Falcons miss chance to clinch second

A single point would have secured the St. Catharines Falcons a secondplace finish in the GOJHL Golden Horseshoe Conference.

The Falcons entered Friday night’s match-up four points ahead of the visiting Ancaster Avalanche, but lost by a score of 4-1 at the Jack Gatecliff Arena.

Ancaster chased St .Catharines goaltender Owen Savory from the net after he made 17 stops on 21 shots. Falcons backup Dillon Lamarche stopped all 13 shots he faced in relief. Rookie goaltender Ryan Dugas allowed just one goal on 20 shots against for the Avalanche.

St. Catharines honoured more than 30 alumni in a special pre-game ceremony with players from teams spanning 2008-17. The entire 2011-12 GOJHL-championship team was in attendance, who brought with them the Sutherland Cup. Friday night’s match marked the fifth and final commemorative game of the Falcons 50th Anniversary season.

Avalanche forward Dawson McKinney opened the scoring in the first period, scoring on Ancaster’s first shot of the game. The Avalanche extended their first period lead to two goals with a tally by forward Benjamin Woodhouse midway through the frame. Falcons General Manager and Coach Frank Girhiny credited Ancaster for their effort.

“That was our game plan but they ended up coming out and flying and working hard,” said Girhiny. “We were schooled tonight, end of story and kudos to Ancaster.”

Liam van Loon extended the Avalanche lead to three goals on an early power-play in the second period. Gritty centreman Romaeo D’Intino brought the Falcons with two goals, capitalizing on a pass from defenseman Andrew Summerville. Ancaster quickly reestablished its three-goal lead, with forward Benjamin Hatanaka scoring the Avalanches fourth and final goal.

“We can learn from this,” said Girhiny. “If we can do that, we can use this. Its puts a lot of pressure on us to win on Sunday. We want that home ice.”

The Falcons failed to convert on five power-play opportunities, while allowing one goal on five chances against.

“They were forcing us on our early power-plays,” said Girhiny. “We have secondary plays to make when they do that and we weren’t doing that.”

St. Catharines can still lockdown second-place with a win on Sunday night when they visit the Canucks at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls. Should the Falcons fail to win, Ancaster can takeover second place with a win in at home when they take on the Thorold Blackhawks at 7:30 pm.