Tigers snap first losing streak with back-to-back wins

October 24, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

If the mark of a good team is the ability to rebound from adversity, the Junior A Aurora Tigers are doing just fine.
An atrocious 6 – 0 losing effort at the hands of the rival Newmarket Hurricanes on Thursday spelled the first two-game losing streak of the season for the Tigers, before a pair of big wins over the weekend put away any doubt that the cats are not the kings of the OJHL’s North division.
Fresh off a surprise 4 – 2 loss at the hands of the Lindsay Muskies, the third edition of the 2018-19 Battle of Yonge Street Thursday saw Newmarket jump out to a 5 – 0 lead through forty minutes, chasing Jack Irvine from the game after making 18 stops on 23 shots.
Christian Filippetti saw little action between the Tigers’ cage in the third period, stopping four of the five shots he faced, but Hurricanes keeper Mitchell Weeks skated off with a 20-save shutout.
The Tigers returned to the den on Friday in a key matchup with the Markham Royals, turning it around with a 6 – 3 win to put a nine-point game between themselves and their division rivals.
Down 3 – 2 heading into the third period, the Tigers exploded for four straight goals in the final twenty minutes. Tyler Davis led the way with a three-point performance, while Kyle Bollers potted a pair of goals, and Irvine bounced back between the pipes to secure his sixth win of the season.
Win number seven came the following night in spectacular fashion with a 6 – 5 win over the Burlington Cougars, featuring back-and-forth action that saw Michael Palandra put home the winning goal on the power play in the final minute of regulation time.
With five assists between them in the contest, Bollers and Joseph Mizzi continued to pace the lead for the most helpers in the OJHL, while Mizzi’s 29 points in just 16 games stands above the rest as well.
Things are looking up on the schedule for the home-friendly Tigers, who play host for their next five games stretching into mid-November. With an overall record of 11-4-2-0, four points back of the conference lead, they will look to keep their home record solid after just one loss at the Aurora Community Centre so far this season.
The Tigers play host to the lowly Georgetown Raiders on Friday (5-6-1-1), before the Pickering Panthers (6-8-0-1) come to town on Saturday.
Both puck drops are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
For stats, schedules, and more information, visit www.auroratigers.pointstreaksites.com.