The Milton Icehawks tried to dig themselves out of a four-goal hole, but the Buffalo Jr. Sabres held on for a 5-4 victory.
Buffalo made the score 5-1 on a goal by Nico Gonzalez at 28 seconds in the third period, and Milton got as close as 5-4 when Alex Riche scored 8:18 into the third period.
Kenny Tencza was all over the ice for the Jr. Sabres, as he tallied one goal and two assists in the win. Tencza scored on the power play 16:12 into the first period to make the score 2-0 Buffalo. Buffalo had taken the advantage when the Icehawks’ Jake Baird got sent off for slashing. Christopher Berger picked up the assist.
The Jr. Sabres forced Milton goalie Tyler Lewis to work between the pipes, taking 39 shots. Buffalo found the back of the net more times than it usually has this season. This season, the Jr. Sabres average 2.7 goals per contest.
Buffalo additionally got points from Berger, who also tallied one goal and one assist and Gonzalez, who also registered two goals and one assist. Tim Kielich also scored for Buffalo. In addition, Buffalo received assists from Aiden Salerno, Aaron Reinig, Tim Nicksic, Ben Casale, Dan DeFranco, and Bray Crowder, who each chipped in one.
The Icehawks were helped by Sean Robertson, who had one goal. Robertson scored 4:56 into the third period to make the score 5-3 Buffalo. Milton also got a goal from Steven Goeree as well. Other players who recorded assists for Milton were Marcus Baird, Sean Perichak, and Sean Walter, who contributed one each.
Alex Connal recorded 13 saves for Buffalo. The Jr. Sabres incurred 16 minutes in penalty time with three minors. Milton’s Lewis stopped 34 shots out of the 39 that he faced. The Icehawks incurred 14 minutes in penalty time with seven minors.
