Essex back on track, pick up 11th road win on the season
WHEATLEY - The Essex 73’s erupted for five unanswered goals to rally past the Wheatley Sharks 5–2, overcoming an early two-goal deficit with a dominant special teams performance and timely scoring.
Wheatley struck quickly, opening the scoring just 59 seconds into the first period when Xander Zanier converted on the power play, finishing a setup from Vito Alfano and Jaydon Ferguson.
The Sharks doubled their lead at 13:37 as Alfano buried his eighth of the season off feeds from Seth Zylstra and Josh Chauvin, sending Wheatley into the intermission up 2–0.
Essex began to shift momentum late in the second period. With just two minutes remaining, Connor Hunt got the 73’s on the board, snapping home his 14th of the season to make it a one-goal game heading into the third.
The third period belonged entirely to Essex.
Hunt struck again just 36 seconds in, tying the game on the power play with help from Luke Sherk and Noah Mathieson. Less than two minutes later, Andrew Baker gave the 73’s their first lead, finishing a play set up by Travis Rivest and Marcus Levesque.
Essex continued to pour on the pressure as Dembinski extended the lead at 9:08, scoring on the power play off assists from Baker and Austin Wright.
Noah Mathieson capped the scoring at 15:24, wiring home his 12th of the season with William Claridge and Matthew Cole earning assists.
Despite being outshot 37–27, Essex received a strong performance from goaltender Birks Cassels, who was steady throughout and key in keeping the game within reach during Wheatley’s early surge.
With the win, the 73’s showcased their resilience and special teams efficiency, turning a slow start into a victory.
Canadiens snap 73's consecutive win streak
LAKESHORE - Lakeshore snapped Essex’s 16-game winning streak with a hard-fought 4–2 victory Friday night at the Atlas Tube Centre, handing the 73’s their first loss in two months.
The Canadiens opened the scoring late in the first period when Andrew Ward buried his fourth of the season at 13:55, set up by Vaughn Truppe and Denver Boismier.
Essex responded before the break, as Jaxen Fortier-Smith continued his strong play, tying the game at 18:48 with his 11th of the year off feeds from Carter Dembinski and Travis Rivest.
Essex carried momentum into the second period and briefly grabbed the lead. At 7:37, Wyatt Goudie finished a setup from Dembinski—who picked up his second assist of the night—and Marcus Levesque to put the 73’s ahead 2–1.
The third period, however, belonged to Lakeshore.
Just four minutes in, Michael Kopcok tied the game, converting a pass from Owen Bentley and Aedan Sullivan. The go-ahead goal came at 11:06, when former 73's player, Lazar Dragicevic, scored unassisted to give Lakeshore its first lead since the opening frame.
Essex pushed late with the net empty, but Conor Costello sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal at 19:30, assisted by Kyle Kelly, locking in the 4–2 final.
Despite the loss, Essex’s 16-game winning streak stands as the longest runs of the PJHL season, and the 73’s will look to quickly regroup tonight as they travel to Wheatley to take on the Sharks.
Mathieson a complete nightmare for Dresden
ESSEX - The Essex 73's knew what they were getting in the summer when they inked centreman, Noah Mathieson, to a contract after he helped the Chatham Maroons win the Sutherland Cup last season. A solid two-way player, and that's exactly what he's delivering on this season.
Last night, the 20-year old Amherstburg native was in on all five of the 73's goals, helping propel the 73's to their 16th win in a row, a 5-3 decision over the Dresden Kings.
Mathieson now has 45 points on the season, which is tied for 14th most in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. He has 14 points in his last five games.
Essex wasted no time getting on the board, striking just 46 seconds into the opening period when Mathieson buried his 10th goal of the season off feeds from Luke Sherk and William Claridge. Dresden answered back late in the first, as Nolan Jack finished a setup from Kurtis Smith at 17:51 to knot the game 1–1 heading into the intermission.
The Jr. Kings briefly grabbed the lead early in the second period. Jack scored his second of the night on the power play at 4:05, but Essex responded with poise. At 9:21, Mathieson struck again, scoring his 11th of the year with Ethan O’Neil picking up the assist.
The 73’s then regained control late in the frame when Marcus Levesque snapped home his 13th goal at 18:50, assisted by Mathieson and Sherk, giving Essex a 3–2 lead after 40 minutes.
In the third period, Essex extended the advantage. Wyatt Goudie netted his first goal of the season at 13:34, finishing a play started by Mathieson.
Dresden refused to go quietly, cutting the deficit to one at 15:51 when Noah Wilson scored his first of the year.
With Dresden pressing late, Essex sealed the win. Travis Rivest scored a shorthanded empty-net goal at 18:59, assisted by again, by Mathieson, to close out the 5–3 result.
Essex 73’s explode for nine goals in road win over Wild
The Essex 73’s delivered an emphatic offensive performance on the road, rolling to a 9–2 victory over the Walpole Island Wild Saturday afternoon, behind a hat trick from Jack Lewis.
Essex opened the scoring just over five minutes into the first period when Lewis capitalized on the power play, finishing a setup from Carter Dembinski and Mitchell Hickson.
Walpole Island responded at 9:27 as Evan Derikx found the equalizer, but the tie was short-lived.
Luke Sherk restored the Essex lead before the end of the period, converting a feed from Noah Mathieson and Connor Hunt to give the 73’s a 2–1 edge after one.
The second period proved pivotal. Walpole Island once again pulled even early on a power-play goal from Aaron Highfield, but Essex quickly took control of the game.
Ethan O’Neil broke the tie at 11:17, followed just over a minute later by a power-play marker from Carter Dembinski. Moments later, Andrew Baker capped a three-goal burst, pushing the Essex lead to 5–2 and swinging the momentum firmly in the visitors’ favour.
Essex showed no signs of letting up in the third period. Noah Mathieson extended the lead early, before Cael McCabe added another power-play goal midway through the frame. Lewis then took over, scoring twice in a span of six minutes to complete a hat trick and put an exclamation point on the victory.
Special teams played a key role, with Essex striking multiple times on the power play while maintaining steady defensive structure at even strength. The 73’s depth was on full display as scoring came from all areas of the lineup, overwhelming Walpole Island as the game wore on.
With the win, Essex made it 14 straight wins, and points in the last 15 games. They are still tied with Dundas for tops in the Provincial Junior Hockey League with a 23-3-1-0 record each.
73's add 3 more to Wall of Honour
The Class of 2025 Wall of Honour induction ceremony took place Saturday, Nov. 15th at the Essex Recreation Complex.
The night included dinner, comedy and music, enjoyed by 200 in attendance.
This year's honourees were Dave Moore, Jamie McDermott and Adam Gaiarin. Moore and McDermott were inducted in the Staff Category, while Gaiarin was the only player inducted this year.
In all, the Wall of Honour consists of 47 members as of this year.
Dave Prpich presents Dave Moore to the WOH Class of 2025
Tony Piroski presents Jamie McDermott to the WOH Class of 2025
Scott Miller presents Adam Gaiarin to the WOH Class of 2025
Leading Scorer award named in honour of the late, Don Chittle
Earlier this year, the Essex 73’s lost one of its most popular players of all-time, Don Chittle.
Donny grew up on a farm in Maidstone, Ontario along with brothers Bob, Paul and Jim. He played minor hockey in Essex and played for the Essex 73’s in the mid 1970’s – considered by many to be the Golden years of the Essex 73’s. He was a loving husband and best friend to Kim, sharing 32 beautiful years of marriage.
A devoted and cherished father to Amy, and a proud “grandpa” to his beloved fur grand-dog, Caesar.
Known for his boundless energy and warm heart, Don was truly the life of the party. His selflessness, kindness, and ability to uplift those around him made him a treasured friend to many. He had an incredible gift for making people laugh and feel welcomed, leaving a lasting impression wherever he went.
On the ice, Don was the most prolific goal scorer in 73’s history. His 136 goals in just 3 years playing for the 73’s still stands as the 73’s record for most career goals. In 1977-78,
Donny set a then league record for goals and points in a season, scoring 62 goals and 130 points. He ranks third on the 73’s all-time career points list. Donnie ws inducted to the Essex 73’s Wall of Honour in its inaugural year, 2022.
For all the reasons above, and more, the Essex 73’s organization have acknowledged Don’s achievements as a player, and have renamed the 73’s Leading Scorer trophy in honour of him. From this day forward, the leading scorer trophy will be called the Don Chittle Memorial Trophy.