In like a lion, out like a lamb.
It’s an adage typically used for the month of March, but also applicable for the Milton Menace on their final weekend of the OJHL regular season.
The Menace had back-to-back-to-back road games to finish the season this past weekend. Speaking with Captain Graeme MacAuley last week in episode 24 of Recap with Cap, he mentioned the possibility of sitting guys this weekend to rest up for the playoffs. It seemed to impact the performance on the ice, one game in particular.
On Friday, February 28th, the Menace went to King to take on the Rebellion at the Zancor Centre. King would jump out to an early lead, scoring first at the four minute mark of the opening frame. They’d take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
In the second period, the Rebellion would add some cushion to their lead, scoring once to make it 2-0 after two periods of play.
After making it a three goal lead in the third period, the Menace would get one back. Ivan Fabjan netted his 16th of the season, assisted by Madden MacDougall and Captain MacAuley. It wouldn’t be enough to spark the comeback, as King would score one more time, clinching the 4-1 win.
In net for Milton was Carter Bickle. He stopped 24 of 28 shots, giving him the .857% save percentage.
Saturday would be far worse for the Menace.
Despite having most of their regular lineup on the ice, the Menace didn’t show up to play. They were shutout for the fourth time this season, and the first time by a team that wasn’t the Collingwood Blues or Leamington Flyers.
Goaltender Austin McKillop also didn’t have his best night, allowing eight goals on 33 shots. His .757% save percentage led to an 8-0 loss to the Stouffville Spirits.
Could they rebound the next day?
The Menace went north to take on the Collingwood Blues at the Eddie Bush Arena on Sunday, March 2nd. This game was a make-up match-up after a previous one was postponed due to weather.
Both teams would trade scoring chances throughout the first two periods, but found themselves scoreless heading into the final frame.
Collingwood would be the first to strike, scoring with nine minutes to go. It looked as though Milton was going to be shutout once again, but 16-year-old Ryder Cali found the back of the net with just over a minute left to play. That would send the game to overtime.
For the first time in the season, Milton would end a game in a tie, 1-1.
Carter Bickle was in net for Milton. His night was better than Friday, stopping 27 of 28 shots for the .964% save percentage.
The Menace finish the season in 3rd place in the OJHL West Conference. Their record of 36-15-1-4 over 56 games gives them 77 points on the season. Madden MacDougall finished the season as the team’s scoring leader, with 25 goals and 39 assists in 48 games played. Ryder Cali was second with 24 goals and 30 assists in 51 games, and despite being acquired mid-season via trade, Luke Johnston was third with 22 goals and 28 assists in just 28 games played.
Milton will take on the Burlington Cougars in the first round of the playoffs. Speaking with Menace Owner and President Jason Tryfon last month, he confirmed that game one of their match-up would take place on Friday, March 7th at the Milton Memorial Arena (though the game has not been officially announced by the OJHL, and therefore is subject to change).
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