Panthers and Cyclones battle to a tie in opener
The Sun County Panthers and the Upper Canada Cyclones battled to a 1-1 tie in each team’s first game at the 2025 OHL Cup.
Defenceman Colby Nystedt (1) got the Cyclones on the board midway through the opening period. Upper Canada would hold that lead until late in the third period, as defenceman Eric Wood (1) would find the back of the net off a point shot on the powerplay to knot the game at one.
Goaltenders Anderson Camilleri (28 SV) of the Panthers and Connor Haffner (27 SV) of the Cyclones stood tall in the crease in regulation and in overtime to force the tie.
After a tough series against Huron Perth in the Alliance championships, Camilleri spoke about his team’s resilience battling back from the one goal deficit saying, “We had a really good series against Huron Perth, we came in feeling really good, got off to a slow start, but our coach talked to us, and we were able to have a strong third period to tie it.”
“It’s an honour. We worked really hard for this the whole year, we pushed through bumps in the road, got here, and now we’re hoping to have a good tournament,” said Camilleri. Despite the tie, the Panthers goalie and his teammates are thankful for the opportunity.
Sun County will play York Simcoe tomorrow morning at 8:15am. While Upper Canada will play the Toronto Jr. Canadiens tomorrow at 11:45am.
Under Armour Player of the Game:
Panthers: Anderson Camilleri (28 SV)
Cyclones: Connor Haffner (27 SV)