‘Dozen’ get any better than this

Niagara Falls starts junior B hockey season 12-0

Another game on the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League schedule, another two points in the Golden Horseshoe Conference standings.

That has been the junior B season so far for the Niagara Falls Canucks in a nutshell.

Win No. 12 — in 12 games — was achieved Monday night in Hamilton, where the Canucks skated to a 4-1 victory over the Kilty B’s to stay undefeated.

Ben Evans, Harrison Cottam and Justin Randhawa all found the back of the net giving Niagara Falls a 3-0 lead heading into the third period.

Mark Duarte put the hosts on the scoreboard 1:10 into the final frame thwarting Zach Moore’s bid for his second shutout of the 2018-19 season.

Brandon Bastasin rounded out the scoring in the game with a goal for Niagara Falls about 10

minutes later.

All of the offence in the game was generated with the teams playing at even strength: Niagara Falls finished 0-for-1 on the power play; Hamilton, 0-for-6.

Shots on net were 45-32 in favour of the Kilty B’s.

With their third win in four days, the conference-leading Canucks moved six points ahead of the Pelham Panthers, 8-3; and eight ahead of Hamilton, 8-3.

Niagara Falls is first in the Golden Horseshoe in offence going into this week’s schedule averaging 6.75 goals per game.

Owner-head coach Frank Pietrangelo’s Canucks boast the top four scorers in the 25-team league: Evans, 15 goals, 21 assists, 36 points; Justin Kyle, 10 G, 24 A, 34 Pts; Dillon Hill, 3 G, 25 A, 28 Pts; Mitch Mendonca, 14 G, 11 A, 25 Pts.

They are among the stingiest teams defensively as well. Only the 2.00 goals-against averaged compiled by the Panthers goaltending tandem of Nicholas Kidd and Brandon McCorriston is lower than the 2.33 recorded by the Canucks’ Zach Fortuna and Moore.

Niagara Falls hosts Hamilton 7 p.m. Friday at Gale Centre.

Other upcoming games on the Golden Horseshoe schedule have the Fort Erie Meteors, 1-9-0-1; at the Lockport Regals, 1-9; Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Welland Jr. Canadians, 2-8; at Thorold Blackhawks, 3-6; Thursday at 7:07 p.m.; and Pelham at the St. Catharines Falcons, 6-3; also Friday at 7 p.m.