Nine straight and 73’s capture Stobbs Division top seed
MOORETOWN - The Essex 73’s continued their red-hot march toward the postseason Saturday night in Mooretown, grinding out a thrilling 2–1 victory over the Flags to clinch first place in the Stobbs Division and extend their winning streak to nine straight games.
In a playoff-style atmosphere, both goaltenders stole the spotlight. Essex netminder Toms Kniaziew was rock solid, turning aside 26 of 27 shots, while Mooretown’s John Chartrand delivered a heroic effort of his own with 42 saves to keep the Flags within striking distance right to the final buzzer.
Mooretown struck first midway through the opening period when Dylan Dupuis buried a power-play goal to give the home crowd something to roar about. But the celebration didn’t last long.
The 73’s answered late in the first with a momentum-swinging power-play marker from Connor Hunt, knotting the game at one and shifting the energy firmly in Essex’s favour.
Early in the second period, Essex completed the comeback. Drew Ferenc scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, and giving the visitors their first lead of the night.
The third period seen Mooretown trying to push hard to force overtime and Essex locking things down in front of Kniaziew. Shot after shot was turned away, bodies were sacrificed in shooting lanes, and every whistle felt heavier as the clock melted away.
When the final horn sounded, Essex skated off with the big win.
The victory improved the 73’s to 33-4-1-0 on the season and officially secured them the top seed in the Stobbs Division playoffs, a massive milestone to an already solid regular season campaign.
Mooretown, now 19-17-1-0, remains in fourth place in the division, trailing Lakeshore and Blenheim as the playoff race tightens.
With momentum surging, confidence soaring, and home-ice advantage locked in, the Essex 73’s are rolling into the postseason soon looking to contend once again for another league title.
73's hold off Blades on friged night in Essex
ESSEX - On a cold Tuesday night in Essex, the hometown 73’s dug deep and skated to a gritty 3–2 win over the Blenheim Blades, leaning on timely scoring and a rock-solid effort in goal.
Blenheim struck first on the power play at 4:54 of the opening period, with Landon Copeland snapping home his 10th of the season to quiet the early crowd. Essex answered back midway through the frame, also with the man advantage, as Connor Hunt buried his 21st at 11:30 to knot the game at one.
The 73’s grabbed their first lead early in the second period. At 4:28, Austin Guevremont finished off a strong shift to make it 2–1 Essex, a goal that proved to be a turning point as the game tightened up.
Essex came out flying in the third, needing just 52 seconds for Hunt to strike again. His second of the night and 22nd of the season gave the 73’s a 3–1 cushion and some breathing room—but not for long.
Copeland scored his second of the game at 8:13 of the third to pull Blenheim within one, setting up a tense final stretch. With their net empty late, the Blades threw everything they had at the Essex goal. That’s where Birk Cassels took over.
Cassels was sharp all night, turning aside 26 shots, including several big saves in the final minutes as Blenheim pressed six-on-five. At the other end, Blenheim netminder Jake Vacoillie put together a strong performance of his own, stopping 23 of the 26 shots he faced.
When the final horn sounded, it was Essex skating off with a hard-earned 3–2 victory.
The 73’s hit the road next, traveling to Mooretown on Saturday night to take on the Flags. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
Late Ferenc powerplay goal propels 73's to 3-2 win
AMHERSTBURG - The Essex 73’s picked up a hard-fought 3–2 win over the Amherstburg Admirals on Saturday night in Amherstburg, using timely goals and special-teams success to earn the road victory.
Essex opened the scoring late in the first period when Connor Hunt found the back of the net at 4:54, giving the 73’s a 1–0 lead after 20 minutes.
Amherstburg wasted no time responding in the second, tying the game just 11 seconds into the period on a goal from Stefan Djordjevic. The deadlock carried into the third, where the pace picked up and the game tilted back and forth.
Gabe Barrette restored the Essex lead midway through the final frame with a power-play marker at 11:04, but the Admirals answered again when Zach Vaillancourt scored on the man advantage at 14:00 to make it 2–2.
The deciding moment came late, as Essex capitalized on another power play. Drew Ferenc scored at 18:48, sealing the 3–2 win for the visitors.
Essex outshot Amherstburg 30–20 on the night, applying steady pressure, especially in the third period.
The 73’s return home next, hosting the Blenheim Blades on Tuesday night in Essex.
Essex hits 30-win mark for 4th consecutive season
ESSEX - The Essex 73’s reached a familiar milestone Tuesday night at the Essex Centre Sports Complex, skating to a 5–3 victory over the Amherstburg Admirals for their 30th win of the season — the fourth straight year the franchise has hit the 30-win mark.
After a scoreless first period, the game came alive in the middle frame. Amherstburg opened the scoring at 4:36 of the second when Rory Sandison finished a play off the rush, but the 73’s answered quickly. Just 36 seconds later, Noah Mathieson buried his 16th of the season to tie the game, and Essex kept pressing.
The momentum stayed with the home side as Jack Lewis snapped home his 17th of the year at 5:35, giving the 73’s their first lead of the night.
Amherstburg responded late in the period, as Holden Wiley capitalized on a scoring chance at 12:03 to knot the game 2–2 heading into the third.
Essex took control for good early in the final frame. Ethan O’Neil restored the lead at 3:25, finishing a setup from Drew Ferenc to make it 3–2. Ference was recently dealt to the 73's at the trade deadline by the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Hockey League.
The 73’s continued to dictate play, and Cael McCabe provided the insurance goal midway through the period, converting a feed from Luke Sherk to push the lead to 4–2.
Sandison struck again for Amherstburg on the power play with just over three minutes remaining, cutting the deficit to one and setting up a tense finish. But Essex sealed the win in the final seconds when Carter Dembinski fired home an empty-net goal at 19:50, his 12th of the season, to cap the scoring.
Between the pipes, Tomas Kniaziew earned his first win as a member of the 73’s, stopping 12 of the 15 shots he faced in a steady performance.
With the victory, Essex not only strengthened its position in the standings, but once again demonstrated the consistency that has defined the club over the past four seasons.
Hunt scores two in 73's 4-2 win over Lakeshore
LAKESHORE - The Essex 73’s skated into Lakeshore Friday night to take on their county rivals, the Lakeshore Canadiens, and skated out of the Atlas Tube Centre with a hard-fought 4-2 victory that tightened their grip on first place in the Stobbs Division.
The win allowed Essex to open up a nine-point lead over the second-place Blenheim Blades.
Despite a scoreless opening period, the rivalry atmosphere was evident from the drop of the puck, with both teams trading chances in front of an announced crowd of 905.
Lakeshore struck first early in the second period when Brandon Leblanc notched his 10th of the season just 1:43 in, converting a setup from Vaughn Truppe and Owen Bentley to give the Canadiens a 1–0 lead. Essex answered less than two minutes later, as Connor Hunt tied the game at 3:33, finishing a play created by Noah Mathieson and Cael McCabe.
The 73’s took control in the third period. Mitchell Hickson put Essex ahead at 5:35, scoring his second of the season off assists from McCabe and Gabe Barrette. Connor Hunt added his second of the night and 19th of the year at 12:31, extending the lead to 3–1 with help from Andrew Baker.
Lakeshore made one final push when Michael Kopcok scored at 16:10, with Bentley and Truppe earning assists, but Essex sealed the outcome late. Travis Rivest fired home an empty-net goal at 18:57, assisted by Luke Sherk and Carter Dembinski, to cap the victory.
In goal, Birk Cassels delivered a solid performance for Essex, stopping 20 shots to earn the win. Lakeshore netminder Boe Piroski battled throughout, making 18 saves in the loss.
The teams combined for a physical, tightly contested matchup that lived up to its rivalry billing, but it was Essex that executed when it mattered most, skating away from Lakeshore with two valuable points and a growing cushion atop the Stobbs Division.
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.