Canes End Home Drought Beating Trenton In OT; Back In First!

Your Hurricanes got a huge monkey off their backs Thursday night at the Twinney Complex. They stopped a four-game home losing slide with a strong effort in a 3-2 overtime win over the OJHL North-East Conference-leading Trenton Golden Hawks. More importantly, they vaulted themselves back into first place in the North Division by one point over the Aurora Tigers.

In an offensive-minded opening period, the Canes outshot Trenton 16-12 and took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room. Daniel Leavens scored both markers, at 4:27 and 5:35, giving him 22 on the season. The Golden Hawks’ Robbie Hall was assessed a Gross Misconduct after Leavens’ second goal when he deliberately (according to the officials) shot the puck over the glass.

Trenton cut the Canes’ lead in half at the midway point of the frame.

Play in the middle session was a total opposite of the first; a tight checking, hard-hitting twenty minutes. Neither team was able to bulge the twine, Trenton outshooting the Canes 9-6.

Trenton upped the voltage in the third in an effort to tie the score. Some early penalty trouble was successfully killed off by Newmarket’s PK but the Hawks were eventually able to put one past Newmarket’s Lucas Perresini, tying the game at 15:21. Shots in the third were 11-9 Canes.

Kyler Nixon collected the only shot of overtime, the only one needed for Newmarket, as he scored the winner at 0:49.

Final shots were 34-30 for Newmarket with Peressini making 28 saves for the “W”.

Leavens was selected from a bevy of worthy Canes as The Pickle Barrel Player of the Game.

Newmarket (28-16-5) and Aurora both have six games remaining, including what could be a monumental showdown in Aurora on Friday, February 15. In the overall North/East rankings (top 8 make the playoffs, 1st placed teams get the top two seeds), it is Trenton at 73, Newmarket – 61, Kingston (2nd in East) – 66, Aurora – 60, Whitby – 59, Wellington – 55, Lindsay – 52, Cobourg – 48. Stouffville has a mathematical chance of catching Cobourg but are 8 points back with 5 games left to play.

The Canes are back on the ice Friday night (weather permitting) in Lindsay against the Muskies. The next home game for the Canes is our annual “Battle of York” Benefit Game in support of Southlake Cancer Care Centre on Thursday, February 14 at 7:30pm against the Stouffville Spirit. Game sponsor is Cineplex and the Xscape Entertainment Centre. There will be OODLES of prizes in our Silent Auction and Raffle with all game proceeds going to Southlake.