Upsets were the name of the game last week in the Georgian Bay Mid Ontario Junior C Hockey League. The top three teams in the league lost to lower ranking clubs, which is psychologically uplifting to the weaker clubs as anyone could win this thing.
Penetang Kings, 14-8-1-1, continued their dismal play losing at home to the Stayner Siskins, 7-5, Friday night, and although that doesn’t count as an upset the 4-2 loss to Fergus Sunday does. The loss is their seventh in the past eight games. Fergus is a .500 hockey team.
Alliston Hornets’ 6-4 loss to Orillia Sunday was definitely an upset. The loss is only Alliston’s third this season. Meanwhile, Orillia has been on the losing side 13 times and on 10 occasions victorious.
The Siskins suffered a defeat the night before in front of a home crowd when Huntsville Otters knocked them off with a 5-4 overtime victory. The Huntsville loss could be expected considering the Otters are in fourth place with an above .500 winning record at 13-10-0.
Alliston leads the league with a 19-3-1 record followed by Stayner, 15-5-2-1, who finally slipped by Penetang for second spot overall.
Said Siskins general manager Richard Gauthier still fuming days after the loss, “ You know we talked about no goals in three games then we get 10 against in two.
After three consecutive shutouts, Siskins netminder Trevor Bloch’s lucky stick went missing against Huntsville following a first period, which Stayner held a 1-0 lead on a goal by Cooper Martin, his ninth of the year. In the second period, Stayner’s team play went flat, Bloch’s shutout evaporated when Huntsville tallied two times. In the third period, the score went back and forth ending at 4-4. Scoring Stayner goals were Ricky Darrell with two and Ben Lougheed.
Siskins sniper Sean Healy, who Gauthier called more of a “dart hacker”, hit the goalie on a penalty shot in the overtime period. Gauthier was upset that Healy didn’t score, missing the opportunity to win the game. Huntsville out-gunned Stayner in the shootout 1-0 to take the two points.
All the same, Stayner did earn one point for the overtime loss.
“Huntsville is a better hockey club (than earlier in the season),” he added. “Their goalie kept them in the game and made some big saves. Ours was average again.”
Head coach Steve Walker elected to put Xavier Portelance in between the pipes in the Penetang game after Bloch’s sizzling streak cooled. After not seeing much ice time in the past several weeks, Portelance skills were icy in the early going. Penetang led 4-1 early in the second period when the Siskins awoke and stormed back with two even strength goals, two power play markers and one shorthanded tally to give Stayner a 6-3 lead. Penetang added another goal and Trevor Franklin hit the empty net to close the game out.
“It showed character coming back after being down 4-1,” Gauthier managed to express.
Stayner was away Wednesday night (unavailable by press time) playing the last place Midland Flyers e and are home to Orillia Thursday night.