Aces draw with Hornets

The Stratford Humphrey Fleet U18 AA Aces opened their OWHA Southern League Tier-II Championship Semifinals against the Oakville Hornets at the Joshua Creek Arena in Oakville on March 12.

Stratford led 2-0, but Oakville responded with three unanswered goals in the second period to take the lead 3-2 into the third period. The Aces tied the game in the third period and settled for a 3-3 draw, picking up a point to open Game 1 of the series. Charlotte Hines led the Aces with two goals, and Macey Fischer added one.

Aces head coach Sean Cameron commented on the game.

“Yeah, you know, great performance from our girls. We had to travel to Oakville during the week. Girls took some time off from school to get there on time. And you know, Oakville, Oakville is a very classy organization. They're a very skilled hockey team. We came out of the gate flying. We went up 1-0 in the first. We scored another one in the second, and then Oakville came back with a real purpose,” Cameron said.

“They scored three goals in the second period, and we got the equalizer in the third. Charlotte Hines was absolutely on fire, scored two beautiful goals in the top corner, and Macey Fischer scored a really nice one in the second period, there on the power play. So you know, an overall really, really good team. It's going to be a good battle, to say the least.”

Despite lacking ice time for practice, Cameron announced the team will carry on this week to prepare for two games against the Hornets. The first game is scheduled for March 23 at the Stratford Rotary Complex, with the series concluding in Game 3 in Oakville on March 24.

The series winner will compete against the Markham-Stouffville Stars in the OWHA-Southern Tier II Consolation Championship on March 28 at Westwood Arena in Etobicoke.

“Now, we're definitely always preparing. We're going to do a lot of off-ice stuff to get ourselves ready. Ice is really hard to come by, but we're getting prepared for Oakville to come to Stratford on Monday (March 24),” Cameron said.

“We already know who's waiting for us. We know Markham-Stouffville is moving on, so we're just putting in the work to get ready, to prepare for that, and we're looking forward to a great series with a great team.”

Stratford Aces vs. Oakville Hornets (OWHA-Southern Tier II Consolation Championship Semifinals)

Game 1 Aces 3 Hornets 3

Game 2 Oakville vs. Stratford (Stratford Rotary Complex - Rink A) March 23, 7 p.m.

Game 3 Stratford vs. Oakville (Oakville Joshua Creek Arena) March 24, 7 p.m.