October 3, 2024 · 0 Comments
Four third-period goals paced the Aurora Tigers to a stirring 6-3 win over the North York Rangers on Sunday afternoon at Herb Carnegie Arena.
The Tigers’ victory in North York followed a dramatic 5-4 double overtime win versus the Georgetown Raiders at the OJHL Showcase at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls on Wednesday.
The two road victories by the Tigers signaled a positive end to a month-long trek through Stouffville, Pickering, Haliburton County, King Township, Niagara Falls, and Toronto.
In North York, Andreas Mikrogiannakis and Kyle Baston fired two goals each to lead the Tigers’ attack.
Aurora defenseman Jack Rispin scored the game winner at 12:11 of the final frame.
Baston, who earned the First Star of the Game honors as selected by OJHL staff, and Tiger teammate Tristen Aben closed the scoring two minutes apart at 12:11 and 14:20 of the third period, respectively, to wrangle the Rangers into submission.
Tigers’ leading scorer Antonio Cerqua—who averaged more than a point per game on the road trip with 1 goal and 7 assists – contributed three helpers against North York. Mikrogiannakis notched his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season in North York. Matthew Humphries stopped 28 of 31 shots to earn his first OJHL win.
In Niagara Falls, Humphries’s goaltending partner Christopher Thomson made 46 saves over five periods of play to earn the W versus the Raiders. Aurora veteran defenseman Liam Longo tallied the game-winner with 55 seconds left in the second overtime period to lift the Tigers to their first win of the season after five tough consecutive road losses.
Dawson Boily’s tying goal with 4:26 left in the third period pushed the game into OT. Baston, Mikrogiannakis, and Amar Beganovic also scored against the Raiders.
With two consecutive wins, the Junior A Tigers moved into tenth place in the OJHL’s Eastern Conference with a 2-5-0-0 record. The Tigers welcome the Caledon Admirals (1-7-0-0) to “The Jungle” on Saturday, October 5 for the club’s home opener at the Aurora Community Centre. Opening ceremonies will commence at 7.30 p.m.
The first 250 fans through the ACC “turnstiles” at the home opener will receive an Aurora Tigers Ontario Junior Hockey League t-shirt.
By Jim Stewart