Lucas Hillert’s 62-save performance backstops
Caledon to 7-3 win over Orillia

February 9, 2023 · 0 Comments

Joey Furlano’s hat trick spurs the Golden Hawks’ offence

By Jim Stewart

In a statistics-defying performance, Goaltender Lucas Hillert backstopped the Caledon Golden Hawks to a 7-3 win over the Orillia Terriers in PJHL action.

The young Golden Hawks team—which features 12 rookies in its regular lineup– closed out January on a high note with a win in Orillia and a narrow 1-0 loss to the Otters in Huntsville, which featured another spectacular Hillert performance—this time, 55 saves on 56 shots.

Hillert was the defensive story of both road games.

In front of 187 spectators at the West Orillia Sports Complex, he turned aside 62 of the 65 Terrier shots in a penalty-filled contest which featured 25 player trips to the box. At the other end of the rink, Joey Furlano’s hat trick led the Golden Hawks offensively as Caledon’s second-leading scorer tallied a goal per period versus the Terriers.

The Golden Hawks came out flying versus Orillia.

Ryan Anderson, Joey Furlano, and Michael Bottrell scored first period goals to stake Caledon to a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Orillia’s Noah Mountain cut the Caledon lead to 3-1 with a goal three minutes into the second period, but Furlano answered the Terrier tally with his second goal of the game and 19th of the season to restore the Golden Hawks’ three-goal lead.

Michael Kruger got Caledon off to another quick start—this time two minutes into the final frame– to put the Golden Hawks ahead 5-1.

The Terriers made it interesting with goals three minutes apart by Colton Dumond and Devon Edmonds to narrow Caledon’s lead to 5-3, but Furlano completed his hat trick at 17:02 into an empty net assisted by Michael Bottrell.

Connor McGill added another empty net goal to seal the 7-3 victory for the Golden Hawks.

In the one-goal loss to Huntsville, the Golden Hawks and Otters battled through a pair of scoreless periods before Wesley Farnsworth scored the game-winning-goal for the home team.

Caledon’s Lucas Hillert put forth another heroic effort between the pipes blocking 55 of the 56 shots the Otters fired at him. His save percentage in Caledon’s final two games of January was an astounding .967. The seventh-place Golden Hawks have nine games remaining in their regular season.

Their next games are on the road in Innisfil on February 4 and in Huntsville on February 17.