Tigers Beat Saints In Feisty Affair

The Stoney Creek Tigers scored four times in the game’s opening period, and it was all they would need as they went on to pick up their second win of the early season, defeating the St. Catharines Saints 7-3 on Saturday evening at the Stoney Creek Arena. Chris Knighton and Cole Poliziani each scored a pair of goals in the win, while JJ Martin scored once and added an assist for the Saints.

The first couple of minutes of the game saw the teams feeling each other out, but from there Stoney Creek took control. Knighton broke the ice at the 7:25 mark to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Nearly five minutes later, Jake Guindon scored his first of the season to double the lead for the home side. Knighton picked up his second of the game and the season at 14:28, before Mike Ruberto netted his fifth of the season at 16:06 for a commanding 4-0 lead.

While the opening period was all Tigers, the second period saw St. Catharines get a spark, picking up two goals to cut the lead in half. Tory McLean found the back of the net for his third of the year, getting the Saints on the board at 7:25. Then, with just under three minutes left in the middle stanza, Matthew Thorpe scored his second of the year to pull St. Catharines back within two goals. The period also saw the teams starting to heat up, building the new rivalry in the ACHL.

Stoney Creek effectively put the game out of reach with three more goals in the third. Chase Spencer scored at 4:15, before Poliziani struck at 8:22 and 15:00, the first coming on the man-advantage. The teams got chippy in the final minutes, and Martin scored for the Saints at 19:53 while the Tigers were killing off a pair of penalties.

Evan DeBrouwer made his ACHL debut for Stoney Creek, stopping 16 of 19 shots he faced in the victory. Trevor Micucci started for the second straight night for St. Catharines, allowing seven goals while making 27 saves.

The Tigers (2-0-0-1) will head out on the road next week for a pair of games, starting with a visit to the Galt Arena Gardens on Friday to face the Cambridge Hornets (1-2-0-0). Puck drop on Friday is scheduled for 7:45pm. The next night, the Tigers will head to St. Catharines for a rematch with the Saints (2-2-0-0) at the Merritton Centennial Arena, starting at 7:30pm.

Scoring
1st Period
Stoney Creek – Chris Knighton (1), Matt Ruberto, Bo Webster – 7:25
Stoney Creek – Jake Guindon (1), Nicolas D’Agostino – 12:15
Stoney Creek – Chris Knighton (2), Matthew Giannini, Jordan Gignac – 14:28
Stoney Creek – Mike Ruberto (5), Cole Poliziani, Dominik Crnogorac – 16:06

2nd Period
St. Catharines – Tory McLean (3), Travis Houle, JJ Martin – 7:25
St. Catharines – Matthew Thorpe (2), Ryan Donovan, Cam Stewart – 17:12

3rd Period
Stoney Creek – Chase Spencer (1), Mike Ruberto – 4:15
Stoney Creek – Cole Poliziani (1), Dominik Crnogorac – 8:22 PPG
Stoney Creek – Cole Poliziani (2), Mike Ruberto – 15:00
St. Catharines – JJ Martin (1), Cam Stewart, Johnny Curran – 19:53 PPG

Upcoming Games
Thursday November 12
Dundas at Wentworth – 7:30pm | Harry Howell Arena

Friday November 13
Stoney Creek at Cambridge – 7:45pm | Galt Arena Gardens

Saturday November 14
Stoney Creek at St. Catharines - 7:30pm | Merritton Centennial Arena

Thursday November 19
Dundas at Wentworth – 7:30pm | Harry Howell Arena

Friday November 20
Wentworth at Cambridge – 7:45pm | Galt Arena Gardens

Saturday November 21
Stoney Creek at St. Catharines – 7:30pm | Merritton Centennial Arena

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