stayner will face the Midland Flyers, who came back from a 2-0 deficit of their own to win the next four straight.
The higher-seeded team was the victor in each series.
For stats, schedules and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com