Tri-Star Landscaping/Just in Time Hawks start playoffs strong

The minor atom AA Hawks are off to a great start in the OMHA round robin playdowns.

January 21, the Hawks traveled to St. Catharines to challenge the "candy cane striped team" and came home with a convincing 5-1 victory.

Tyler Whitten started the Caledon scoring, driving to the net and directing a shot from Sean Nottle behind the St. Catharines' goalie. A few seconds later Jesse Fir popped one it, with assists going to Christian Hauck and David Pillsworth.

In the second period, Laura Magliocchi, continuing to be very strong on the blue line, kept the puck in the offensive zone, allowing Nicky Curro from Jordan Bokla and Nando Sirianni to get the third Caledon goal.

Curro performed one of his patented wrap-around goals, assisted by Sirianni, to start the third. St. Catharines came back with one goal, but Nottle showed which team was in charge by firing a short-handed goal on a breakaway late in the game.

Storm doused

Four days later, the Guelph Jr. Storm team visited Mayfield. The Hawks were first on the scoreboard when Jordan Donatelli put the puck on Fir's stick, sending a long shot into the opposing net. Guelph came right back with a goal but then Fir got his second goal of the night with only seconds left in the first.

Guelph managed to tie the game once again in the second. Bokla's high shot dropped in behind the Guelph goaltender to give Caledon the lead in the third. Hawk goalie, Joseph D'Amico made a key glove save to hold onto that lead. The Storm eventually pulled their goaltender in attempt to get a goal back but Bokla received a pass from Lukas Richardson to send him away towards the empty net to secure the 4-1 win with 10 seconds left on the clock.

Home ice blowout

The Caledon home game versus St. Catharines Feb. 1 was a one-sided event as the Hawks skated away with a 7-1 win.

Nicholas Amato fired a shot at the St. Catharines goalie, which rebounded right onto Curro's stick. Curro made sure his second shot went past the goalie after an unsuccessful attempt at an earlier penalty shot.

The Caledon scoring continued in the second period when Sirianni took a pass from Jordan Bokla, skated half the length of the ice and sunk his first goal of the night. Conner Morro sent a perfect pass out from behind the net onto Nottle's stick. Nottle then fired the puck top shelf, over the goalie's glove. Sirianni charged to the net and redirected the puck past the opposing goalie from a nice wrist shot from Bokla, making the score 4-0.

The puck had just dropped in the third when Whitten, set up by Morro put a high wrist shot into the St. Catharines net. Defenceman Mitchell Duggan got the assist after the rebound from his shot from the blue line was picked up by Fir. Morro scored a shorthanded goal, assisted by Nottle to end the Hawks' attack.

After delivering a solid game for his team, goalie Spencer Boyd had his shutout spoiled with a St. Catharines goal late in the third.

The minor atom AAs learned once again that if they play as a team and use their "Hawkspeed" they are a tough group to beat.