Falcons win streak at four
Winger Owen Green off to fast start offensively
Owen Green appears poised for a breakout season.
The big winger is off to a strong start averaging over two points per game and is on pace to shatter his points total of last year.
Green continued his torrid start Friday with another goal as the St. Catharines Falcons defeated the Fort Erie Meteors 3-1 in a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference game at the Jack Gatecliff Arena.
The win was the fourth straight for the Falcons, 4-0-0-1, whose only blemish this season is a 5-4 overtime loss in their opener versus Kitchener.
The Meteors drop to 1-4 and have now lost three straight.
Green, a native of Williamsville, N.Y., now has six goals and 12 points in just five games.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It feels like I’m 12 years old again playing hockey,” Green said. “You have ups and downs in a season but the pucks are going in so far.”
Green has combined with newcomers Lucas Smilsky (Orangeville) and Tanner Ferreira (London) on a dangerous unit.
“We have such and good team here with four good lines,” said Green, who has spent time in the Ontario Hockey League with the North Bay Battalion. “The coach has been preaching to us to be the hardest working team in the league and so far that’s what we’ve done.”
Falcons head coach Chris Johnstone has been impressed with Green’s output and work ethic thus far.
“He’s got the ability. He’s got a great shot and some size,” Johnstone said. “As long as he keeps working as he should, he will be rewarded and so far, so good.
“Sometimes it gets a little lazy with the big fellas — not him per say — because they can get away with it and they don’t work as hard as they should.”
Johnstone said the Green-Smilsky-Ferreira unit is together out of necessity due to injuries.
“You hate to break it up but Smilsky isn’t a natural centre. He’s more comfortable on the wing,” Johnstone said. “We’ll see what happens there but right now we’ll ride the wave with them.”
The Falcons dominated the first period for the most part outshooting the Meteors 15-10 but only managed a 1-1 tie. Green opened the scoring before Niagara Ice Dogs draft pick Andrew Somerville tied it up late in the period.
The Falcons lost Jack Webb for a
check from behind about halfway through the second but were able to kill off the five-minute major without too much difficulty and also managed to score when Tanner Ferreira potted his second of the season on a breakaway. It was the lone goal of the middle frame.
St. Catharines made it 3-1 early in the third when Jacob Reeves converted a nice feed from Zach Main, who had a strong game with a pair of assists.
“We haven’t really pulled away from anybody, except for Buffalo,” Johnstone said. “It’s a onegoal game and we have to manage the puck better than we are right now. A turnover and it’s a tie game or they get back to within one.”
Falcon facts: Dante Copps, Riley McCourt, Ty Learn, Sean Michaud and Patrick MacDonald did not dress for the Falcons .... Michael Sivik and Pierre Luc Cote Forget were scratched for the Meteors .... Former Meteor and St. Catharines native Mike Kusy is coaching in China according to dad Gene Kusy who was in attendance.
He’s got the ability. He’s got a great shot and some size. As long as he keeps working as he should, he will be rewarded and so far, so good.” Falcons head coach Chris Johnstone