photo courtesy of St. Catharines Athletics Instagram Page
The St. Catharines Athletics withstood a determined Whitby Warriors comeback to earn a hard-fought 11-9 victory. Whitby opened the scoring at 4:18 of the first period on a goal from Owen Lee, but St. Catharines responded with four of the next five, powered by a first-period hat trick from Jameson Bucktooth, to take a 4-2 advantage into the break. The Athletics took control in the second period, with Lukas Rozon scoring twice while Zackary Toll, Isaiah Paul and Sutter Pilon also found the back of the net. Cam Maunders answered for Whitby, but St. Catharines carried a commanding lead into the final period.
The Warriors refused to go quietly, mounting a furious third-period comeback. Max Wetherup and Bryceson Lamoureux struck early before Bucktooth answered with a power-play marker that would stand as the game-winning goal. Matthew Ford, Treysen Stewart, Maunders and Lamoureux kept the Whitby rally alive, but Arrow Booth provided a crucial late goal for St. Catharines. In the end, the Athletics weathered a relentless Warriors charge to hold on for the 11-9 victory, with Bucktooth leading the way offensively in a wild, high-scoring battle.
To The Game:
Whitby opened the scoring at 4:18 when Owen Lee converted a Darris Jones pass, with Max Wetherup also drawing an assist.
St. Catharines answered at 11:10 when Jameson Bucktooth finished an Arrow Booth feed, followed by Liam Larocque converting an Isaiah Paul pass at 15:13 to give the Athletics their first lead of the game.
Max Wetherup tied the game for Whitby at 17:22 off a Bryceson Lamoureux pass, but the Athletics responded just 46 seconds later when Bucktooth scored his second of the period off a Sutter Pilon feed.
Bucktooth completed the first-period hat trick with just 21 seconds remaining, finishing an Arrow Booth pass to give St. Catharines a two-goal advantage heading to the break.
After one period, St. Catharines 4, Whitby 2.
Second Period:
St. Catharines took control of the game in the second period, opening the scoring with Lukas Rozon finishing a Jameson Bucktooth pass, with Arrow Booth also drawing an assist.
Zackary Toll added to the Athletics’ lead at 7:01 off a Bucktooth feed, followed by Isaiah Paul converting a Toll pass at 10:39.
The Athletics continued to pull away with Lukas Rozon scoring his second of the period at 11:30 off a Toll feed. Just six seconds later, Sutter Pilon found the back of the net off an Isaiah Paul pass to continue the St. Catharines run.
Whitby finally stopped the Athletics’ momentum at 14:25 when Cam Maunders converted an Owen Lee pass, with Aidyn Urbach also picking up an assist.
After two periods, St. Catharines 9 Whitby 3.
Third Period:
Whitby came out firing in the third period, with Max Wetherup scoring just 1:35 into the frame off a Matt Souter pass. Bryceson Lamoureux followed just 46 seconds later, converting a Wetherup feed at 2:21 as the Warriors continued to battle their way back into the game.
St. Catharines answered on the power play at 5:17 when Jameson Bucktooth converted an Arrow Booth pass for what would stand as the game-winning goal. Whitby refused to go away, with Matthew Ford finding the back of the net at 6:14 off a Wetherup feed.
The Warriors continued their comeback attempt with Treysen Stewart scoring at 12:10 off a Lamoureux pass, followed by Cam Maunders on the power play at 14:13. Lamoureux then struck again at 16:00 off a Matthew Ford feed to keep Whitby within striking distance.
Arrow Booth finally gave the Athletics some breathing room at 16:57, finishing a Jameson Bucktooth pass with Lukas Rozon also drawing an assist, helping St. Catharines withstand the furious Whitby comeback.
Final score, St. Catharines 11 Whitby 9.
The Three Stars:
1. Jameson Bucktooth
2. Lukas Rozon
3. Zack Toll
St. Catharines leads the best of seven series 3-2. Game six is set to go Sunday at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre. Game Time is 8 p.m.
Don’t forget to check us out every Sunday night at 8 p.m. (ET) on StreamPunkEnt.com
