Golden Hawks fall just short against powerhouse Hornets

November 28, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
The junior C Caledon Golden Hawks almost rode their hot streak right into the biggest upset of the season.
In a polarizing match between first and last place teams in the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s Carruthers Division, only a late third-period goal prevented the Hawks from picking up at least a point against the Alliston Hornets in an evenly-matched game.
The Hornets, heading into Friday night’s tilt at the New Tecumseh Rec Centre, had lost just one of their 20 games so far this season. Caledon, meanwhile, had just strung together their first back-to-back wins of the season, for a total of three on the year.
To the surprise of no one in the crowd of more than 300 spectators, it was Alliston that had the best of the play in the first period, allowing little to no zone time for the Hawks through the first 10 minutes.
They proved their worth defensively as well when they picked up three minor penalties late in the opening frame, killing off more than three minutes of a five-on-three Hawks’ power play.
Drake Board opened the scoring for Alliston in the opening minute of the second, finally besting goaltender Jason Cumbo up high over his blocker.
Caledon came storming back, when less than a minute later Michael Andrews tipped a puck through the Alliston goalie’s legs to even the score.
Newcomer Sam Siskos scored his first as a Hawk just before the 10-minute mark of the second, burying a rebound into an empty cage for Caledon’s first lead, having applied most of the pressure in the period.
But it was Alliston that would hold onto the lead heading into the second intermission, taking advantage of some late Caledon penalties to notch two quick goals and make it 3-2.
With less than eight minutes to go, Shane Rumboldt sent a perfectly placed slap shot from the top of the circle to bring the game down to the wire in a 3-3 tie.
It was Stephen Nosad, one of the most dangerous scorers in the PJHL, that gave Alliston the lead for good when he played a beautiful tic-tac-toe with Matt Hamilton to beat Cumbo with just more than three minutes left on the clock.
Cumbo made 19 saves on 23 shots in the game, while Caledon threw 29 at Masucci, one of only three times this season the Hornets have been outshot.
On a positive note, the Hawks rode their momentum into Saturday’s match with the Orillia Terriers, using two late goals to win 5-4.
Matt Magliozzi and Andrew Woods both scored in the final five minutes of play to come from behind. It was Magliozzi’s fourth goal of the contest, earning him first star honours.
Finishing a busy weekend at home Sunday, overtime solved nothing as the Hawks and Penetang Kings played to a 2-2 tie. Woods and Nicholas McNutt had the tallies for Caledon.
A turnaround in the season has seen the Hawks scrape back into relevancy, now holding a 4-16-2 record for 10 points. A pileup in the Carruther’s division standings has them just four back of the seventh-place Penetang Kings, and just eight behind the struggling Midland Flyers for fourth.
Another busy time lies ahead for the Hawks, who face perhaps their most challenging week yet. A home-and-home with the Stayner Siskins (18-3-0) begins tonight (Thursday) in Stayner before a rare Friday home game at Caledon East.
Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m.
They round out the week with a rematch against the Hornets (19-1-1) at home Sunday.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com

Alliston goaltender Mike Masucci reaches out with his glove as Caledon’s Michael Andrews gets a chance in front, in the Golden Hawks’ 4-3 loss to the Hornets on the road Friday.
Photo by Jake Courtepatte