Dylan Sanderson’s Strong Debut Leads Orangeville Northmen To Victory In Whitby

Photo: Ray MacAloney / OJLL

It was a marquee matchup at Iroquois Sports Park in Whitby Tuesday night. On one side, the 2022 Minto Cup champion Whitby Warriors. On the other, the 2023 OJLL finalist Orangeville Northmen who were a perfect 20-0 last season. Thanks to a strong debut by Dylan Sanderson, and plenty of veteran contributions, the Hornheads run continued with an 11-8 victory.

Sanderson’s big night began with a pair of points in the first period. He assisted on Trey Deere’s opening goal before scoring his first OJLL goal on the power play. Orangeville led 2-0 after 20 minutes of play that saw a combined 28 minutes of penalties.

Whitby’s Jack Oldman cut the lead in half early in the second period. The goal of the night went to Liam Matthews who cut across the front of the net and shot over his shoulder, behind his back to not just restore the three-goal advantage, but kickstart a four goal run in 1:47. After the teams traded goals, the Warriors would go on a run of their own, scoring twice in 10 seconds and three to close out the period trailing 7-5.

As with the second, the home side scored first in the third when Lucas Littlejohn scored his first of two in the period. In the end, Orangeville were able to match Whitby all night and win its first game of the season, 11-8.

Dylan Sanderson, playing his first OJLL game, led all runners with five points (3+2). Liam Matthews (2+1), Trey Deere (2+1) and Guerin Jennings (2+0) also had multiple goals. Lindyn Hill picked up his first career OJLL win in his first start since the 2022 season when he was with Six Nations.

Lucas Littlejohn (2+1) was the top points getter for the Warriors. Jack Oldman (2+0) was the only other Whitby player to score multiple goals.

Orangeville will look to keep their undefeated regular season streak going in Brampton (0-1) on Friday, May 24 at 8pm.

Whitby will next travel to Oakville in the Buzz’s home opener Thursday, May 23 at 8pm, a game that will air on OJLL TV.