Muskies Rally Falls Short Against North York

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

The Lindsay Muskies experienced a weekend of highs and lows in Ontario Junior Hockey League action, starting with a tough 3-1 loss to the Trenton Golden Hawks at home on Friday before battling to a hard-fought 3-3 double-overtime draw against the North York Rangers on Sunday.

Friday night’s matchup at the Lindsay Recreation Complex saw Trenton pull off a dramatic late surge. Ajay Rai gave the Muskies an early boost in the second period, scoring his ninth goal of the season on a power play assisted by Colton Bain and Vincent Gazquez. The lead, however, didn’t last. Trenton responded in the third period with three goals in the final 20 seconds. Jamie Darlison opened the scoring at 1:09, followed by back-to-back goals from Jack Ziliotto and Thomas Kuipers in the last 19 seconds, sealing a 3-1 win for the visitors.

Despite the loss, Muskies goalie Cote kept his team in the game, turning aside 25 of 28 shots. Trenton’s Jeffery was equally sharp, stopping 24 of 25 Lindsay shots.

Sunday brought a dramatically different contest in Toronto against the North York Rangers at the Herb Carnegie Arena. The Muskies jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead. Jack Foley opened the scoring at 9:38 with a helper from Maxwell Howlett, followed by Kaden Koutroulides at 15:38, assisted by Foley, and Ajay Rai at 16:19, assisted by Colton Bain.

The Rangers roared back in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals in under five minutes to tie the game. John Kenney, Damir Cherniavskii, and Brayden Boyle erased Lindsay’s lead, forcing a grueling double-overtime that ended scoreless. Muskies goalie Lima made 34 saves, while North York’s D’Angelo and Morvan combined for 42 stops.

The Muskies’ offense showed plenty of firepower over the weekend, led by Rai, Foley, and Koutroulides, but special teams remain an area for improvement, as Lindsay went 0-for-6 on the power play against North York.

After traveling to Toronto’s historic St. Michael’s College Arena on Tuesday (after The Standard’s press deadline), the Muskies will return home for their next OJHL contest on Friday, November 28 at 7 p.m., welcoming the Caledon Admirals to the Lindsay Rec Complex.