Wolffe outduels Booth-Housego in King Rebellion’s 3-2 OT win over Aurora Jr. Tigers

August 27, 2026 · 0 Comments

It was “The Tale of Two Goalies” on Friday night at the Aurora Community Centre as the Junior Tigers hosted the King Rebellion in what turned out to be a spirited and entertaining OJHL preseason tilt.

Both Rebellion netminder Gunner Wolffe and Tigers’ keeper Colby Booth-Housego appeared to be in mid-season form.

Wolffe blocked 28 of the 30 shots that the Tigers fired his way and Booth-Housego stopped 28 of 31—including 12 of 13 in the wide-open first frame which the Rebellion dominated.

Due to the athleticism and acrobatics of the tenders, the regional rivals were deadlocked at 2-2 after regulation and required overtime—much to the delight of over 150 fans who were treated to a fast-moving, clean hockey game which was penalty-free until 9:51 was remaining in the middle frame.

Wolffe picked up the OTW when King Captain Jared McNeil, who created opportunities all game for wingers Adam Smeeton and Michael Cunha, took advantage of the extra space playing 3-on-3 and ripped a wrist shot below the bar and just above Booth-Housego’s left shoulder with 22 seconds left in the first OT.

McNeil, who led the Rebellion in scoring last season, explained his shot selection against the Tigers’ tender.

“I thought I was running out of time—didn’t know there were over 20 seconds left—so I just turned and fired one over his shoulder. I saw Sun’s goal in the first period and took note of where he shot the puck on the smaller goaltender. I had so many chances tonight—I was glad when one finally went in.”

On a shot remarkably similar to McNeil’s game winner, the Rebellion took a 1-0 lead when Mars Sun sniped one from below the goal line over Booth-Housego’s left shoulder and under the crossbar less than five minutes into the first period.

With four minutes left in the opening frame, Sun’s marksmanship was matched by Tigers veteran forward Nic Ferrante who pulled the black-jerseyed home side even.

On a nice left wing pass from Paul Mahkuka, Ferrante’s filthy toe drag deked Wolffe and the Aurora resident deftly slid the puck in the net.

Ferrante, who played for the Haliburton Huskies and Markham Royals last season, described the equalizer and the thrill of being back at the ACC playing for the Tigers.

“When we were skating on the two-on-one, I wanted to give Mahkuka a target for a pass so I drove to the net, I got a great feed, and the goalie bit on my deke. It felt great to score and it’s nice to be back where it all began. So many of my best hockey memories took place at the ACC. I won championships here. I was thinking of those big games when I was rinsing my face before the game and looking at the jersey in the mirror.”

The OJHL veteran complimented Booth-Housego’s performance between the pipes, especially in the first period.

“We came out flat-footed—for most of us, it was our first pre-season game so we were just expecting the game to come to us. Colby was the reason that I was able to tie the game—we should have been down by three in the first—and he was the reason we got to OT and got a point tonight.”

Midway through the second period, the first penalty of the game was drawn by Tigers’ defenseman Jonathan Varela for high sticking at 10:09. Thirty-nine seconds later, the King power play capitalized when McNeil fed long-time linemate Smeeton who rifled a shot from above the left circle—bulging the twine above Booth-Housego’s white glove.

Trailing 2-1, diligent forechecking by the opportunistic Tigers paid off at 14:12.

Davis Castle forced a turnover in the slot and Connor Adams snapped the puck over the blocker of Wolffe—finding the top right corner to pull the home side even heading into the third period.

Wolffe and Booth-Housego held the fort for their respective squads in the final frame to send the game into OT.

After the contest, McNeil complimented Wolffe’s play in the second and third period when the Tigers outshot his Rebellion squad 14-8 and 7-3, respectively.

“I think it helped that Gunner was with us last year as a practice goalie. Sometimes a first start in the OJHL can make goalies nervous, but he was very comfortable. I noticed his confidence. It helps that we had a confident goalie out there tonight. We were running around a bit too much tonight, but our compete level in front of Gunner was very good.”

In our post-game chat on the Tigers’ bench, Ferrante echoed McNeil’s remarks about his own team’s scrambly play at times, but thought his new squad played well.

“We’re still growing as a group and as a family on and off the ice. We’re getting to understand our systems and I thought we played a good game, given that for most of us, this was the first one of the season.”

Regular Season OJHL Openers

The Tigers will resume their rivalry with the Newmarket Hurricanes on Friday, September 4 at the ACC. Puck drop for “The Battle of Yonge Street” is 7 p.m. and the first 300 fans in attendance will receive a free Tigers t-shirt.

The Tigers will unveil their new jerseys at a reception at Wicked Eats in Aurora at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 3.

The Rebellion, after hosting an OHL game between the Barrie Colts and the Sudbury Wolves on Monday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the Zancor Centre, will welcome the Buffalo Junior Sabres to kick off their OJHL season and home schedule.

Opening faceoff for the Sabres-Rebellion tilt at the Zancor Centre in King City will be 7:30 p.m.

By Jim Stewart