The North York Rangers finished off a busy 3-in-3 with four points, capped off with a 5-2 win over the red-hot Toronto Patriots on Sunday afternoon.
The first period was very even on the ice, with both teams taking ten shots each. It wasn’t until North York’s ninth shot, however, that one of the teams was able to break into the lead.
With just 2:18 left in the first, defenceman Harrison Rees would score his first career OJHL goal with a perfectly placed wrist shot over Ryan Franz’s blocker, just keeping the play alive after fumbling around with the puck before shooting the puck in.
The Rangers were dominant in the second period, scoring three goals to extend their lead to 4-0. 4:03 into the period, Noah Robinson’s shot went off the back boards and bounced right back out in front. Josh Cammalleri was in a perfect spot to knock in the loose puck, beating Franz to make it 2-0 Rangers.
With 5:46 left in the game, Matt Hubbarde made it 3-0. The youngster grabbed his fourth goal of the contest after a great feed from Davis Park, sending it past Franz’s glove and in.
With 2:24 left in the frame, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Nick Campoli took a beautiful shot and reaped the rewards. After killing a penalty, Campoli rushed down the ice and sent a blister of a wrister over the Patriots netminder, a shot that no goalie in the league could have stopped, to make it 4-0 for the home team.
The Patriots would score their first goal of the game 12 seconds into the third stanza. Brett Bannister would grab his sixth of the campaign after rushing into the play and beating Jett Alexander glove side, putting some life back into the visiting squad.
A minute later, they’d grab another one. This time, defenceman Nicholas Favaro would get his blast in the net, adding even more momentum into the Patriots arsenal.
The Rangers kept their defence strong throughout the contest, with Alexander keeping the Patriots at bay in net. The Pats desperately tried to get another goal, but Jesse Tucker would instead score his first OJHL goal on the empty net to make it 5-2, with the Rangers giving Toronto their second loss of the season.
The Rangers will get to rest after a busy weekend, with the next game coming against the Burlington Cougars on the road next Friday. The Rangers return to the Herb next Sunday on Thanksgiving to take on the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.
Photo from Steven Ellis/North York Rangers
