It was day 2 of the Toronto Titans Tournament and all six Alliance team involved got their seasons started. The action will continue today with 11 games featuring all Alliance teams as everyone puts it into high gear to try and clinch their spot in Saturday nights quarter-finals.
Here are some quick hits about how each team is doing so far.
Hamilton Huskies:
Lost 4-2 to Don Mills Flyers.
Goals: Ben Woodhouse, Derek Seguin
In Net: Andrew Barwinski
Lost 4-1 to York-Simcoe Express
Goals: Jack Foster
In Net: Andrew Barwinski
A couple of losses on Thursday has put the Huskies in a hole. Going up against a desperate Flyers team, the Huskies had a third period lead but then surrendered three unanswered goals to fall to Don Mills. York-Simcoe, a team that has looked dominant in round robin play, exploded for all four of their goals in the second period, but otherwise Hamilton played a tight game.
The Huskies will look to pick up their first win of the tournament Friday when they take on Sudbury.
Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs:
Won 1-0 against Grey Bruce Highlanders
Goals: Jake Murray
In Net: Josh Diamond
Josh Diamond was electric in net in the Chiefs season opener as he turned away every shot that the Highlanders had in preserving the 1-0 win. Jake Murray’s goal midway through the 2nd period was all that the Chiefs would need as they continue their success historically at this tournament.
Friday has two games for Elgin. They begin the day with a date against the Toronto Nationals and later tonight we take on the Barrie Jr. Colts. The Colts are 2-0 thus far with 10 goals for and just 1 against.
Lambton Jr. Sting:
Won 1-0 against Kingston Jr. Frontenacs
Goals: Noah Hamilton
In Net: Jakob Knowles
The Lambton Jr. Sting were one of the surprises from Thursday night. Playing in what I would call a rough division, the Sting were able to stand behind netminder Jakob Knowles to take out Kingston 1-0. Noah Hamilton’s powerplay tally in the 2nd period was the difference as the Sting played sharp defensively for the win.
Friday has two games for Lambton. They open up their Friday schedule taking on an undefeated Mississauga Rebels squad that has scored 11 in two games without allowing a goal. The night game doesn’t get any easier as the Sting take on the other undefeated team in their pool, the host Toronto Titans.
Waterloo Wolves:
Lost 3-1 to Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs
Goals: Cameron Hyjek
In Net: Nathan Torchia
In one of the more disappointing games of the day, the Waterloo Wolves could not solve what the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs were showing them and wound up losing their opening game 3-1. The Bulldogs had a balanced attacked and put one past goalie Nathan Torchia in every period. Cameron Hyjek had the lone score for Waterloo. If there is consolation for this outcome, it’s that nobody in Waterloo’s division has really stood out and started running away with the group.
Waterloo takes on both Clarington and Vaughn on Friday with the hopes that they can turn their tournament around with three games to go.
Windsor Jr. Spitfires
Won 6-1 against Ajax-Pickering Raiders
Goals: Kyle Brothers, Evan Ferguson, Abdul Abouzeeni, Jacob Rosa (2), Matthew Teno
In Net: James Walker
An offensive explosion by the Jr. Spitfires was just what the team wanted after how 2014-15 ended. Six goals were put up by Windsor against Ajax-Pickering which included two goals by Jacob Rosa along with Kory Silverio helping out with three assists. This performance definitely put Windsor on the map as a team to watch in this tournament.
Friday has more interesting games for the Jr. Spitfires. Both other teams in their group with undefeated records to stand across the red line from them. First up are the Southern Tier Admirals at 1:30 this afternoon and the night game has Windsor and the Toronto Red Wings. Quite possibly the group winner will be revealed after tonight.
London Jr. Knights
Won 4-1 against Honeybaked U15
Goals: Patrick Mailloux, Joel Mazzilli, Kyle Fisher, Noah Mazzilli
In Net: Jukka Schotter
The London Jr. Knight continued where they left off last season with a huge win over a competitive Honeybaked team. Noah and Joel Mazzilli, who came over from Elgin this summer, both scored goals while another former Chiefs Jukka Schotter held things down between the pipes in the 4-1 win.
London and Mississauga are the only two teams in Group 3 with wins. London will take on Mississauga at 5:00pm on Friday, but first they will have a date with the also dangerous Whitby Wildcast in the morning.