Oct 13, 2024 | Mackenzie | 576 views
Applekings Win Home Opener against Creemore
The Georgian Bay Applekings got a big first win against the Creemore Coyotes on a night they raised the Senior 'A' Championship banner.
Thornbury, ON
The Georgian Bay Applekings hosted the Creemore Coyotes in their Home Opener for the second year in a row. Last year, the Applekings lost 8-2, but this year, they showed their fans a much-improved team, beating the Coyotes 5-4 and earning 2 big points to start the season.
The evening kicked off with the Beaver Valley Pipes & Drums band leading the Applekings onto the ice. They also unveiled the Hugh McLean Trophy Champion banner.
The Coyotes, who finished 2nd in the league last year, provided a great test for the new-look Applekings. The team added size, skill, and depth to their lineup, which was clear in this exciting Home Opener.
The first period was a bit rough, with penalties on both sides. It was a choppy start, as is often the case with the first game of the season, but there were some great plays and big saves by both goalies—Allan Menary for the Applekings and Mason Kameka for the Coyotes. Menary made a huge save with just 2 seconds left in the period to keep the score tied 0-0. Shots were 11-11.
In the second period, the Applekings picked up the pace, but it was Creemore who scored first on a breakaway goal by Ben Hughes, assisted by Jordan Taylor and Aiden McKenzie. The Applekings responded with relentless pressure, and finally broke through with a shot from Logan Blaser that was tipped in by Evan Buehler for his first of the season. Momentum was on their side, and after drawing two penalties, the Applekings capitalized on a power play goal by Austin Ulett, his first in Senior Hockey, assisted by Jacob Robitaille. The Applekings outshot the Coyotes 19-8 in this period.
The third period was action-packed, with plenty of goals and penalties. Both teams scored power play goals within the first 7 minutes. Anthony Novielli tied it up for the Coyotes, assisted by Hughes and Adam Logozzo. Three minutes later, the Applekings regained the lead on a power play goal by Matt Salituro, assisted by Ulett and Noah Rowland. The lead grew when Derek Sweeney made a great pass to Evan Buehler, who showed patience before sliding the puck to Mackenzie Fleming for his first goal of the season. However, the Coyotes quickly answered with a goal by Owen Heilemann, assisted by Michael Capicotto and Logozzo.
The Coyotes kept the pressure on and tied the game at 4-4 with a breakaway goal from JD Falconer, who followed up his own rebound after being stopped by Menary. The Applekings didn’t let up, though, and with just under a minute to go, Mitchell Good made a great play on the wall, firing the puck toward the net. Austin Ulett managed to kick the puck to his stick and tip it in, assisted by Good and Salituro, sealing the win for the Applekings in front of 350 fans. Final shots were 38-32 in favor of the Applekings.
The Applekings hope to build on this opening win when they travel to Milverton next Sunday, October 20, for a rematch of last spring's Senior A Championships!
3 stars of the game:
3rd Star: Ben Hughes 1 G 1 A
2nd Star: Matthew Salituro 1 G 1 A
1st Star: Austin Ulett 2 G 1 A
Next Applekings Home Game: Saturday, October 26, 2024 5:30 PM vs Minto 81s.