ANOTHER TIGHT WHITBY WIN MOVES WARRIORS INTO SECOND

Record aside the St Catharines Athletics have played in some close games this season. At home on Wednesday night, they battled all game long before the Whitby Warriors won their fourth straight (and second on back-to-back nights) 9-8.

That didn’t look like it would be the case early one, when a pair of goals from Lucas Littlejohn made the score 3-0 less than five minutes in. The A’s would answer with back-to-back goals from Jack Parker and a power play marker from Zackary Toll. Just 40 seconds later Ryan Langille answered, and the teams would trade goals to end the period 5-3 for Whitby.

Goals would go back and forth again throughout the penalty filled second period. Toll scored twice more through that period, and Julian Race finished the frame with a transition goal, but St Catharines still trailed 8-7 after two.

Ty Wilson - who started the game, was replaced by Oliver Vanyo in the first, but then returned in the second – and Ethan Harwood stood tall in the third. Harwood stopped 11 Athletics’ shots, while Wilson turned aside 12 Whitby offerings. Both would surrender one goal though, late in the period. Treysen Stewart, who has scored in all but one of his four games, netted the game-winner with just over three minutes to play. The A’s would get one back, but still end up losing their ninth straight game 9-8.

All three of Lucas Littlejohn (2+1), Ryan Langille (2+1) and Owen Lee (2+0) scored twice for Whitby. Gabriel Sorichetti led the Warriors with five points (1+4).

Zackary Toll led St Catharines’ scoring efforts with his second career hat trick (3+1). Jack Parker (2+1) and Logan Fletcher (2+0) scored twice.