The York Lions men's hockey team returned to the ice Saturday night against the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss to the Waterloo Warriors on Friday evening.
Laurier struck first in the opening period, with Connor Haynes scoring at 4:56 to give the Golden Hawks a 1–0 lead. Anthony Francella and Spencer Caines assisted on the goal. York looked to respond throughout the remainder of the first period, but neither team found the back of the net again before the intermission, as the Lions trailed 1-0 despite outshooting Laurier 10-7 in the period.
The second period remained scoreless despite opportunities at both ends. York goaltender Adam Manji – making his Lions debut between the pipes – stayed busy, stopping all 13 Laurier shots in the frame. The Lions nearly had the equalizer twice on the same sequence midway through the second. Jadon Iyogun broke in alone shorthanded and was hauled down from behind, leading to a penalty shot. However, hee moved in on Andrew Ness and backhanded it off the right post, keeping the Golden Hawks up a goal. The score remained 1-0 in favour of the home side after 40.
York's offence finally broke through early in the final frame. Ryder Ringor tied it at 5:41 after winning a faceoff and tipping home a David Mabey point shot to level the game at 1–1. Just 19 seconds later, Thomas Johnston put York ahead. After Olivier Lamothe was sprung on a breakaway from his own blueline off a turnover, Johnston followed up the play and put it past Ness to make it 2-1 York. Johnston struck again just 2:37 later off a broken play, as a Iyogun centring pass hit a broken stick in front and lay loose for Johnston, who backhanded it past Ness at 8:37. Iyogun registered his first OUA point on the play, with Nich McKee drawing the other assist.
The three-goal third period turned the game around for York, which outshot Laurier 11–10 in the final frame, allowing them to come away with a 3–1 victory. Manji finished with 29 saves on 30 shots, making 29 consecutive saves after allowing a goal on the Golden Hawks first shot. York's penalty kill was perfect on the night, killing off all four Laurier power plays – all of which came in the second period – to preserve the victory.
With the win, York earns a split of the opening weekend of the season. Despite going 0-for-3 on the power play, the Lions made the most of their opportunities at even strength and held Laurier scoreless over the final 55:04 of the hockey game. The two goals for Johnston on this night already double his goal total from a season ago, when he scored one as a rookie.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions will return home to face the Toronto Varsity Blues in their home opener at Canlan Ice Sports on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 2:00 p.m., looking to carry their momentum into their next matchup against their cross-city rivals. You can get your tickets at yorkulions.ca/tickets or watch the game live on OUA TV.
