73's looking to finish regular season sweep over Wild
WALPOLE ISLAND - A win Tuesday night in Essex would complete a regular season sweep over the Walpole Island Wild and give Essex a shot at 37 wins on the season, matching last season's win total. They'll have to go thru the Wild, and the Lakeshore Canadiens this Friday.
Essex rolled into Walpole Island on Saturday night and left with a convincing 5–0 shutout victory over the Wild, putting together a complete effort at both ends of the ice.
The visitors struck twice in the opening period to seize early control. Seth Martineau opened the scoring at 8:20 with his second goal of the season, and Austin Guevremont added to the lead late in the frame at 17:49, giving Essex a 2–0 advantage after one.
Any hopes of a Wild comeback were quickly erased to start the second period. Just 17 seconds in, Wyatt Goudie found the back of the net to make it 3–0. Essex kept the pressure on throughout the middle frame, and William Claridge extended the lead at 14:30 with his 11th of the season.
The shutout was sealed in the third period when Marcus Levesque scored at 12:49, capping off the five-goal night for Essex.
Between the pipes, Tomas Kniaziew was rock solid for Essex, stopping all 19 shots he faced to earn the shutout. Walpole Island goaltender Nicholas Jeranian turned aside 26 shots in a busy night but was tagged with the loss.
With balanced scoring and steady goaltending, Essex controlled this game from start to finish.
Hunt’s powerplay winner lifts Essex past Mooretown
ESSEX - The Essex 73’s edged the Mooretown Flags 4–3 Tuesday night at the Essex Centre Sports Complex, using a strong special teams effort and a dominant shot advantage to secure the win.
Essex opened the scoring early in the first period when Carter Dembinski found the back of the net at 2:42 to give the 73’s a 1–0 lead.
Mooretown responded midway through the frame with a power-play goal from Brayden Hogan, then took the lead just 18 seconds later as Ethan Glavin made it 2–1 for the Flags.
The 73’s bounced back in the second period. Seth Martineau tied the game at 10:32 on a beauty setup from Wyatt Goudie, and Austin Guevremont put Essex ahead at 16:13 with what stood as a key momentum-shifting goal heading into the third.
Mooretown wasn’t done yet, tying the game once again at 7:52 of the third on another power-play marker, this time from Lucas Ross.
With the game hanging in the balance, Connor Hunt delivered the difference-maker at 13:07 on the man advantage, restoring Essex’s lead for good.
Essex controlled the pace throughout the night, outshooting Mooretown 39–19, applying steady pressure that eventually paid off on the scoreboard.
The 73’s will look to keep rolling this Saturday afternoon when they travel to Walpole Island to take on the Wild. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m.
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.
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.