Stouffville appeared evenly matched against the hard-hitting Haliburton team at the start of the first period on Thursday night, but an early opening goal by Tayjon Street was waved off by the referees.
Haliburton’s relentless offence applied consistent pressure from the get-go and tested the Spirit’s defence, which displayed impressive resilience through solid shot blocking and goaltending.
During a power play with Peter Kioussis in the penalty box for puck handling, the Huskies struck the opening blow with a goal past Spirit goaltender Matteo Gennaro.
Nolan Jackson suffered an injury due to a rough Huskies hit towards the end of the period. Despite the following man-advantage, Stouffville couldn’t break through Haliburton’s stout penalty kill.
The second period started with the Spirit trailing by one. However, an early Spirit penalty and subsequent power-play goal by Haliburton widened the deficit to 2-0.
Stouffville struggled to maintain offensive control throughout the game. With another goal, the Huskies secured a 3-0 lead by the end of the second period.
Intensity was high at the start of the third period, and Stouffville’s defensive play presented offensive opportunity, but the team could not convert chances.
Haliburton added another goal roughly seven and a half minutes in, widening the gap to four goals.
The Spirit’s offensive challenges persisted, and a defensive lapse allowed a breakaway goal for Haliburton, resulting in a 5-0 score.
In the closing moments, Stouffville’s Riley Pope prevented a shutout with a last-minute power-play strike. The final score was 5-1.
Despite the tough loss, Stouffville’s defence held Haliburton to a mere five-shot advantage, with a total of 30-25 shots in favour of the Huskies.
With a 2-2 record, the Spirit will travel to Buffalo for two games at the OJHL Governors’ Showcase. Their next home game is set against the North York Rangers on October 9.
