Burlington blaze burn mountaineers comeback
Photo: Ross GrennanA night after downing the reigning Minto Cup Champion Whitby Warriors at home 15-8, the Mimico Mountaineers travelled down the QEW Sunday evening to cook up offense with the Burlington Blaze inside ‘The Oven’. Both teams combined for 135 shots and 28 goals, but in the end the Blaze hung on for a 16-12 win.
Burlington capitalized on an early power play with Coltrane Tyson’s eleventh goal of the season. Kaz Nizielski followed with a second power play goal – two of an eventual five. The pair was part of a five-goal run, including a pair of transition goals started by Blaze netminder Cole Gervais. With Burlington in the box late in the period Justin Lee got Mimico on the board. A penalty following the goal led to another Blaze extra man marker, and a 6-2 lead for Burlington.
2022 OJLL leading-scorer Finn Thomson did his best to get Mimico back in the game throughout the second period. He had five points in the period, setting up OJLL leading goal-scorer Isiah Moran-Weekes in transition while also scoring one of his own. All five goals were matched by Blaze scorers, Tyson putting up four points in the frame, keeping Burlington on top 11-7 after two.
The goals kept coming in the third with back-to-back power play markers from Thomson. Ty English’s second of the game broke up the run. It was followed by three more Mimico goals, two from Moran-Weekes to give him 19 on the season. Late penalties hurt the Mountaineers though as Burlington scored three goals, two man-up, in the final six minutes to win 16-12.
All told, there were a combined five hat tricks in the game. With five goals (and four assists), Coltrane Tyson continued his streak of scoring a hat-trick in every game played this season. Will McLeod had the other Blaze hat trick. Ty English finished with six points (2 goals, 4 assists).
Finn Thomson added to his league-leading points total with 10 (3 goals, 7 assists) and now has 38 through six games – four more than his Syracuse University teammate, Orangeville’s Joey Spallina. Lucas Dudemaine had eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) and Isiah Moran-Weekes’ three goals put him three ahead of Oakville’s Xander Derkatz for the league lead.
Mimico will be in Oakville (6-2) on Wednesday night, while Burlington will next rematch against Whitby (2-4) at Iroquois Park on Tuesday night.
