CAREER NIGHT FOR JOEY SPALLINA HELPS NORTHMEN TO HOME WIN OVER ATHLETICS

In the midst of a stretch of five straight games at Tony Rose Arena, the Orangeville Northmen have alternated wins and losses all season. Welcoming the St Catharines Athletics, who haven’t won since their opening game, the trend was a home victory, and the result was the same with Orangeville winning 14-8.

Scoring early hasn’t been a problem for St Catharines this season. Gavin Howard scored four minutes in for the Athletics – his first of the season. Then the trio of Joey Spallina, Liam Matthews and Dylan Sanderson ran three straight goals, the latter two on back-to-back offensive possessions, to lead 3-2 after the first.

Despite an early pair of goals from Trey Deere and Nate Ruff, the Athletics were able to hang with the Northmen through the second period. In his first game of the season, 2023 second-overall pick Zackary Toll scored, and a few minutes later Colin French answered Spallina’s second. However, 24 seconds into an A’s power play, Orangeville secured the ball and ran down floor where Aiden Long scored shorthanded to end the period up 8-4.

The third period belonged to Liam Matthews. Not only did the veteran open the scoring, but he’d put up five points in the period helping Orangeville secure a 14-8 victory.

Joey Spallina matched a career-high 10 points (3+7) set earlier this season. Backed by his phenomenal third period, Liam Matthews (5+4) was right behind with nine. Lindyn Hill returned to Orangeville’s net stopping 51 of 59 shots for his third win of the season.

St Kitts’ Zackary Toll had five points (2+3) in his season debut. Both Colin French (3+1) and Keaton Zavitz (1+3) had four. St Catharines has now lost six straight, the A’s longest losing streak since 2022 when they lost seven in a row between June 20 and July 6.