Golden Hawks ready for semifinal matchup with Hurricanes
by JOEL VANDERLAAN
After a first-round sweep of the Lindsay Muskies, the Trenton Golden Hawks will meet the Newmarket Hurricanes in the East Conference semifinal.
The Hurricanes defeated the Haliburton County Huskies in five games to advance. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday night at the Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens, with the Golden Hawks hosting the fourth-seeded Hurricanes.
Trenton held the edge during the regular season series, winning three of four meetings and finishing 19 points ahead of Newmarket in the standings.
The Golden Hawks’ depth was evident in the opening round, with eight players averaging a point per game and 18 skaters recording at least one point.
That production came despite the absence of OJHL scoring leader Taeo Artichuk and all-star defenceman Andrew Wycisk for much of the series.
In their absence, Lucas Di Giantommaso led Trenton with eight points, while Jamie Darlison recorded three goals and four assists. Alternate captain Duncan Schneider added five points from the blue line.
Trenton split goaltending duties in the first round. Hayden Jeffery posted a 2.33 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in three appearances, while Colten Drillen-Roach made 37 saves in his lone start.
Newmarket will look to netminder Carter Froggett, who appeared in all five first-round games and recorded a 1.75 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage. Connor Haynes leads the Hurricanes in playoff scoring with seven points in five games.
Both Trenton and Newmarket have allowed just nine goals through the first round.
Newmarket finished the regular season with a 35-18-1-2 record and the East Conference’s top power play.
The full second-round schedule is available at trentongoldenhawks.ojhl.ca.
