Golden Hawks gaining momentum for playoff push

January 21, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
With a little more than a week left in the regular season, the Caledon Golden Hawks are proving to be serious playoff contenders.
Coming off back-to-back wins over the Orillia Terriers and Erin Shamrocks, the Hawks were in Midland Friday night to contend with the 18-15-3 Flyers.
Holding onto a 3-1 lead after one period with goals coming from Daniel Cafagna, Matt Magliozzi and Mathew Pyz, newcomer Tomo Mikulson was given his first big challenge in net early in the second. A missed pass back to the point by Christian Mariconda sprung the Flyers on a shorthanded breakaway, where Mikulson calmly closed his pads to preserve the lead.
The lead was cut to one, however, when a breakout on the next draw went awry.
Magliozzi earned his second of the game off a shot from the point, while Nicholas McNutt added two of his own back-to-back, having one of his best games of the year.
The 6-2 lead didn’t last long before Mikulson and the defence collapsed. Midland notched two in the final minutes of the second period, adding two more in the third for a final score of 6-6 in a barn burner.
The weekend wrapped up for the Hawks Sunday with a match up in Huntsville, facing an Otter team that had beat them in two out of three games.
This was a much more subdued contest than Friday’s, both on the scoreboard and in the penalty box, with the Hawks coming out on top 3-2. Pyz, Cafagna and McNutt all found the back of the net for the Hawks, while Sam Procopio returned between the pipes to stop 34 of the 36 shots he faced.
It has been the story of two seasons for the Hawks this year: An 0-7 start had fingers on the panic button already in early October, before winning five of the next six and never looking back.
Since that dreadful start, the second-best record in the league has belonged to Caledon, at 17-10-2 behind only the Alliston Hornets, who are having the one of the most dominating seasons in junior C history.
While currently in fifth place in the nine-team Georgian Mid-Ontario Hockey League, the final four games of the season could all still hold serious playoff implications. Following Sunday’s win, only three points separate the Hawks from the second-place Otters. The two teams have one more date, scheduled for this Sunday at Caledon East.
Before then, the Hawks will have to contend with the Penetang Kings on the road Friday, locked in their own playoff positioning battle at the basement of the league.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.jrcgoldenhawks.pointstreaksites.com