Uxbridge Bruins are 1-1 as new season starts
Roger Varley
Celebrating the start of their 50th season, the Uxbridge Bruins lost a nail-biter in Clarington last Thursday but came back with a convincing win over the new Scarborough Knight on Friday.
The season opener saw the Bruins and the Eagles, tied at 1-1, battling through three periods and an overtime period before Clarington beat the Bruins in a shootout.
In the arena on Friday, the local lads stepped onto the ice wearing bold, brand-new jerseys with larger numbers and names on the backs. Although the team has reverted to the old Bruins logo on the jerseys, the uniforms were eye-popping. Their opponents were the Scarborough Knights, who are the relocated and renamed Caledon Golden Hawks from last season.
The first period was scoreless but entertaining. Evan Gilbert showed the same flare he had last season, blocking a shot and then picking up the puck for a breakaway, but he was unable to score. The teams were evenly matched, although Uxbridge had a slight offensive edge.
The second period opened with Scarborough scoring on goalie Kevin Halloran just 30 seconds after the face-off. But then, Uxbridge lowered the boom, scoring four goals before the period was over. Defenceman Tyson Lotton scored first, assisted by newcomer Nathan Marincola and Josh Hall. Newly-named captain Ryan Shier scored the next two goals, both of them assisted byTucker Roberts and Darin Bain.
The Bruins weren't finished yet. In the third, they continued their onslaught, scoring three more goals, starting with Jordan Fitger's power-play marker, assisted by Luke Kemp and Gilbert. The Knights responded with a power-play goal of their own, but Gilbert's unassisted goal at the midway mark and Bain's goal, assisted by Shier and Lotton, finished the scoring.
With several new faces on the roster, at least a couple of them made their presence known. Marincola handled his shifts well and had an assist, while defenceman Jony Sandras showed coolness on the blue line despite his small stature. He stands five-foot-10 and weighs 175 pounds. Such was Sandras' performance that the Cosmos selected him as player of the game for the Bruins. Makar Lukin received the nod for Scarborough.
The Bruins are in action again tomorrow (Friday) night at the arena when they face the Little Britain Merchants at 7:45 p.m. Then it's off down Reach Street to meet the Port Perry LumberJacks at 2:25 p.m.