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Hornets take one-goal win over Innisfil Spartans

January 30, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Alliston Hornets won their home game over the Innisfil Spartans on Friday (Jan. 24) night at the New Tecumseth Recreation Centre, but it was a little closer than they probably wanted it to be.

The Hornets opened the game with a strong first period scoring just 37 seconds in the first frame and following with a second goal just over a minute later.

They were ahead 3-0 by the time the period ended.

Hornets goals came from Duncan Grube, Aiden Landers, and Mark Coish.

It was a 4-0 game when Grube notched his second of the night at the midway mark in the second period.

The Spartans got on the scoreboard with two minutes remaining in the period.

The Hornets seemed to let up later in the game and the Spartans scored twice in the third period to come within a goal of tying it.

Innisfil blew any chance of tying it up when one of their players took an unnecessary roughing penalty late in the period and the Spartans had to play the rest of the game short-handed.

The final was a 4-3 win for the Hornets.

“We let them get a little momentum and they got back into it,” said Hornets forward Jaeden French after the game, about the third-period Innisfil comeback. “I thought we responded pretty good though, and we were able to fend them off. It wasn’t our best game. We’ve got to start gaining a little bit of momentum going into the playoffs. It was a bottom three team – that shouldn’t happen to us. We’re looking to gain some momentum going into the next three games and get back on track.”

The team is still smarting from a shootout loss on Jan. 10 to the last-place Muskoka Bears, but French shrugged it off.

“We weren’t too disappointed, French said. “We put up 70 shots to their 16. Sometimes you face a hot goalie. We got by a goalie, not a team. It was a good lesson and we came back harder in the next four.”

The Hornets maintain their first-place position in the North Carruthers Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League with a 32-1 record including the one shoot-out loss.

The Orillia Terriers are in second place with a 25-4 record, followed by the Stayner Siskins who have a 25-9 record.

The Hornets will have a road game this weekend when they travel to Orillia on Feb. 1, to take on the Terriers.

They will return to home ice at the NTRC on Wednesday, Feb. 5, when they will host the Penetang Kings.

Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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