The Haliburton County Huskies go into the OJHL All-Star break this weekend with a five-game winning streak since returning from Christmas holidays.
The blue and white racked up a 4-1 win over the Toronto Patriots Dec. 29. Lucas Stevenson led the way with two goals, while Patrick Saini and Charlie Fink chipped in the others.
They backed that up with a New Year’s Eve victory over rival Wellington Dukes. The 4-2 decision saw tallies from Saini, Alex Bradshaw with two, and Ty Petrou.
The squad rang in the new year with a 5-4 win over the Stouffville Spirit Jan. 4. Goal scorers were Lucas Marshall, Stevenson, Saini, Hunter Martell, and Fink.
January 6 saw the Huskies beat their Hwy. 35 rivals, the Lindsay Muskies, 4-1. Bradshaw tallied in this one as did Stevenson, Petrou and Saini.
And on Jan. 7, the Huskies squeaked out a 3-2 decision over the Pickering Panthers. Stevenson, Saini and Petrou all found the back of the net.
Commenting on the streak – that has seen the team climb to fourth place in the East Conference with a record of 23 wins, 14 losses, and two ties for 48 points – team captain Saini said, “everyone’s really starting to figure out what we have to do to win.”
He added, “it’s not easy to win day in and day out. It takes work but I think we’re starting to figure out winning habits. It starts with practice. I think we have a lot of confidence because when you win games, you find your confidence. So, we’re able to come back in games we’re down and hold teams off. It’s good.”
While Saini, Petrou, Stevenson and Fink are no strangers to the tally sheet, Bradshaw has been chipping in as well as Marshall and D-man Martell. The captain said that’s important.
“It’s always nice to see the other guys put some in because when everyone’s scoring, everyone’s having fun.”
All-Star celebration
Saini will be representing the Huskies at the All-Star celebration in Collingwood this coming weekend.
The event features games, a skills competition and gala community activities. The all-star game is 5 p.m. Jan. 13.
Saini said, “those things are a huge honour and they’re a lot of fun so I’m hoping to go represent Halliburton County the best way I can and enjoy my time.” Lucas Vacca has been named an alternate for the East team.
Meanwhile, Husky head coach and general manager, Ryan Ramsay, is coaching the prospects team and goalie Logan Kennedy has been named to that squad. Saini said the goalie deserved the pick as he has played well for the Huskies.
After the All-Star Celebration, the Huskies return to action on the road. They are scheduled to play in Toronto versus the Junior Canadiens Jan. 14
“That’s a huge game for us,” Saini said. The Huskies have just eight home games remaining on the 2023-24 regular season schedule. They are next at the S.G. Nesbitt Memorial Arena Jan. 20.
“We had a lot of home games before the break so we’re on the road a little bit more coming up,” Saini said. “That’s alright. I know that when we come home, the fans are going to be pumping and it’s going to be a great atmosphere to play in. So, we’ll be ready to play when we get the chance to play at home and we’ll take care of business on the road.”
