Sports

Alliston Hornets’ overtime win against Stayner keeps championship series alive

April 2, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Alliston Hornets are back in it after winning Game 5 of their North Carruthers Division championship series in overtime over the Stayner Siskins.

Alliston went into the game trailing 3-1 in the series.

Game 1 of the series got underway on March 19 and ended with a high-powered 6-1 win for the Hornets.

The series was tied at one after Game 2, when the Siskins pulled off a 4-2 win on Hornets’ home ice on March 20.

Game 3 of the series turned into a disaster.

It was played on Stayner’s home ice on Thursday, March 26.

The Hornets won 7-4; however, the Siskins protested after the game.

The Alliston roster missed a single AP player due to a clerical error, so the team was deemed to have an illegal player on the bench.

The game was forfeited, and the win was awarded to Stayner to give the Siskins a 2-1 series lead.

Moving back to Alliston for Game 4 on Friday, March 27, the Hornets fell flat on the ice.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period.

The Hornets took a one-goal lead on a goal from Nick Lamont at 14 seconds into the second period, but that’s all they could do for the night.

Stayner scored twice in the second period, then followed up with four unanswered goals in the third period to leave the ice with a 7-2 win.

The pressure was all on the Hornets to win Game 5 in Stayner.

“All year long, we’ve preached, what’s behind us is behind us, and we’re focused on the next 20 minutes in front of us. That’s been our mantra all year long,” said Hornets head coach Travis Chapman, after Game 4. “That’s how we’ve approached the season and that’s how we approached the playoffs. You have to be focused on the next 20 minutes and go from there. You leave tonight behind, you leave it here at the rink. You get some rest and show up for the next game with the mindset that we’ve gone up there and won two games already, now we have to go and win another one.”

Game 5 was tied 2-2 at the end of the first period.

Alliston’s goals came from Tristen Pitt and Ben Smith.

Stayner took a 3-2 lead in the second period.

In the final period, Duncan Grube scored at 9:42 into the frame to tie the game. Neither team could break the tie, so the game went to overtime.

Grube got his second of the night and the winning goal at 48 seconds into the overtime period for the 4-3 win.

Game 6 of the series was scheduled to take place in Alliston on Wednesday, April 1, with results not available at press time.

If the Hornets win this one, the series will go to Stayner for Game 7. That game will bring both teams’ seasons down to one game to see who will be this year’s Division champions.

Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled to take place at the Stayner arena on Thursday, April 2.

Game time is 8:00 p.m.

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