Timofey Williams has turned aside 92 of 96 shots in two wins, Jaden Flora has four assists since arriving hours before the opener, and Georgetown visits the Gale Centre on Friday for GNBA Night
Three games into the Ontario Junior Hockey League season, the Niagara Falls Canucks have a goaltender playing like he intends to steal games, a new forward who has needed no time at all to settle in, and a 2-1 record to show for it.
Williams stands tall
Timofey Williams has stopped 92 of the 96 shots he has faced. He turned aside 58 of 59 in a 7-1 win at Oakville on Thursday, the only game on the OJHL schedule that night, then 34 of 37 on Sunday, including a first-period penalty shot, as the Canucks came from two goals down to beat the North York Rangers 4-3 at the Gale Centre.
In between came the one that got away. Caledon goaltender Justin Young stopped all 44 shots he faced in the home opener on Friday, and the Admirals left Niagara Falls with a 3-0 win in front of a good crowd. The Canucks outshot Caledon 44-40. Some nights the other goaltender is the story.
A brother added hours before the season opener
The Canucks acquired forward Jaden Flora from the Buffalo Jr. Sabres for a player development fee in the hours before the Oakville game. He has an assist on four of the 11 goals they have scored since.
Jaden Flora, 19, of St. Catharines, spent the last two seasons in Buffalo, where he put up 25 goals and 62 points in 54 games last season. He has 39 goals in 109 career regular season games. He wanted to play closer to home, and he wanted to play with his younger brother.
He is doing both. Two of his four assists have set up Justin, the 17-year-old who centres his line. A third went to Jacob Greene on the other wing, and the fourth to Rafek Dianov.
That line — Justin Flora between Jacob Greene and Jaden Flora — has had a hand in five of the Canucks’ 11 goals. Justin Flora has two goals and two assists. Jacob Greene, 16, has a goal and three assists.
Marcotte’s line delivering too
The line centred by captain Tim Marcotte, with CJ Irwin on the left wing and Eric Bründl-Pandzich on the right, has been the other consistent source of offence.
Bründl-Pandzich opened the scoring in Oakville, where Marcotte added a power-play goal. On Sunday he scored early in the third period to pull the Canucks even, and 28 seconds later Irwin took a pass from his captain and scored the winner.
Dianov has two goals and two assists of his own. Ethan Abraham, Brodie Wood, Dylan Orr and Max DeCoff have also found the scoresheet, and Jimmy Meekma scored short-handed in Oakville.
Still to come is David Greene, Jacob’s older brother and a second-round pick of the Erie Otters, who is rehabilitating a lower-body injury sustained at the end of last season and is expected back in the lineup soon.
Four games in six days
The schedule does not ease up. Niagara Falls is in Burlington on Tuesday night to face the Cougars, home to Georgetown on Friday, in Toronto against the Warriors on Saturday afternoon and in Caledon on Sunday afternoon for a rematch with the Admirals.
Friday is GNBA Night
The one to circle is at home. The Canucks host the Georgetown Raiders at 7 p.m. at the Gale Centre for Greater Niagara Baseball Association Night, and every GNBA player wearing their baseball jersey gets in free.
The association’s 15U team, which won the Ontario Baseball Association AAA championship on Sunday, will walk the red carpet and drop the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff. Provincial champions on the ice, and a building that should be loud.
- Friday, September 11 — Gale Centre, Rink 1, 5152 Thorold Stone Road
- Box office opens at 6 p.m. · Puck drop at 7 p.m.
- Niagara Falls Canucks vs. Georgetown Raiders
- General admission $15, seniors and students $10, cash only. Children under five are free.
- GNBA players in their baseball jerseys are admitted free.
Opening week
- Thursday, September 3 — Niagara Falls 7, Oakville 1 (Williams 58/59)
- Friday, September 4 — Caledon 3, Niagara Falls 0 (Young 44/44)
- Sunday, September 6 — Niagara Falls 4, North York 3 (Williams 34/37)
Record: 2-1. Goals for 11, goals against 7.
