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Gameday Preview: Pickering vs. Newmarket

By Melissa Kania

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(Photo: OJHL Images)

There are just two games on the schedule in a semi-quiet night in the OJHL this Thursday evening, including a match-up of the North Division rival Pickering Panthers and Newmarket Hurricanes.

RIGHT NOW…

  • Newmarket leads the division with 21 points. Nine wins, two losses, one shootout loss and two overtime losses gives the Hurricanes a .750 win percentage. The team is 4-0-1-1 at home and 5-0-2-1 on the road and has the fewest goals against allowed in the league (30).
  • Pickering is last in the division with 12 points. Three wins, nine losses, two shootout losses, and one each overtime and shootout win gives them a .375 win percentage. The team’s 16 games played is the most in the division. The Panthers are 2-1-1-6 at home and 1-1-1-3 on the road.
  • Both teams have 46 goals-for this season, in 14 (Newmarket) and 16 (Pickering) games played.

THE LAST TIMES…

  • The teams have faced off three times already this season.
  • September 7: 3-2 Newmarket win in regulation; Hurricanes goals by Francisco, Leavens and Higley; Sheppard and McCann tallied for the Panthers. Newmarket went 0-7 on the power play, while Pickering scored on one of nine attempts and teams combined for 88 penalty minutes.
  • September 28: 3-2 Pickering win in overtime; goals by Hutton, Lepine & McCann (PIC) and Leavens & Farrell (NMK). The two teams combined for 70 shots and 0-6 on the power play.
  • October 7: 4-3 Pickering win in shootout; goals by Tutton, Hutton and Lepine (PIC) and Burion, Rigney & Leavens (NMK). Once again, there were over 70 shots in the game (71). Newmarket scored the lone power play goal on 7 attempts between both teams. Lepine & Hutton scored for Pickering in the shootout.

LEADING THE WAY…

  • Newmarket: 19-year-old Brandon Francisco leads the Hurricanes with 18 points (7-11). He is tied for the lead in goals with Daniel Leavens, while Calvin Higley’s 12 assists are the most on the team. Leavens also leads the team with 30 penalty minutes in 14 games. David Savery and Higley have two game-winning goals each.
  • Pickering: Matt Galati, 20, and Andrew McCann, 19, lead the team with 21 points each in 16 games. Galati has 13 goals and eight assist and leads the team in goals, while McCann’s 17 assists lead the team in that statistic. Defenseman Micah Nichols leads the team with 51 penalty minutes, while forward Aiden Wallace has two game-winning goals this season.
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