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Alliston Hornets beat Schomberg Cougars in semi-final, moving on to face Stayner Siskins in Division Championship

April 6, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Alliston Hornets will meet the Stayner Siskins in the championship series for the North Carruthers Division title of the Provincial Junior Hockey League.

The Hornets won their semi-final series against the Schomberg Cougars in a series that went the full seven games and ended with a 3-2 win for the Hornets on home ice on Monday, Apr. 3.

The series got underway on Mar. 24. Game one gave the Hornets a series lead with a 3-2 win.

In the second game on Mar. 25, the Alliston squad had a two-game lead after winning 4-1 on Schomberg’s home ice.

It was a 2-1 series when the Cougars responded with a 5-3 win on Mar. 27.

The Hornets were again on top with a 4-1 win in Schomberg on Mar. 30.

With the opportunity to end the series on home ice, the Hornets fell flat on Friday, Mar. 31, giving up a 5-2 loss.

An Alliston loss in Shelburne on Apr. 2 meant the series was going to game seven with a winner-take-all game on Monday, Apr. 3.

The Cougars opened the scoring in the final game at 6:02 in the first period.

The Hornets responded in the second, tying it up on a goal from Darin Bain and a second goal from Cole Turcotte.

Early in the third period, Mark Coish beat the Cougars’ goalie to give the Hornets a two-goal advantage with a lot left to play in the period.

The Cougars scored at the 13:28 mark in the period, but the Hornets held on to win the game 3-2 to win the series and earn the right to advance to the final.

“I didn’t think the series was going seven games but it was a hard battle, it was a hard fought series and it’s good to come out on top,” said Hornets forward Mark Coish after the series win. “We played our game and showed that tonight and came out to win. It was a tough series, hard fought, we’re doing our best.”

The Hornets will now gear up for their final series against Stayner. The Siskins dispatched the Orillia Terriers in four games in their best-of-seven semi-final.

“We’ve got to be prepared mentally and physically and go out there and play our game we’ll win the championship,” Mark said.

The championship series is going to be an all-out battle between two tough teams. The Siskins finished the regular season in first place and were a powerhouse team this year.

The Hornets were close behind in second place.

Both teams will provide a big show for fans who come out to see the championship games. The New Tecumseth Recreation Centre saw a full house for the final semi-final game on Apr. 3.

The Alliston versus Stayner final series dates have not yet been announced as of press time, but it will be a quick turn-around.

Visit the OHA website at www.thephjl.ca for game day updates.

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