Essex rolling into playoffs on a 13-game winning streak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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​LAKESHORE - The Essex 73's finished off their impressive regular season with a 5-4 win over the Lakeshore Canadiens Friday night at the Atlas Tube Centre. The game was meaningless in terms of playoff seeding as Essex already clinched first place (37-4-1-0) while the Canadiens already had second place locked up (30-10-2-0).

 

Essex took the opportunity to sit and rest five of their regulars, including the top line of Noah Mathieson, Connor Hunt and Austin Guevremont.

 

After a scoreless opening frame, Essex struck quickly in the second. Just 1:11 into the period, Carter Dembinski netted his 15th of the season on the power play to give the 73’s the lead. Less than two minutes later, Travis Rivest doubled the advantage with his sixth of the year.

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Lakeshore responded midway through the period when Julian Gignac capitalized on the power play to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the third, which turned into a shootout.

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Only 1:27 into the third, Ethan O’Neil restored Essex’s two-goal cushion with a power-play marker. But Lakeshore refused to go away. Aedan Sullivan scored at 4:35 to bring the Canadiens within one, then struck again at 8:54 to give Lakeshore its first lead of the night at 3-3.

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Essex answered quickly. Andrew Baker buried his 13th of the season at 11:59 to reclaim the lead for the 73’s. Minutes later, Dembinski delivered the biggest goal of the night, notching his second of the game and 16th of the season at 15:56 to make it 5-3.

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Sullivan completed a hat trick with 1:12 remaining to pull Lakeshore within one, but Essex shut the door the rest of the way to secure the dramatic 5-4 win.

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Dembinski’s two-goal performance led the charge for Essex, while Sullivan’s three-goal effort kept Lakeshore in contention until the final buzzer.

Essex clinches first place overall in PJHL 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With an easy 12-2 win over the Walpole Island Wild last night, the Essex 73's clinched first place overall in the Provincial Junior Hockey League. They will close out their regular season with a road game in Lakeshore friday night and start playoffs next week.

 

ESSEX - The Essex 73’s delivered an offensive showcase from start to finish, overpowering WPI with a commanding 12-goal performance in a lopsided victory.

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Essex wasted no time setting the tone. Just 1:02 into the opening period, Jack Lewis opened the scoring, igniting a relentless first-period surge. Luke Sherk followed less than two minutes later, and the 73’s never looked back.

Noah Mathieson added to the lead midway through the frame on the power play before William Claridge capped a four-goal first period with a late marker to give Essex full control after 20 minutes.

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The second period brought more of the same.

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Gavin Gaudet struck early for his first of the season, and Seth Martineau quickly followed to stretch the advantage. Claridge buried his second of the night, and Andrew Baker joined the offensive parade before WPI finally answered with a goal midway through the period. Ethan O’Neil restored the momentum before the intermission, sending Essex into the third with a commanding lead.

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The 73’s continued to pour it on in the final frame. Lewis scored his second of the game, and Carter Dembinski added another shortly after. WPI managed a late response, but O’Neil finished off his second of the night to seal the emphatic victory.

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Several players had standout performances in the offensive explosion. Seth Martineau and Carter Dembinski led all skaters with four points in the game each, playing a key role in Essex’s relentless attack. Luke Sherk and William Claridge each recorded three-point performances, while Jack Lewis and Ethan O’Neil both scored twice in the dominant effort.

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From the opening shift to the final buzzer, Essex controlled the pace, generated sustained pressure, and showcased their scoring depth in one of their most complete offensive efforts of the season.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The shutout was sealed in the third period when Marcus Levesque scored at 12:49, capping off the five-goal night for Essex.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Essex controlled the pace throughout the night, outshooting Mooretown 39–19, applying steady pressure that eventually paid off on the scoreboard.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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​​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.

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When the final horn sounded, Essex skated off with the big win.

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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.

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Mooretown, now 19-17-1-0, remains in fourth place in the division, trailing Lakeshore and Blenheim as the playoff race tightens.

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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.​​​