North York’s second 3-in-3 weekend of the season started off with a 4-1 loss on the road against the St. Michael’s Buzzers on Friday evening.
Goaltending has been a huge part as to why the Rangers headed into the contest with six straight wins. After Colby Muise had a spectacular performance last Sunday against the Buzzers, Jett Alexander was called upon to keep St. Mike’s out of the net this time around. Alexander started the game off with three huge pad stops, including a sprawled-out stop on a wrap-around attempt on an early penalty kill.
Unfortunately for the Rangers, the Buzzers found a way to score first. With just over a minute to play in the opening frame, Ty Jackson scored his third goal of the year after sending it top corner, making it 1-0 in an even contest.
Early in the second, the Buzzers took the 2-0 lead. This time, Tyler Basilllo’s wrist shot from the right face-off circle beat Alexander and landed in the net, extending the Buzzers’ advantage.
The Buzzers would further extend their lead to three goals. With under five minutes to go, James Gibbins scored while shorthanded for the home team, giving St. Mike’s the 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
With 3:51 left in the third, the Rangers finally got on the board. Will Hunter would keep at the puck and jam it over the goal line, giving the Rangers their first goal of the contest to end Cosimo Lazzarino’s shutout bid. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to change the course of the game, with Busillo scoring an empty netter to finish off the 4-1 battle.
The Rangers have two more games on their busy weekend, with North York set to stick in Toronto to play against the Jr. Canadiens on the road at 8:00 PM on Saturday. The Rangers will host the Georgetown Raiders in an important Sunday afternoon matchup at the Herb, a 3:00 PM puck drop. Hope to see you there!
Photo by Tim Bates / OJHL Images