Horsman's Heroics Lead Brampton Excelsiors to 9-7 Triumph over Toronto Beaches

PHOTO: SAM HOSSACK

A day after dropping a 17-9 decision in Mimico, the Toronto Beaches travelled to Brampton looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since the first weekend of the season. The stretch that saw them lose to three of the top teams in the OJLL ended with a 12-10 home win against the Excelsiors. On Sunday night though, it was Brampton exacting revenge with a 9-7 win. 

A pair of goals from Erich Ward and Bowie Horsman 46 seconds apart gave the home side an early 2-1 lead. Matt Collison’s seventeenth of the season tied the game, but another pair of Brampton goals led to a 4-3 first period. 

Both teams combined for 20 minutes in penalties in a hotly contested second period inside Memorial Arena. Dante Kulas was the beneficiary of one of those power plays, scoring with just 11 seconds left in the Excelsiors’ second man advantage of the period. Zack Miller from Toronto and Horsman traded goals in a 45 second span as Brampton extended the lead to 6-4 after two. 

It was 7-4 before Collison and captain Jacob Hickey put a run together to pull the Beaches within one, the latter scoring 16 seconds into another Brampton power play. Ethan Harkins would make the next man advantage count, though, and Kulas put the game away giving Brampton a 9-7 win. Both wins this season have now come at Memorial. 

Bowie Horsman was in on eight of the nine Brampton goals (3 goals, 5 assists). Dante Kulas had a hand in five (3 goals, 2 assists). Erich Acton added four helpers. Connor O’Toole stopped 44 of 51 shots for the win. 

Jacob Hickey led the Beaches with four points (3 goals, 1 assists). Also with four points was Matt Collison (2 goals, 2 assists). Although Willem Firth has 53 points on the season, he added just two to his total on Sunday (1 goal, 1 assist). After getting the hook a night before, Andrew Kidd was back between the pipes for Toronto stopped 36 of 45 Brampton shots. 

Brampton will travel away from their friendly home confines on Tuesday when they head to Whitby (5-4), while the Beaches will have a few days of recovery before welcoming Kitchener-Waterloo (1-7) to the Sand Box (Pickering Rec Centre).