It’s unchartered territory for the Trenton Golden Hawks.
The Hawks have fallen to 0-3 after a tough 6-3 loss on home ice Friday night in their home opener versus the Stouffville Spirit.
After player introductions and pomp and circumstance, the Hawks gave their home fans a positive jumpstart with defenceman Michael Domina’s first OJHL goal and Hayden Jeffery’s 20 saves.
Domina, a resident of Severna Park, Maryland, opened the scoring at the 16:17 mark by taking a creative pass from Ryan Chamberlain and beating Spirit netminder Calem Yorke through a screen
Captain Wyatt Gregory added a secondary assist.
Stouffville’s offence came alive in the second with three goals, but the second frame ended in a 3-3 tie thanks to Hawks markers from Mason Musclow on a cycle started by rookies Ryan Foley and Jax Martin and Kale Mace on a powerplay one-timer set up by Nathan McHattie and Ethan Brassard.
For both, it was their second goals of the season.
The Spirit managed to break away in the third, with Justin Sekulovski striking early in the period, followed by Christian Armstrong’s second of the game and an insurance marker from Clarence Allain into a gaping Trenton cage for the road win.
The game ended on a rough-and-tumble note with a spirited fight between Quinte Red Devils graduate Sterling Poff and Griffin Boyle.
Jeffery made 42 saves in another high shot contest, 48-30 in favour of Stouffville.
Next up for the Hawks is a visit to Herb Carnegie Arena for the first of four matchups with the North York Rangers at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
