Falcons soar into ’18
St. Catharines comes from behind to tame Panthers; Ancaster moves into second
The St. Catharines Falcons continued their winning ways to the new year.
The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League team, playing its first game in more than two weeks, scored five unanswered goals in a 5-2 road victory over the Pelham Panthers.
The come-from-behind victory was the third in a row for the Falcons, who improved to 3-2 in head-to-head play versus Pelham and to 24-7-1-2.
Lucas Smilsky led St. Catharines with three goals, the first while the Falcons were shorthanded, the last into an empty net.
Michael Davies and Noah Perlic, also with the Panthers net empty for an extra attacker, rounded out the scoring the Falcons, who won outshot their hosts 43-28 Sunday afternoon at Pelham Arena.
Franceso Gigliotti and Chris Webber, on the power play, scored first-period goals for the Panthers.
Pelham fell to 13-20-1-2 in league play snapping a two-game winning streak.
St. Catharines finished the game 0-for-5 on the power play; Pelham, 1-for-6.
Former Panther Dillon Lamarche earned the victory in net for the Falcons. The 18-yearold St. Catharines native and graduate of the Niagara North Stars triple A program compiled a 4.41 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage in 33 games with Pelham last season.
St. Catharines vaulted into third place in the Golden Horseshoe, one point ahead of the idle Niagara Falls Canucks, 23-8-04, and two back of the Ancaster Avalanche, 26-7-1.
Pelham is tied with the Welland Jr. Canadians, 12-18-3-2, for sixth in the nine-team conference, but Welland, with a game in hand, has a higher winning percentage .412 to .403.
Atop the conference are the Caledonia Corvairs, 29-3-0-1 and six points ahead of Ancaster.
The Corvairs, winners of 14 in a row, 17 of 18 and seeking to finish the regular season in first place for the fifth straight year, are second only to the Midwestern Conference-leading Listowel Cyclones, 30-5-0-0, in the 26team junior B league.
St. Catharines is back on the ice Friday hosting the Buffalo Regals in a 7 p.m. faceoff at Jack Gatecliff Arena. The Falcons lead the season series against last-place Buffalo three wins to none, six points to one.
Pelham hosts Niagara Falls for a 2:30 p.m. puck drop Sunday. The Panthers trail the Canucks 0-4 in head-to-head play.
Avalanche 4, Jr. Canadians 3 2OT
At Welland, Matthew Bridgwater scored an unassisted goal in 3-on-3 overtime to extend Ancaster’s winning streak to six games and streak of earning at least a point to nine games.
Ben Woodhouse, Justin Homer and Dirk Stadig found the back of the net in regulation for the Avalanche who completed a sweep of a home-and-home series with the come-from-behind victory Sunday night at Welland Arena.
Justin Blakely, with two goals, and Maliek Powell scored for Welland which took a 3-2 lead into the third period and was hoping to rebound from a 3-1 loss the night before in Ancaster and snap a two-game losing streak.
The Avalanche took the season series four wins to two, eight points to five.
Brady Rutherford, Tanner Brennecke and Woodhouse scored for the Avs Saturday night. Roberto Moretto replied for Welland.
Ancaster outshot the B’s 35-38 and the teams went scoreless on the power play: Ancaster, 0-4; Welland, 0-2.
The Jr. Canadians visit the Buffalo Regals Tuesday night, weather permitting. Welland is 3-0 versus Buffalo so far this season.
Corvairs 5, Meteors 1
At Fort Erie, Owen Lane scored two goals and collected two assists, and visiting Fort Erie won its 14th game in a row.
Joshua DeFarias, on the power play, and Jack Wierenga, into an empty net with his team playing shorthanded, also scored for Caledonia Saturday night at the Leisureplex.
Marco Lariccia replied for the Meteors, who fell to 0-4 against the four-time defending conference champions and to 8-22-14.
Fort Erie, which was outshot 51-20, lost for the ninth time in as many starts.
Caledonia went 1-for-4 on the power play; Fort Erie, 0-for-6.
The Meteors visit St. Catharines Friday and the Corvairs are home to Buffalo the following night.
In head-to-head play, Fort Erie is 0-5 against the Falcons, while Caledonia is 4-0 versus the Regals earning a shutout each time.