An upset-minded North York Rangers team gave the Trenton Golden Hawks a challenge, but it was not enough in a 5-2 score on Friday at ‘The Hangar.’
The depth scoring won out for the Hawks as they clinched their fifth win in a row.
Before the ice was even dry to start the game, North York gave Trenton a scare with Luca Spano beating Dylan Lee-Stack 34 seconds into the first.
Kale Mace hit double digits in goals for the season with 10, responding at 9:42 from Thomas Kuipers and Casey Bridgewater.
The Hawks and Rangers split goals early in the second before Trenton took the game over for good.
Daylen Moses ripped a Mace pass through Reid Thomas in the North York crease more than five minutes into the period, but a Ranger response courtesy of William Divitcos tightened the score again.
Jack Ziliotto hit the 30-goal mark, set up by Taeo Artichuk’s 60th assist of the campaign, and Beckett Ewart.
Then, less than two minutes later, Kuipers buried a centering feed for his 11th of the year to up the lead by one more notch.
Lee-Stack stoned Kyson Patterson on a late period penalty shot and carried that confidence into the third, where the Hawks finished off the pesky Rangers.
Mason Musclow tacked on another insurance tally with a goal in the final five minutes or so from Wyatt Gregory and Preston Otting to end the scoring.
Mace and Kuipers each registered three points in the victory and Lee-Stack denied 21 North York chances, giving Trenton its 34th win of the season and remaining one point up on Stouffville for top spot in the East.
The Hawks have a 7 p.m. start time in Aurora on Saturday.
