“Laser” Lazarou tallies two in Junior Panthers’ 5-3 win over Ottawa 67’s

October 8, 2026 · 0 Comments

Captain Demi “Laser” Lazarou fired two top shelf goals to lead the U22 Central York Panthers to a 5-3 win over the Ottawa 67’s at the Aurora Recreation Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Avery Mann, Anna Downey, and Elizabeth Shapira added one goal each as the Panthers improved their early season record to 4-1-0.

Lazarou, who was selected to play for Team Canada’s 18U squad alongside teammates Audrey Martone and Claire Hicks, described the keys to the Panthers’ victory: “We did a good job at putting the puck deep and when we put pressure on them, it led to a lot of success. We created turnovers that turned into goals.”

One of those turnovers figured prominently in Lazarou’s unassisted goal which opened the scoring.

In a brilliant individual effort, the Panthers sharpshooter gained possession in the Ottawa zone, pivoted off the left circle, cut through two defenders, and snapped the puck from the slot into the top left corner above Brayah Bemrose’s glove to break a scoreless tie with 1:03 left in the first period.

Central York’s leading scorer described her fourth goal of the season: “I saw a way to the net and saw the top shelf was open. I was able to get the shot just above her glove in that space.”

Lazarou’s highlight reel marker stood as the difference on the scoreboard until the 7:45 mark of the second period when Panthers rookie forward Avery Mann teed up a slapshot from just inside the left point.

Mann’s blast flew through a maze of blue-jerseyed Panthers and white-jerseyed 67’s and knuckled past Bemrose to provide Central York with a 2-0 margin heading into the third period.

Lazarou and Sarah Martin earned assists on Mann’s third of the season. The talented first-year Junior is second in team scoring with five points.

3:24 into the final frame, speedy Ottawa forward Samantha Salo took advantage of a Central York defensive lapse, burst down the right wing on a clear-cut breakaway, and fired a wrist shot blocker side that eluded Kallee Seca to pull the 67’s to within one goal.

The rookie Panthers goaltender had been flawless up to that point–turning aside all 24 shots she faced in the first forty minutes of play.

The Panthers responded to the incursion by Ottawa with two quick goals to steal momentum back from the visitors.

Less than three minutes after Salo’s breakaway goal, Panthers forward Anna Downey stole the puck off a 67’s defender, deked Bemrose, and backhanded it high over the outstretched arm of the fallen Ottawa goaltender. Downey’s first goal of the season restored Central York’s lead to three goals.

Thirteen seconds after Downey’s first goal of the season, Elizabeth Shapira lit the lamp to give Central York a 4-1 lead. The Panthers’ second-year center one-timed the puck past Bemrose in the slot—earning assists for her hard-checking linemates Anastasia Trifon and Audrey Martone.

Less than two minutes later, veteran defender Mackenzie Cotey set up Lazarou who sniped her second goal of the game—once again high glove side past Bemrose to give the home side a commanding 5-1 lead.

However, Central York got into penalty trouble in the remaining nine minutes of the third period and a steady stream of Panthers to the sin bin created opportunities for the 67’s. The Ottawa side capitalized on the home side’s truculence and some dubious calls by the officiating crew. Forward Quinn Toll found space in the slot on the power play, banged one past Seca, and into the cage to reduce the visitors’ deficit to 5-2 with 3:08 on the clock.

With both Lily Paisley and Martone residing in the penalty box in the final minute of play, Toll scored her second power play goal with 12.4 seconds on the clock when her wrist shot deflected off two players and through Seca.

The post-game mood was less-than-celebratory for the Panthers due to their uneven performance in the third period and Lazarou acknowledged, “We needed to keep it simple. The penalties needed to be limited. If we didn’t get those penalties, they wouldn’t have had all the late scoring chances being taken.”

Despite the letdown at the end of the contest, the Panthers’ Captain offered reasons why the club is off to a strong 4-1-0 start to the 2026-27 season: “We have a lot of returning players who have been leaders for the new players. We had a really good training camp where we worked on our systems. It’s helped us to grow as players and the new players are developing well. They’re great. [Mann and Downing] scored today, we have talented rookies, and they’re working well with our systems.”

By Jim Stewart