Hutchings OT Hero For Gryphins

by Mike Marasco

The Wentworth Gryphins faced off against the St. Catharines Saints in a thrilling, back-and-forth game at the Harry Howell Arena on Thursday night. It would take an extra period to decide the game which the Gryphins ultimately wonds remaining in overtime.

St. Catharines got the scoring rolling in the game with a pair of goals scored 23 second apart in the first two-minutes of the game thanks to Cial Cirillo and Matthew Riva. However, Marc-Anthony Simonetta would respond or the Gryphins less than a minute later to cut the lead in half. Before the period could end, Matt MacLeod scored his seventh goal of the campaign, tying the game at two for Wentworth.

Tory McLean regained the lead for the Saints 7:45 into the middle stanza with his second of the year, but Michael Lomas took advantage of the power play to tie the game back up less than a minute later. From there Wentworth took their first lead of the game thanks to a pair of goals by Dylan Bahr at the 9:02 and 16:12 mark. St. Catharines would get back within a goal late in the period when McLean netted his second of the period with 43 ticks left on the clock.

In the third, both teams had some great opportunities but there was only one puck that found the back of the net, and it came of the stick of the Saints’ captain, Connor Walters who tied the game at five with 3:22 remaining in regulation and sent the game to overtime.

While Wentworth controlled much of the extra frame, they were not finding a way to put the puck past Liam Stevenson, the St. Catharines netminder. With time winding down, it looked like the teams were heading to the first shootout in the Allan Cup Hockey League since February 7, 2020. But Alex Hutchings would end the game with 50 seconds left in the contest, scoring his league leading 12th goal of the year for the Gryphins.

Dawson Carty picked up the win for Wentworth, making 30 saves on the night while Stevenson allowed 6 goals on 45 shots in the Saints loss.

With the victory, the Gryphins enter their break on top of the standings with a 9-3-0-0 record, four points ahead of the Stoney Creek Tigers who still have two games remaining before the holiday break. St. Catharines now sits with a 4-5-0-1 record in fourth place, three points back of the Dundas Real McCoys.

The Saints will complete their 2025 schedule on Saturday December 20th when they make their first trip to Stoney Creek to face the Tigers starting at 6:30pm. Wentworth will return to action on Saturday January 3rd when they travel to St. Catharines to face the Saints. Game time at the Merritton Centennial Arena is 7:30pm.

Upcoming Games
Friday December 19
Stoney Creek at Cambridge – 8:00pm

Saturday December 20
St. Catharines at Stoney Creek – 6:30pm

--- Holiday Break ---

Saturday January 3
Wentworth at St. Catharines – 7:30pm

Friday January 9
Stoney Creek at Dundas – 7:30pm

Saturday January 10
St. Catharines at Stoney Creek – 6:30pm

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 For more information contact Allan Cup Hockey Commissioner Rick Richardson at 905-328-4727 or email: rickystar911@outlook.com