Kings continue reign over Rebels, advance to Semi-Finals
The Vaughan Kings remained perfect at the 2024 OHL Cup presented by FPS Payment after a 3-1 victory over the Mississauga Rebels to advance to the semifinals.
Facing a familiar opponent in the Rebels, a team they beat in the GTHL semifinals, Vaughan knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. Vaughan forward and Zephyr Player of the Game for the Kings, Elijah Chavez got the scoring started for his team at the end of the first. Top prospect Alessandro Di Iorio (2, 3) would follow suit at the end of the second, scoring a pair to extend the Kings lead to three.
Rebels goaltender Gavin Betts remained steady, making 24 saves on 27 shots, as he looked to keep his team close. Colton Woods (4) would draw the Rebels closer with a goal on the power play, but Mississauga was unable to solve Kings netminder Joseph D’Angelo (15 SV) any further.
After a physical, high-pace affair, Chavez (1) praised his team’s full game effort, “I think we got off to a good start, we were playing as good as we could be. We didn’t let up at all, finishing our hits, kept getting shots on net, and that helped lead us to the win.”
“It’s a big game, but we don’t want to overthink it. We just want to keep playing the way we’re playing and hopefully our group can put a good performance together,” said Chavez as his team aims to not look too far ahead. Vaughan will take on the Peterborough Petes in the second semifinal tonight at 8:00pm
Additionally, forward Alexander Carscadden received Zephyr Player of the Game for Mississauga.
The Rebels were led in scoring by forward Colton Woods (4G, 3A) who had seven points in five games as the Rebels finished with a record of 3-2-0.
Zephyr Player of the Game
Kings – Elijah Chavez (F) – 1G
Rebels – Alexander Carscadden (F)
