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Tigers caught in early season slump

October 5, 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

After flying out the gate, the roar of the Tigers has been muffled after losses in three of their last four games.
Hometown fans were privy to a double dose of junior A hockey this weekend with home games on Friday and Saturday night, with the Tigers kicking it off Friday against the Georgetown Raiders.
After giving up five goals to the Kingston Voyageurs in the previous game, the defensive troubles continued against the Raiders, as Georgetown went three-for-three on the powerplay in the first period to take a 3 – 0 lead.
Aurora bounced back to make it a one-goal game with notches from Christopher Giroday and Zach Wilkie, though another quick spurt of three Georgetown goals put the game out of reach, with a final score of 7 – 4.
Additional Aurora goals were scored by Anthony Romano as well as Wilkie’s second of the night.
Hosting the struggling Lindsay Muskies on Saturday was a cruise for the Tigers, who helped Jack Irvine to his first shutout of the year in a 3 – 0 score.
It was all Tigers in the first period, holding Lindsay to just four shots, while Romano opened the scoring just under three minutes in with a well-place shot under the blocker of goaltender Tyler Richardson.
The line of Romano, Giroday, and Tyler Davis once again connected in the second period, when Giroday finished off a one-timer at the point to double the Aurora lead.
Jason Stachleback closed out the scoring in the third period, banging home a rebound on a Bryce Martin point shot.
Sunday’s matchup in Wellington featured a battle of the top two teams in the OJHL’s NorthEast conference, facing a Dukes squad that had lost just one game over the first month of the season.
The Tigers showed no signs of fatigue early on, taking a quick 3 – 0 lead in the first period thanks to Wilkie and a pair from Elijah Gonsalves. Wellington stormed back with four in a row, taking the lead by the midway point of the second period, though Steven MacLean scored for Aurora with one minute left in the frame to head to the dressing room tied at four apiece.
Wellington beat Irvine twice in the third period, taking a two goal lead with just over two minutes to go, while Wilkie scored with the extra attacker to end the game 6 – 5.
Despite the losses, the Tigers remain in first place in the OJHL’s North division thanks to a 4-0-1 start to the season.
Their 5-3-1 record is two points up on the Markham Royals and Stouffville Spirit, while sitting six points back of the conference-leading Dukes.
Aurora returns to the ice on Friday in Lindsay, before hosting the Burlington Cougars in an inter-conference matchup on Saturday.
Puck drop is set for 7:30p.m. at the Aurora Community Centre.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.auroratigers.pointstreaksites.com.

         

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