Game on!

Opening night

The 2025/26 season opened last night with the Osprey facing the Aurora, just as the season ended last year.  It was an Aurora implosion in the dying seconds of the deciding game of the finals, that led to the Osprey bringing home their second Nomad Cup.  Matt Simpson scored what he thought was the insurance marker for the Aurora in that game while Nathan Bessey was instrumental in helping get his Osprey past the finish line first.  Last night, Simpson was captaining the Osprey while Bessey was just a second line grunt for the Aurora in a flipping of the script.

The Osprey and Aurora were not in a scoring mood to start the game, putting absolutely nothing on the game sheet in the first period.  Matt Baird and Nick Stryniak weren’t super busy, but they were still solid.

Justin Langille of the Aurora got his first ever Nomad Hockey League breakaway a couple minutes into the second period and his shot went through the legs of Matt Baird to make it 1-0.  Matt Simpson took a pass at the side of the net with 10 minutes left in the game and his shot went off the jersey of Stryniak and through the hole under his blocker arm to tie the game.  David Lacey nearly tied it up with a shot off the crossbar but the puck went out instead of in, and he then fell hard after releasing the rocket.  Slamming into the boards, Lacey was slow to get up and went directly to the bench, though he wouldn’t miss a shift.

Neither team could break the draw during regulation so we went to the shootout.  In a perfect end to the game, Nathan Bessey deked and nearly went past the goal line as he tucked in the puck as the only scorer in the shootout as the Aurora defeated the Osprey to open the season.

The Tigers and Evergreens were the late game, which was only 9:30 on this Tuesday night in Dartmouth.  The Evergreens were ready right off the hop and Silas Bonnell was wheeling.  He had a clear cut breakaway and with Max Dewey following behind, Silas dropped the pass as he got to the slot.  Even Dewey was stunned to see it as the Evergreens let out a collective “nooo”.  Dewey didn’t know what the hell to do, so he took a super awkward backhander as the defender caught him.  The weird shot confused Tigers goaltender Josh McCarther and sailed into the top corner of the net.

Silas would then get himself a goal on his next shift, leaving just the penalty for the Nomad Gordie Howe Hat Trick.  The Evergreens pushed and nearly found a 3rd goal in a wild goal line scramble that McCarther navigated to make a brilliant goal line save.  Then with 2:27 to go in the first, Brandon Crowell decided that he had waited long enough, and he popped off 3 goals in a minute and nine seconds to turn an Evergreens lead into a deficit.

Dan Keays extended the Tigers 3-2 lead with a goal at 11:58 of the second, and it was looking like the game may be in control of the Tigers, but wait, Ivan Kravchenko wasn’t done.  He took the pass from Luke Levangie and went upstairs to bring the game within a goal.  As the discussion on the Evergreens bench was about when to pull their goaltender, the Tigers scored once more.  Kurt Thibault scored his first of the night to go with 3 apples for 4 points, and the assist went to Crowell who also registered 4 points on the night to lead the league.

The Tigers would hold on to the 2 goal lead and earn their first 3 points of the season.