Sports

Last-minute goal saves Hornets from overtime in game against Innisfil

January 27, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

A final goal in the last minute of the third period from Alliston Hornets forward, Cole Turcotte, spared the Hornets from going into overtime during the Wednesday (Jan. 18) game against the Innisfil Spartans at the New Tecumseth Recreation Centre.

The Hornets were leading 3-1 after the first period on goals from Payton Palbiski and two from Turcotte.

Alliston’s Patrick Light scored at 1:40 into the second, then picked up his second goal of the night at the 13:04 mark to make it a 5-1 game.

The Spartans were far from finished and fought back scoring two late second-period goals to make it a 5-3 game with one period left to go.

Innisfil scored midway into the third period and again with two minutes left on the clock to tie the game at five.

Just when it looked like the game was going to go into overtime, Turcotte got the hattrick with his third goal of the night to give the Hornets a 6-5 win.

The win gives the Alliston squad a 22-5-1 record and 46 points to go with 12 games left on the regular season schedule.

“In the last three weeks I think we have seen a lot more buy-in from our guys as to how we want to play, and how we’re going to have to play in March, April, and May,” said Hornets head coach, Travis Chapman, of the team’s success. “It has been encouraging. Our guys are starting to figure out what we need of them and what we’re asking of them and are putting [that] into play. When we look at where we’ve come from, we’re pretty happy as to how things have played out for us to this point.”

The Hornets are still behind the Stayner Siskins, who have lost only one game all season, but their goal is not focused on beating Stayner.

“I think for us our focus is more on what we’re doing and how we’re playing going into the playoffs,” Chapman said. “Our job is to beat who’s ever on the schedule ahead of us. We’re not worried about who we have and haven’t beat yet. If we’re going to win the Schmalz Cup, we have to beat everybody who’s on the schedule in front of us, regardless of who it is. We’re happy with the regular season at this point. It’s put in the spot where we want to be. In the playoffs, you can’t count on anything until you get four wins. That’s what we’re going to be focused on come playoff time – the game we are playing at the moment and making sure we get the four wins before we think about anything else.”

The Hornets have two road games this weekend against Penetang and Midland.

They will return to home ice at the NTRC on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Game time is 4:00 p.m.

Readers Comments (0)