BRACEBRIDGE — The crowd was ready to rock ’n’ roll.
So were the Muskoka Bears when they were announced — and then there were their opponents.
But more than luck was on the side of Alliston who dominated the opening 10 minutes with a 3-0 lead and only a brief late game Bracebridge comeback avoided a bloodbath.
The Bears are cubs compared to the Hornets who stung fast and often.
Still the good news is Muskoka only has to play them another five times.
Here’s a look at how the teams looked last night in their first match-up of the season.
On a night when they honoured Bracebridge native and NHL all-star goalie Roger Crozier on their tickets and game line-ups their was a calm before the storm. Then the puck dropped and it didn’t stop there at the MLCC.Bears coach Jason Dawe, third right, was smiling when his team was announced. No photo available after.It was two thumbs up on the blue line for all the players going in to the 60-minute no-contest between the rookies vs. veterans.The Bears look big and strong and a little mobile. But against a more mature club they experienced the worst of season openers.With only three lines to work with due to suspensions (already?) Muskoka had to work extra hard.It was going to be a long night and a long season especially as they have to meet Alliston five more times.A game looking group of young men did well as it was holding the Hornets to two goals in the second.Goalies Connor Sampson and Campbell McDiarmid were up against it start to finish and even captain Aiden MacDonald and Kaiden Szabo couldn’t stem the sting.Winning faceoffs and one-on-one battles was always going to the difference, which Alliston did all night.The Bears Aiden MacDonald and Jacob Jennings least while stuck to it with their sticks close in ….But the referee saw more than aggressive action around the opposition net and called a penalty on the play.
Despite Naomi Veitch’s honkin’ big trucker horns and cheering fans, they weren’t worth a goal or two for their team.A sushi tailgate party beforehand by Alliston supporters on this cool green hornet pickup may have helped their team. It certainly helped them enjoy their on ice dessert.When it was said an done, Ken Veitch Sr. was still smiling as he left the rink. The former town CAO – and Beas Den Member – has been around Bracebridge long enough to know one game is not a season.
